Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1893-04-27

Of thousands Of people who decline
being religious because there are SO
many unworthy Christians Now l
say it is Illogical Poor lawyers are
nothing against jurisprudence, poor
physicians are nothing against medi-
cine, poor farmers are nothing against
agriculture, and mean. contemplate
professors of religion are nothing
against our glorious Christianity.
Other persons apologize for not be-
coming Christians because they ksck
time. As though religion muddled the
brain of the accountant, or tripped TING
pen Of the author. or thickened the
tongue of the orator. or weakened the
arm of the mechanic. or scattered the
briefs of the lawyer. or interrupted the
sales Of the merchant. They bolt their
store doors against it and fight it back
with trowels and with yard-sticks. and
cry. Away with your religion from
our store. our Office, our factory"
They do not understand that religion
in this workaday world will help you
to do anything you ought to do. 1t can
lay keel. it can sail ship. it can buy
cargo, it can work pulley. it can
write Il constitution. it can marshal
AoSs- ~ 10 40 sapPA w sAAS s>'sAoA>
omer as his telescope; to the chemist
as his laboratory: to the mason as his
plumb-line; to the carpenter as his
plane; to the child as his marbles; to
the grandfather as his staff
No time to be religious here! You
have no time not to be religious. You
might as we'll have no clerks in your
store. no books in your library. no CON-
pass on your ship. no rifle in the battle,
no hat on your head. no coat on your
bnck. no shoes for your feet. Better
travel on toward eternity bareheaded
and barefooted and houSeless and
homeless and friendless than to go
through life without religion.
Other persons apologize for not en-
tering the Christian life because it is
time enough vet. That is very like
those persons who send their regrets
and say. II will come in perhaps at II
or II o'clock; I will not be there at the
|"opening of the banquet, but 1 will be
there at the close" Not vet! Not vet.
Now, l do not give any doleful viaw
of this life; there is nothing in my ma
tura, nothing in the grace of God. that
tends toward Il doleful view of human
life 1 have not much sympathy with
Addison'S description of the Vision
of NIirza," where he represents human
life rs being bridge Of hundred
arches and both ends of the bridge COW
cred with clouds. and the race coming
on, the most of them falling down
through the first span and all of them
falling down through the last span
1t is a very dismal picture. have not
much sympathy with the Spanish prov
CRIB which says, 1.-The sky is good and
thn nj iS hot ;ol, to- had
is between the earth and the sky"
But while we as Christian people are
bound to take a cheerful view of life,
we must also confess that life is great
uncertainty, and that man who says:
Il can't become Christian because
there is time enough yet - is running
4 risk infinite. You do not perhaps
realize the fact that this descending
grade of sin gets sleeper and sleeper,
and that you are gathering up rush
and velocity which after awhile may
not answer to the brakes, o, my
friends, be not among those who give
their whole life to the world and then
give their corpse to God. 1t. does not
seem fair while our pulses are in full
play of health, that we serve ourselves
and serve the world, and then make
God at last the present Of a coffin
1t does not seem right that. we run
our ship from coast to coast carrying
cargoes for ourselves, and then when
the ship is crushed on the rocks, give
to God the shivering timbcrs. 1t is a
great thing for a man on his dying pill
low to repent-better that than never
at all; but how much better, how much
more generous, it would have been if
he had repented fifty years before!
My friends, you will never get over
these representations.
This morning. voices roll down the
sky, and ali the worlds of light are
ready to rejoice at your disenthral-
ment. Rush not into the presence Of
the king ragged with sin, when you
may have this robe of righteousness
Dash not your foot to pieces against
the throne Of a crucified Christ. Throw
not your crown of life off the battle
ments. All the scribes Of God are this
moment ready with volumes of living
light to record the news of your soul
communicated