Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1893-04-17

libs ship timber IA tks;r o~n eve hare
bssn enrissly chAagst b. the grucs Of
0oA end have found cot thss ''vodk
sess h profitable for the lifs that row il
. ssll - fer the life which l. 10 oome.'
TeesP. With nature teEixssnccs es thsi
ga, that he once sri1a C. Walk. 1t oau
look of Christ went eat and weps bsfter.
~. Rich harvesz II grace may grow OF.
The sipssp Of ths jagged steep. and focka
Of Christian granss may ind pasturSe,,
N Asads a. bgAnhls sxsd sock Though
yoss dispodt3on insy b AL svbetstle with
frvsfulnsas. thoagh yos have . temIs'
s-s;leaan with quick hghtnings. though
your svsyice b like shst Of thu horse-
,s<ch. crying, ''Givs!- thoagh dAmnabls
impurities have Wrapped you In I'll con-
suming fire. God can drive that devil
out Of your soul, and over tho chsos aIai
the darkness he can say. Let there b.
lis.ht-"
Converting grace has lifted the drurs,-
ard from Ma ditch md snatchei the knife
tram the hand Of the assassin and the false
keys from the burglar. and In the pestis-
erous knos Of the city met the daughter
Of sin under the dim laanplight and Ca
tered bar sorrow and her guilt with tie
words. Thy Sins are fonnven-go and
sin no more" For scarlet sin scarlet
stonemeut
Other parsons apologize for not enter
irg the Christian life because Of the Ia
constituencies Of those who profess seli-
glon. There are thousands Of poR
f;.rmerA They Go not know the nature
Of soil Ior the proper rotation OF crops.
Their corn Is shorter in the stalk ard
smaller in the ear. They have - less
bushels - tho acre than their neighbors.
But who declines being % farmer bocau 20
there are 50 many poor farmers?
There are thousands Of incompetent
merchants. They buy at the wrong
time. They get cheated in the sale of
their goods. Every bale Of goods is 10
them bale Of disaster. They fail aft.r
awhile and go out Of business. But who
declines to be . merchant because thee
are 90 many incompetent merchants,
There are thousands of poor lawyers.
stand tho test. They cannot recover
just damages. They cannot help de-
fsndant escape from the injustice Of his
prosecutors. They arc the worst evil
dence against any case in which they
arc retained. But who declines to be q
lawyer because there are 80 many in
competent lawyersS Yet there are tens
Of thousands Of people who decline being
religious because there are 80 many un-
worthy Christians. Now, say it 10 il
logical. Poor lawyers are nothing
against Jurisprudence. poor physicians
are nothing against medicine. poor farm
ers ere nothing against agriculture. and
mean, contemplate professors Of religion
are nothing against our glorious Christi
snity.
TIE wIIL-O-rHE-wlsP OF UNBKIIET.
Sometimes you have been riding along
ON . summer night by . swamp, and
you have seen lights that kindled o,kr
decayed vegetatiou-ights which are
called jack-o'-lsntern or will-o'-the-wisp
These lights are merely poisonous MAS
Inata. Ny friends, on your way TO
heaven you will want better light than
the will-O' -the-wisps which dance ON the
rotten character Of dead Christians. Ex-
udations from poisonous trees in OK
neighbor's garden will make very poor
balm for our wounds.
Sickness will come, and We will be
pushed ont toward the Red sea which
divides this world from the next. and not
the Inconsistency OF Christians but the
rod Of faith will wave back the waters a.
u commander wheels his host. The judg-
ment will come with its thundershod So
IDENTITIES, attended by bursting noun
tains and the deep laugh of earthquakes,
and suns will fly before the feet Of God
like sparks from the anvil, and 10000
burning worlds shall blaze like banners
in the track q God onnipotent. Oh,
then We will stop and say. There WIS .
mean Christian: there was . cowardly
Christian; there was lying Christian:
there was an impure CHRISTIAN" In thst
dsy a. now. IF thou be wiss, thou shalt
be wise for thysslf, but il thou soonest
thou alone shall bear it," Why, my
brother. the inconsistency Of Christians
80 far from being m argument to keep
you away from God ought to be an ar
gument to drive you to him. The best
place for . skillful doctor is neighbor-
hood where they are all poor doctors; the
bsst place for an enterrrising merchant
% open his s.ore "a In place where the
bargain makers DO not understand their
business, and the best place for you WHO
want 10 become the illrstrious and COM
plcte Christians-the best place for you is
70 come right down among us who are 10
incompetent and 30 inconsistent some-
times.
Other persons apologize for not bee ON
Ing Christians because they lack tine.
a. though religion muddled the brain u
the accountant. or trirped the peu Of the
author. or thichened the tongue Of tn,
orator. or weakened tho arm Of the me-
chAnic. or scattered tho briefs Of the
lawyer. or interrupted the sales Of the
merchant They Dol; their store doors
against !; and fight il hack with trowels
and with yard sticks and cry. Away
with your religion from our store. our
Office. our fsctoryv
RELIGION FOR wogKERs.
They do not understand that religion
In this workaday world viii help you TO
do anything you ought Ia do. It can lay
. keel. it can sail . ship. II can buy a car
go. IL can work a pulley. II can pave q
street. IL can it wrist band. il can write
q constitution. IL can marshal host. II
IL rs appropriate 10 the astronomer rs his
telescope. 70 the chemist "a his lstora-
tory. 10 the mason a. his plnmbline. 90
the carpenter ~ his plane. To the child