The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1893-11-24

religion at all will do. But when the
world gets after you and defames your
best deeds, when bankruptcy takes the
place of large dividends, when you fold
for the last sleep the still hands over the
still heart of your old father whs has
been planning for your welfare all these
years, or you close the eyes of your
mother who has lived in your life. ever
since before you were born, removing
her spectacles because she will have clear
vision in the homo to which she has
gone, or you give the last kiss to the
child reclining amid the flowers that
pile the casSet and looking as natural
and lifelike as she ever did reclining in
the cradle, then the only religion worth
anything is the old fashioned religion Of
the gospel of Jesus Christ.
would give more in such a crisis for
one of tine promises expressed In half a
verse of the old book than for whole
library containing all the productions of
all the other religions Of all the ages.
The other religions are sort of cocaine
to benumb and deaden the soul while be-
reavement and misfortune do their work;
but our religion is inspiration, illumina-
ton, imparadisation. 1t is mixture of
sunlight and halleluiah. Do not adul-
terate it with one drop Of the tincture Of
incredulity.
A SIGNIFICANT "IF."
Another Bible 'if" is tho "if' of eter-
nal significance. Solomon gives us that
.if' twice in one sentence when he says,
eff thou be wise, thou shalt be wise for
myself, but if thou soonest, thou alone
shalt bear it," Christ gives us that ''if'
when he says, IF thou hadst known in
this thy day the things which belong unto
thy peace, but now they are hidden from
thine eyes" Paul gives us that ''if''
when he says, ''If they shall enter into
my rest" All those Ifs" and score
more that l might recall put the whole
responsibility of our salvation on our
selves. Christ's willingness to pardon
no 'if'' about that. Christ's willingness
to help-no ''if" about that. Realms of
glory awaiting the righteous-no ''if'
about that.
The only ''if'' in all the case worth a
moments consideration is the ''if' that
attaches itself to the question as to
whether we viii accept, whether we will
repent. whether we will believe, whether
we will rise forever. Is it not time that
we take our eternal future off that
swivel? Is it not time that we extirpate
that ''if," that miserable ''if," that haz-
ardous ssif?' We would not allow this
uncertain "if" to stay long in anything
else of Importance. Let some one say
IN regard to railroad bridge, II have
reasons for asking if that bridge is safe, y
and you would not cross it. Let some
one say, 81 have reasons to ask if that
steamer is trustworthy" and you would
not take passage on it.
Let some one suggest in regard toa
property that you are about to purchase,
II have reason to ask if they can give a
good title" and you would not pay a
dollar down until You had some skillftl
real estate lawyer examine the title. Bit
l allowed for years of my lifetime, aid
some of you have allowed for years Of
your lifetime an if to stand tossing tp
and down questions of eternal destiny.
Oh, decided Perhaps your arrival here
today may decide. Stranger things than
that have put to flight forever the IF
of uncertainty.
A few Sabbath nights ago in this
church man, passing at the foot of the
pulpit, said to me, lam miner from
England" and then he pushed back his
coat sleeve and said, DO you see that
scar on my arm" said: Yes. Tou
must have had an awful wound there
some time" He said: Eyes, it nearly
cost me my life. | was in a mine In
England 600 feet under ground and three
miles from the shaft of the mine, and a
rock fell on me, and my fellow laborer
pried off the rock, and was bleeding to
death, and lie took newspaper from
around his luncheon and bound it
around my wound, and then helped me
over the three miles underground to the