The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-09-03

st. He says, You believe:
1 take away your sins" and they are
all taken away. What" say you.
before pray any more? before
read my Bible any more? before 1 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 ddence. 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 they are. then deal with
him as fairly.
''Oh." says some one in light way,
81 believe that Christ was born IN
Bethlehem, and l believe that he died
on the cross Do you believe il with
your head or your heart? l 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 rislxed his life
for the salvation of his passengers.
You say, What a grand fellow he
must have been! His family deserves
very well of the country" You fold
the newspaper and sit down at the
Ia BILE. and perhaps do not think Of
that incident again That is histori-
cal faith.
But now you are. on the sea, and il
is night and you are asleep, and you
are awakened by the shrek of "Firel'
You rush out on the deck. You hear.
amid the wringing Of the hands and
the fainting, the cry: mo hOpei No
sail puts out its wing of fire the ropes
make a burning ladder in the night
heavens, the spirit of wreck Kisses in
the wave, and on the hurricane deck
shakes out its banner of smoke and
darkness. Down with the life
boatsl" cries the captain. Down
with the life boatsl' People rush into
them. The boats are about full Room
only for one more man You are stand
ing on the deck beside the captain,
Who shall it be? You or the cap
tain? The captain says. You" You
jump. and are saved. He stands
there, and dies Now, you believe
that Captain Braveheart sacrificed
himself for his passengers, but you
believe it with love, with tears, with
hot and long continued ordinations;
with great grief al his loss and Joy
at your deliverance- That IN saw
ing faith. In other words. what you
believe with all the heart and believe
in regard to yourself On this hinge
turns my sermon; aye. the salvation
of your immortal soul You often go
across a bridge you know nothing
about You do not know who built
the bridge. you do not know what
material it is made of; but you come
to it and walk over it and ask no ques-
tions. And here is an arched bridge
blasted from the Crock of Ages"
And built by the Architect Of the
whole universe, spanning the dark gulf
between sin and righteousness, and all
God asks you is to walk across it;
And you start and you come toit and
you stop, and you go little way on
and you stop, and you fall back, and
You experiment. You say. How do
1 know that bridge will hold me?' in
stead of marching on with firm step,
asking no questions, but feeling that
the strength of the eternal God is
under you
On, was there ever prize proffered
so cheap as pardon and heaven are Of
fered to you? For how much? A
million dollars? 1t is certainly worth
more than that But cheaper than
that you can have it Ten thousand
dollars? Less than that Five thou
sand dollars? Less than that One
dollar? Less than that One farth-
ing? Less than that. Without
money and without price" No money
to pay No journey to take No
penance to suffer. Only just one de-
cisive action of the soul: --.Selieve on
the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt
be zaved-