The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1893-04-28
THE GOSPEL FEAST.
DIR. Taimage on Msn's Excuses For
lot Becoming Christians.
What There Is in Religion Inconsisten.
cies of PrOfessed Christians-Those
Who Lack Tfme-The Pro-
c-assinators.


beauty and attractiveRess Of the gospel
feast. the text chosen being from Luke
xiv. Is: And they all with one con
sent began to make excuse" The
preacher said:
After the invitations to a levee are
sent out. the Negrets come in. One man
apologies for nOn-attendance on one
ground. another on another ground.
The most of the regrets are founded on
prior engagements SO in nv text a
great banquet was spread, the invita-
tons We're circulated. and now the re-
grets come in. The one gives an agri-
cultural reason. the other stock deal
er's reason. the other domestic reason.
All poor reasons. The agricultural
reason being that the man had bought
a farm and wanted to see ii. Could he
not see it the next day? The stock
dealers reason being that he had
bought five yoke of oxen. and he wanted
togoand prove them. He had no business
to buy them until he knew what they
were Besides that. a man who can
own FIVE yoke OF oxen can command his
own time. Besides that, he might have
yoked two Of them together and driven
them on the way 70 the banquet for
IocomOtioR was not as rapid then As
now. The man who gave the domestic
reason said be had got married lie
ought 70 have taken his wife with him.
The fact was they did not want TO 20.
And they all with one consent began
TO make excuse" 80 now God spreads
a banquet: 1t Is the gospel feast. and
the table reaches across the hemi-
spheres: and the invitations 90 ont and
nultitudes come and sit down and
drink out of the chalices Of Gods love.
while other multitudes decline coming
the one giving this apology and the
other giving that apology; and they
all with one consent begin to make ex-
cuse. I propose this morning. so far
as God viii help me. - examine the
apologies which men make for not en-
tering the Christian life.
Apology the first: | am not sure there
is anything valuable in the Christian
religion. II i pleaded that there are
80 many impoSitions in this dav-So
many things that seem to be real are
sham. i gilded outside may have
hollow inside; there Is 50 much quack- !
cry in physics. IN ethics. in politics. that |
meE come 70 the habit OF incredulitv. |
and after awhile they allow that in /
credulity 70 collide with our holy re-
ligion-
But. M friends think religion has |
made pretty good record il the world. |
Eov. many wounds it has SaIved: how /
many pillars Of fire it has lifted in the /
midnight wilderness. how many simeon
struck Saharas It hath turned in
70 the gardens Of the Lord: how
1t hath stilled the chopped sea; what
rosy light It hath sent streaming
through the rift of TIE storm-cloud
wrack; what pools Of cool water Il hath
gathered for thirsty Ha-ar and Ish-
maei; what mamma winter than cC-ian-
der seed 1t haJh dropped ali around the
camp of ha-dfy-bestead pilgrims: what
promises It hath sent out like holy
watchers 20 keep the lamps burning
around death-5eds; through the dark
ness that lowers into the sepulcher.
What flashes Of resurrection morn,
Besides that. this religion has made
50 many heroes. Il brought Summer
field. the Methodist. across the Atlantic
ocean with his silver trumpet to blow
the acceptable year Of the Lord. until it
seemed as T all our American cities
would take the Kingdom OF Heaven by
violence. L sent Jehudi Ashman into
Africa alone. II a continent OF naked
barbarial>. 70 lift the standard OF civil
izatiO- asd Christianity. 1t made John
Milton among poets. Raphael among
painters. Christopher Wren among
architects. ThOrwaldsen among sculp-
tors. Handel among musicians. Dupont ,
among military commanders. and to !
give new wings 20 the imagination.
and better balance % the Judgment. | ;
and more determination to the will.
and greater usefulness 10 the life. and
ga de- nobility to the soul there Is :
nothing IN ali the earth Ike our Chris !
tan religion !
Nothing in religion. Why. then. all {
those Christians were deceived when in !
their dying moments they thought they 7
saw the castles OF the blessed: and your {
,hild. with unutterabIe agony You put 5
away N the grave. vou viii never see 7
him again nor hear his sweet voice. nor
feel the throb Of his young heart? a
There i nothing L religion, Sickness l
viii come upon you. Roll and turn on :
-oar pillow No relief. The medicine I
nay be bitter. the night may be dark. {
The pain may be sharp. No relief ! I
-hrlst never comes 10 the sick room Q
Let the pain stab Let the fever burn. I
,urse It and die. There Is nothing in $
g. : |
You viii hear the paving OF the pale i
horse on the threshold The spirit will C
De breaking away from the body. and L
: VIII take fight-whither? whittier? ! {
There i no God. no ministering angels O
% conduct no Christ. no Heaven. I
10 home Nothing in religion, Oh. | :
-Ou are not willing to adopt such dis b
nal theory And Vet the world is full b
4 skeptics. And let NE say there Is no b
lass Of people for whom l have
warmer sympathy than for skeptics. n
We do not know how TO treat them. 4
Ve deride them We caricature them. Il
We instead Of taking them By the soft 4
land of Christian love. clutch them a
With the iron pincers of ecclesiasticisrn. X
IL, If YOU knew how those men had =
allen away from Christianity and be- q
ONE skeptics. You would not be so
ough on them Some were brought I'D I
q homes where religion was overdone. u
The most wretched day in the week c,
vas Sunday. Religion was driven into a
hem with trip-hammer. They had h
urfeit OF prayer meetings. They were e.
tufted and chOked with catechisus- Il
they were told by their parents that b
hey were the worst children that ever IN
wed because they liked to ride down L
i'll better than 70 read PILGRIMS q