The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1894-08-17

nave W run against ShcpUlcal nOUlOnS
1t is useless for people to say shar
and cutting things to those who rejec
the Christian religion. can not sa,
such things. BY what process o
temptation, or trial, or betrayal va,
have come to your present state,
know not. There are two gates tt
your nature; the gate of the head, anc
. the gate of the heart. The gate OF
I your head is locked with bolts and bars
. that an archangel could not break
but the gate of your heart swings easily
on its hinges. If / assaulted your
body with weapons, you would meet
me with weapons, and it would be
) sword-stroke for sword-stroke, and
) wound for wound and blood for blood;
but if come and knock at the door of
your house you open it, and give me
the best seat in your parlor. If 1
should come at you to-day with an
argument, you would answer me with
an argument; if with sarcasm, you
would answer me with sarcasm; blow
for blow, stroke for stroke; but when I
come and knock at the door of your
heart. you open it and say: Come in,
my brother, and tell me all you know
about Christ and Heaven"
Listen to two or three questions:
Are you as happy as you used to be
when you believed in the truth of the
Christian religion? Would you like to
have your children travel on in the
road in which you are now travelling?
You had a relative who professed to be
Christian, and was thoroughly con-
sistent, living and dying in the faith of
the gospel. Would you not like to
live the same quiet life, and die the
same peaceful death? / received let
ter, sent me by one who has rejected
the Christian religion. Itsays: 81 am
old enough to know that the joys
and pleasures of life are evanescent,
and to realize the fact that it must
be comforta BILE in old age to believe
in something relative to the future,
and to have faith in some system that |
proposes to save. am free to confess |
that would be happier if could exer-
else the simple and beautiful faith that |
is possessed by many whom know. / |
am not willingly out of the church or
out of the faith. My state of uncer-
tainty is one of unrest. Sometimes | |
doubt my immortality, and look upon
the deathbed as the closing scene, after
which there is nothing. What shall I
do that have not done?" All, skeptic-
ism is dark and doleful land.
Let me say that this Bible is either
true or false. If it is false, we are as
well off as you; if it is true, then which
of us is safer?
Do you not feel that the Bible, take
it all in all, is about the best book that
the world has ever seen? Doyou know
any book that has as much in it? Do
you not think upon the whole, that
it's influence has been beneficent? II
come to you with both hands extend
I'd toward you. In one hand / have {
The Bible, and in the other have moth
ng. This Bible in one hand / will sur S
'ender forever just as soon as in my Z,
'ther hand you can put book that is ,
better. e
To-day invite you back into the e
rood old-fashioned religion of your a
athers-to the God whom they wor- t
hiped, to the Bible they read, to the b
on which they leaned, to the t
ross on which they hung their eter- t
lal expectations. You have not been Il
appy day since you swung off; you a
will not be ha ppy minute until you S
wing back. II
Again: There may be some OF you
yho, in the attempt after a Christian s.
Ife, will have to run against powerful K
ASSIGNS and appetites. Perhaps it is II
isposition to anger that you have to e
ontend against; and perhaps while in "
very serious mood, you hear of some u
hing that makes you feel that you 81
lust swear or die. | know of Chris II
an man who was once so exasperated p
nat he said to a mean customer: 81 can W
OF swear at you myself, for am a II
lember OF the church; but, if you a
ill go down stairs my partner in /"
usiness will swear at you" ID
ii your good resolutions hereto 50
IRE have been torn to tatters by III
xplosions of temper. Now, there is c,
o harm in getting mad if you only M
ct mad at sin. You need to bride Oh
nd saddle these hot-breathed passions. Ell
nd with them ride down injustice and
rong. There are thousand things Vi
| the world that we ought to be mad W
!. There is no harm in getting red &C g,
Of if you only bring to the forge that u
hich needs hammering. A man who pa
as no power of righteous indignation ri
an imbecile. But be sure it is a VI
ghteous indignation, and not petu- s'
.ncy that blurs, and unravels, and de- ns
etes the soul ND
There is large class of persons in y,
id-life who have still in them appe- a..
ties that were aroused in early man. W
IL Il Il Il Il Ol