The Progress. (Shreveport, La.) 1892-1900, 1894-09-08


! take away your SINS and they are
all taken away. what" say you,
before pray any more: before
read my Bible any more: before cry
over my sins any more Yes, this
moment. Believe with all your heart
and you are saved Why, Christ is
only waiting to get from you what
you give to scores Of people every day.
What is that? Con tidence. If these
people whom you trust day by day
are more worthy than Christ if they
are more faithful than Christ, If they
have done more than Christ ever did,
then give them the preference; but If
you really think that Christ is as trust
worthy as they are, then deal with !;
him as fairly,
"Oh," says some one in light way
Il believe that Christ was born IN
bethlehem, and | believe that he died
on the cross Do you believe it with
your head or J our heart? | will illus
trate the difference. You are in your
own house. In the morning you open
a newspaper and you read how Capt
Braveheart on the sea risked his life
for the salvation of his passengers.
You say, What grand fellow ne
must have been! His family deserves
very well of the country" You told
) the newspaper and sit down at the
table, and perhaps do not think OF
that incident again. That is historl'
cal faith.
But now you are on the sea, and 1t
5 is night, and you are asleep, and you
are awakened by the shrek OF Fire.
, You rush out on the deck. You hear,
. amid the wringing of the hands and
the fainting, the cry: mo hope! NO
t hope! We are lost! we are LOST The
: sail puts out it's wing of fire, the ropes
o make burning ladder in the night
$ heavens, the spirit of wreck misses in
q the wave and on the hurricane deck
t shakes out it's banner OF smoke and
+ darkness. Down with the life
!. boats" cries the captain. Down
a with the life boats!" People rush into
o them. The boats are about full Room
Y only for one more man. You are stand
;ug on the deck beside the captain,
T.. Who shall it be? You or the cap
!. tain? The captain says, "lou.' You
d lump and are saved. He stands
" there, and dies Now, You believe
a that Captain Braveheart sacrificed
# himself for his passengers but you
e believe it with love, with tears, with
n hot and long continued EXPLANATIONS
ii with great grief at his loss and Joy
ID at your deliverauco. That IS say
u ing faith. In other words, what yol
believe with all the heart and believe
" in regard to yourself. On this hinge
" turns my sermon; aye. the salvador
- of vour immortal soul. You often g
y; y. across bridge you know nothing
=" about. You do not know who bull
~ the bridge you do not know VIVA
material it is made Of; but You com
y to it and walk over it and ask no ques
- !, tions. And here is an arched bridg
~. blasted from the ''RocS OF Ages.
" And built by the Architect OF tn
- whole universe, spanning the dark gul
,s between sin and righteousness and al
~ God asks you is to walk across II
ID And you start. and you come toit, an
~ YOU stop, and you go little way O.
La and you stop, and you fall back an
'ss YOU experiment You say, GLOW d
~ ~, l know that bridge will hold me?' II
'" stead of marching on with firm stel
~ asking no questions, but feeling tina
'd the strength of the eternal God
Il under you.
~ Oh. was there ever prize proffere
81 so cheap as pardon and heaven are O
g. fered to you? For how much
~ million dollars? 1t is certainly wort
~ more than that But cheaper tina
~ ~ that you can have it Ten thousan
49, dollars? Less than that. Five tho'
~ sand dollars? Less than that. Or
~, dollar? Less than that One tartl
~ ing? Less than that. "Wltho'
va money and without pr ice" No none
ht to pay. No journey to take. \
a,a penance to suffer. Only just one q
p'' cisive action of the soul: Believe
the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou sha
be saved.