The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1893-12-01


Peter cried out: IF it be Thou, let me
come to Thee on the water" What
preposterous 'if!" What human
foot was ever so constructed as
to walk on water? In what part OF
the earth did law of gravitation make
exception to the rule that man will
sink to the elbows when he touches
the wave of the river or lake, and Will
sink still further unless he can swim?
But here Peter looks out upon the form
in the shape of a man defylng the
mightiest law of the universe, the law
of gravitation, and standing erect on
the top of the liquid. Yet the incredu-
lous Peter cries out to the Lord: IF 1t
be Thou" Alasl for that incredulous
''If'' 1t is working as powerfully In
the latter part of this nineteenth Chris
tian century as it did in the early part
of the first Christian century. Though
a small conjunction, it is the biggest
block to-day in the way of the gospel
chariot.
There are only four steps between
strong faith and complete unbelief.
First, surrender the idea of the verbal
inspiration of the Scriptures. and
adopt the idea that they were all gen.
orally supervised by the Lord. Second,
surrender the idea that they were all
generally supervised by the Lord, and
adopt the theory that they were not
all, but partly supervised by the Lord.
Third, believe that they are the grad
ual evolution of the ages, and men
wrote according to the wisdom of the
times in which they lived. Fourth, be-
lieve that the Bible is bad book, and
not only unworthy of credence but per-
nicious and debasing and cruel. Only
four steps from the stout faith in which
the martyrs died to the blantant carl
cature of Christianity as the greatest
sham of the centuries. But the door Of
all that precipitation and horror is
made out of an ''if." The mother of
unrests in the minds of Christian peo-
pie and in those who regard sacred
things is the ''if'' of incredulity.
In 1879, in Scotland, | saw a letter
which had been written many years
ago by Thomas Carlyle &c Thcraas
Chalmers. Carlyle, at the time of
writing the letter, was young man.
The letter was not to be published I'M
til after the death of Carlyle. His
death having taken place the letter
ought to be published. 1t was letter
in which Thomas Carlyle expresses the
fortunes of his own mind while relaxing
his faith in Christianity, while, at the
same time, he expresses his admiration
for Dr. Chalmers, and in which Carlyle
wishes that he had the same faith that
the great Scotch minister evidently eX-
ercised Nothing that Thomas Carlyle
ever wrote in 'Sartor Resartus, or the
"French Revolution" or his Life of
Cromwell" or his immortal Essays"
had in it more wondrous power than
that letter which bewailed his own
doubts and extolled the strong faith of
another.
Perhaps this sermon finding its way
into Scotch home may suggest its
printing, for that letter shows more
nightly than anything l have ever
read the difference between the Il
know of Paul and the Il know of
Job and the 81 know of Thomas Chal-
mers and the Il know" of all those
who hold with firm grasp the old
gospel on the one hand, and the I'M
mooring, bestorming and torturing
IF of incredulity on the other.
Just in proportion as you have
few ifs of incredulity in your religion,
will you find it comfortable religion.
My full and unquestionable faith in it
is founded on the fact that it soothes
and sustains in time of trouble
Any religion will do in time of pros
perity Buddhism will do. Confucian-
ism 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 cid father who
has been planning for your welfare all
these years, or You close the eyes of
your mother who lived in your life ever
since before your were born, removing
her spectacles because she will have a
clear vision in the home to which she
has gone, or you give the last kiss to
the child reclining amid the flowers
that pile the casket. and looking as
natural and life-like as she ever did in
the cradle, then the only religion worth
anything is the old-fashioned religion
of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Another Bible If" is the eff of
eternal significance. Solomon gives us
that eff twice in one sentence, when
he says: IF thou be wise, thou shalt
be wise for thyself; but if thou scorn-
est, thou alone shalt bear it." Christ
gave 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 a score more
that l might recall put the whole re-
sponsibility of our salvation on
ourselves, 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 will accept whether
we will repent, whether we will be-
lieve. 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 miser-
| able If" that hazardous ''if?" We
would not allow the uncertain IF to
stay long in anything else of i'm
portance Let some one say IN regard
to railroad bridge: Il have
reasons for asking if that bridge
is safe" and you would not
cross it. Let some one say, Il have
| g., ho iS z