Democratic messenger., 1893-11-25

i ike tne positive fa1th Of that sailor hoy
that Captain Judkius IF the steamship
Scotia picked up in hurricane. SEQ
aloft, said Captain Judkins to his mate,
land look ont for wrecks"
Before the mate had gone far up the
ratlines he shouted: "A wreck. A wreck"
where away" said Captain Judkins.
"Of the port bow." was the answer.
Lifeboats were lowered, and 40 men vol
unteered to put out across the angry sea
for the wreck. They came back with a
dozen shipwreckcd, and among them a
boy of IL years.
Who are you!' SAID Captain Judkins.
The answer was: Il am q Scotch boy.
My father and mother are dead, and
am ON my way to America" What have
you herey" said Captain Judkins as he
opened the boys jacket and took hold Of
rope around the boys body. 1T is a
rope" said the boy. But what is that
tied by this rope under your arm:"
THAT, sir. is my mothers Bible. She
told me never to lose that" Gould you
not have saved something else:" Not
and saved that Did you expect 10 90
DOWN. Yes. sir. but meant to take
my mothers Bible down with me-"
Bravo" said Captain Judkins. II will
take care of You"
That boy demonstrated certainty and
confidence that like. Just in proper
ton as you have few ifs" of incredulity
in your religion will you find it com
Portable religion. My full and unques-
tioning faith in it is founded on tine fact
that it soothes and sustains in time of
trouble. do not believe that anv man
who ever lived had more blessings and
prosperity than have received from God
and the world. But have had trouble
enough to allow me opportunity for find
ing ont whether our religion is Of any use
in such an exigency. have had II great
bereavements. to say nothing of lesser
bereavements. for was the youngest Of
q large family. have had as much per
secution as comes to most people. Ihave
had all kinds of trial, except severe and
prolonged sickness. and l would have
been dead long ago but for the consola-
tory power of our religion.
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 tho
place of large dividends. when You fold
for the last sleep the still hands over tine
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 spectacles because she will have 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 lifelike as she ever did reclining in
the cradle, then the only religion worth
anything is the old fashioned religion Of
the gospel of Jesus Christ.
/ would give more in such crisis for
one of tine promises expressed in half a
verse of the old book than for whole
library containing all the productions Of
all the other religions of all the ages.
The other religions are sort Of cocaine
to benumb and deaden the soul while be-
reavement and misfortune do their work,
but our religion is inspiration. illumina
tion, irnparadisation. 1t is u mixture of
sunlight and halleluiah. DO not adul
terate it with one drop of the iinctureo Of
incredulity.
A SIGNIFICANT "Ir."
Another Bible .'if'' is the IF of cter-
nal significance. Solomon gives us that
.'if' twice i'm one sentence when he says,
'sIf thou be wise. thou shalt be wise for
thyself, but if thou scornest. thou alone
shalt bear it," Christ gives 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 score
more that ! might recall put the whole
responsibility Of our salvation on our
selves. Christ's Willingness to pardon
no ..if' about that. Christ's willingness
to help-no If about that. Realms of
glory awaiting the righteous IF
about that.
The only .'if' in all the case worth
moments consideration is the if that
attaches itself TO the question as to
whether we will accept, whether we will
repent. whether we will believe, 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 miserable If" that haz-
ardous "if?' We would not allow this
uncertain "if'' to stay long in anything
else of importance. Let some one say
in regard to railroad bridge, Il have
reasons for asking if that bridge is safe"
and you wo;Sd not cross it. Let some
one say. II have reasons to ask il that
steamer is Trustworthy and you would
not take passage on it.
Let some one suggest in regard to
property that you are about 10 purchase,
~ have reason to ask il they can give
good title" and you would not pay
dollar down until You had some skillful
real estate lawyer examine the title. But
allowed for years of my lifetime, and
some of you have allowed for years of
your lifetime an IF" to stand tossing up
and down questions of eternal destiny.
Oh. decide! Perhaps your arrival here
TO-DAY may decide. Stranger things than
that have nut to fight forever the If
of uncertainty.
A few Sabbath nights ago in this
church a man. passing at the foot :. the
pulpit. said 20 me. II am miner from
England" and then he pushed back his
coat sleeve and said. DO Won see that
scar on my arm:" I said: "Yes. You
muss have had an awful wound there
some ,i,ae" He said: YES, it nearly
cost me my life. was in mine in
England 600 feet under ground and three
miles from the shaft of the mine. and
rock fell ON me. and my fellow laborer
priei off the rock. and was bleeding to
death, and he took newspaper from
around his luncheon and bound il
around my wound, and then helped me
over the three miles underground to the