The Globe-republican., 1893-04-21

parents talk of religion but with the
corners of their mouths drawn down
and the eyes rolled up.
Others went into skepticisn through
maltreatment on the part Of some who
professed religion. There is a man
who says: My partner in business
was voluble in prayer-meeting, and he
was officious in all religious circles, but
he cheated me out of 5000. and don't
want any of that religion
There are others who got into skepti-
cism by natural persistence in asking
questions, why? or how? How can God
be one Being in three persons? They
cannot understand it. Neither can l.
How can God be complete sovereign.
and vet man free agent? They can
They cannot understand why holy
God lets sin come into the world.
Neither can |. They say: Here is
great mystery; here is a disciple OF
fashion. frivolous and goddess all her
days-she lives on TO be an octogenarian.
Here is a Christian mother training her
children for God and for Heaven. self
sacrificing, Christianlilse. Indispensable.
seemingly, to that household-she takes
the cancer and dies" The skeptic says:
Il can't explain that" Neither can l.
Oh. l can see how men reason them
selves into skepticism. With burning
feet have trod that blistering way. |
know what it is to have hundred
nights poured into one hour. There
are men in this audience who would
give their thousands of dollars if they
could get back to the old religion of
their fathers. Such men are not to be
caricatured but helped.
If. therefore. stand this morning be-
fore men and women who have drifted
away into skeptici sm. throw out no
scoff: rather implead you by the mem
DRY of those good old times when you
knelt at your mothers knee and said
your evening prayers. and those other
days Of sickness when she watched all
night and gave you the medicines at
just the right time-by all these MEM
ories | ask you TO come and take the
same religion. 1t was good enough for
her-it is good enough for you.
Aye. l make a better plea: BY the
wounds and the death-throe of the Son
of God. who approaches you this morn
ing with torn brow and lacerated hands
and whipped back. crying: Come unto
me, all We who are weary and heavy
laden. and l will give We rest"
Other persons apologize for not enter
ing the Christian life because of the in
corrigibility of their temper. Now. we
admit it is harder for some people to
become Christians than for others: but
the grace of God never came to a
mountain that it could not climb. or to
an abyss that it could not fathom. or to
a bondage that it could not break.
Good resolution. reformatory effort.
will not effect the change. 1t takes a
mightier arm and mightier hand to
bend evil habits than the hand that
bent the bow of Ulysses, and it takes a
stronger lasso than ever held the buff
falo on the prairie. 4 man cannot go
forth with any human weapons
and contend successfully against
these Titans armed with uptorn
mountain. But you have known men
into whose spirit the influence of the
gospel OF Christ came until their dispo-
sition was entirely changed.
..Oh." SAYS some one. Il have a rough.
jagged, impetuous nature. and religion
cont do anything for me-" Do you
| know that Martin Luther and Robert
| Newton and Richard Baxter were i'm
| petuous. all-consuming natures. yet the
grace of God turned them into the
mightiest usefulness?
Peter. with nature tempestuous as
| the sea that he once tried 10 walk. al
one look of Christ went out and wept
| bitterly. Rich harvests of grace may
| grow on the tip-top of the jagged steep.
| and fiocl1s OF Christian graces may find
pasturage in fields OF bramble and rock.
| Though your disposition may be all
abristle with fretfulness. though you
have temper a-gleam of quick light
nings. though Your averice be like that
| of the horse-leach. crying: Give,
though damnable impurities have
wrapped you in all-consuming fire
God can drive that devil out of your
| soul and over the chaos and the dark
ness he can say: Let there be light.
1 NoLNtI S,IdNC Ids AAiSSN. lliC tA III
ard from the ditch. and snatched the
knife from the hand of the assassin. and
the false. key from the burglar. and in
the peStiferous lanes of the city met the
| daughter of sin under the dim lamp
light and scattered her sorrow and her
| guilt with the words: Thy sins are
| forgiven-go and sin no more" For
| scarlet sin scarlet atonement.
Other persons apologize for not enter
| ing the Christian life because of the IN
consistencies of those who profess re
ligion. There are thousands OF poo,
farmers They do not know the nature
of soil nor the proper rotation of crops
| Their corn is shorter in the stalk and
smaller IN the ear. They hare ten less
bushels to the acre thar their neigh
bors But who declines being farmer
because there are so 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 tc
them a bale OF disaster. They fail after
awhile and go out OF business But
who declines to be a merchant because
| ,r, 81 NOV