The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1893-11-23

Of this ninet senth Christian ce",urv as n dj
In the early part OF the first Chrlstian cen
tury
Though a small conjunction. it Is the big
gest block to-day In the way Of tie gospe
chariot. err ar We have theological
. seminaries which spend most OF their Tin
and employ their learning aud their geniu
In the manufacturing OF 'ifs" With tha
J weaponry are assailed the Pentateucb. an,
. the Miracles. and the divinity of Jesus Christ
Almost everybody is chewing on an "lf.
when many man bows for prayer he nut,
his knee on an 'if." The door through wbicI
people pass into infdelity and atheism anc
all iinmorslities has two doorposts, and th,
one is made Of the letter ''i'' aud the othel
OF the letter IL
There are only four steps batwesu strong
fatth and complete unbeliet First. surrender
tho idea OF the verbal inspiration OF the
Scriptures and adopt the Idea that they wsrs
All generally supervised by the Lord Sec.
ono. surrender the idea that they we're ali
generally supervised by the Lord and ndop,
the theory that they were not all. but partly
supervised by the Lord. Third, belleve LAT
thsy are the gradual evolution OF the .yes
anh men wrote according to the wisd m oi
the times in whiod they lived. Fourth. be-
lieve that the Bible Is n bad book and not
only unworthy OF credence, but pernicious
and dsbssing aud cruel
Only four steps from the stout faith in
which the martyrs died to the blatant car
feature OF Christianity as the greatest sham
OF ths centuries. Blu, the door to all that
precipitation aud horror IL made ont OF an
| ~. The mother OF unrests In the minds OF
CHRISTIAN people and to those who regard
sacred things is the ''ir' OF incredulity In
1879. In Scotland. I saw n letter which had
been written many years ago by Thomas
I Carlyle to Thomas Chalmers. CARLYLE at the
lime OF writing the letter was a young man
! The letter was not TO be published until after
the death OF Carlyle. His death having taken
/ place. the letter ought to be published.
IL was n letter in which Thomas Carlyle
i expresses the tortures of his own mind while
/ relaxing his faith in Cur .stianity, while at
/ tue slna time expresses his admiration for
/ DE. Chalmers, and In which Carlyle wishes
/ that he had the same faith that the great
! Scotch minister evidently ex srci5ed Nothing
that Thomas Carlyle ever wrote In "Sartor
Rssartus. or the French Revolution. or
| his Lite OF Cromwell" or his immortal
Essays" had in 1t more wondrous power
| than that letter which bewailcd his own
doubts and ex;olei the strong faith of
another
made an exact copy OF that letter. with
tbs understanding thar II should not bs pub
Ishei until alter the death OF Thomas
Carlyle. but returning TO my hotel In Edin-
buryh felt uneasy lest somehow that letter
should get out OF my possession and be pub
lished before Its time. So | took II back to
the person by whose permission I had
'opi'u hu TcHsOns Tor It's privacy having
vanished. wish IL might be published
Perhaps this sermon, finding it's way into
q Scottish home, may suggest Its printing,
Tor that letter shows more nightly than any
thing Ihave ever read the difference bet ween
the "l know OF Paul and the "I know" OF
Job. and the III know" of Thomas Chalmers.
and the II know OF all those who hold with
a firm grip the gospel. on the one hand. and
tho unmooring. bestorming aud torturiLg
'it Of increduluy on the other. like the
positive faith OF that sailor boy that Captain
JudIins OF the steamship Scotia picked up Ia
n hurricane. go aloft," said Captain Jud-
kins to his mate. land look out for wrecks"
Before the mats had gone far up the rat
lines he shouted: "a wreck A wreck 90
''WhSe away = said Captain 'Judkins. ION
the port bow" was the answer. Llleboats
were lowered. and forty men volunteered to
put out across the angry sea Tor the wreck
They came back with u dozsn shipwrscked.
aud among them a boy OF twelve years
Who are your said Captain Judkins.
The answer was: IL am q Scotch boy NV
father and mother ara dead. and am on my
way TO America. "What have you here?'
said Captain Judkins az he opened the boys
jacket and took hold OF rope around the |
boys body. "it ia rope" said the boy. |
But what Is that tied by this rope under
your armp" That, sir, IL my mothers |
Bible She told me- never to loss that"
Gould you not have saved something else?"
NOt duu ShNeu lual. Diu you expect TO |
go down. ''Yes. sir. but meant TO take
my mothers Bible down with me" Bravo"
SAID Captain Judkins. - will take care OF
you.
That boy demonstrated n certainty aud a |
confidence that | like. Just la proportion |
as you have few IFS" Of increduity In your
religion will you find 1t comfortable re-
ligion. My full and unquestioned faith in It /
IA founded on the fact that II sooths and sus-
tains ia time of trouble. / do not believe |
that any man vino ever lived had more bless |
ings and prosperity than ] have received /
from God and the world. But | have had |
trouble enough to allow me opportunity for |
finding out whether our religion Is OF any |
use In such exicency | have had fourteen
great bereavements. to say nothing Of lesser
bereaysments, for | was this younger OF u |
large family. | have had as much persecu-
tion "a comes 10 most people. | have had |
all kinds OF trial. except severe and pro- |
longed sickness. aud would have been dead
long ago but for the consoatory powe- OF
our religion.
Any religion will do in tune OF prosperity.
Buddhism will do Coaiucauism will do. |
Theosophy will do. No 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, who 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 spectsces be-
cause she will have clear vision In the home
to which she has gone or you give the last |
kiss to the child reclining amid tho howers |
that pile the casket and looking ~ natural |
aud lifelike as she ever did reclining in the |
cradle, then the only religion worth anything |
ia the old fashion religion OF the gospel OF
Jesus Christ.
| would give mora in such crisis for one
OF the promises expressed In half verse OF
the old book than for whole library con
tanning all the productions Of all the other
religions Of all the ages. The other religions |
are a sort OF cocaine TO benumb and deaden |
the soul while bereavement and misfortune
DO their work, but our religion IA inspira- |
tion, illumination. imparadisstion. II is a |
mixture OF sunlight and halleluiah. DO not |
adulterate II with one drop OF the tincture OF
incredulity
Another Bible ''it'' is the "if' OF eternal |
significance. solomon gives us thar ''ii' /
twice in one sentence when he says. "lf thou |
bs Wisp thou shalt he wis. for thy,.lf but IL /