News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1894-08-02

not break, but the gate Of yoSr heart
swings easily ON its hinges. II J assault
ed your body with weapons, yCu 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 l should
come at you today with an argument,
you would answer me with an argu-
ment; if with sarcasm, you would an
aver me with sarcasm, blow for blow,
stroke for stroke, but when l 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: Arc
you as happy as you used to be when
you believed in the truth of the Chris
tian 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 a Chris
tan and was thoroughly consistent, liv-
ing and dying in the faith of the Cos
pei. Would you not like to live the
same quiet life and die the same peace
full death? / received a letter sent me
by one who has rejected the Christian
religion. 1t says: 81 am old enough to
know that the joys and pleasures of life
are evanescent and to realize the fact
that it must be comfortable in old age
to believe in something relative to the
future and to have faith in some sys-
TEN that proposes to save. am free to
confess that would be happier if l
could exercise the simple and beautiful
faith that is possessed by many whom l
know 1 am not willingly out of the
church or out of the faith. Ny state of
uncertainty is one of unrest. Sometimes
doubt my immortality and look upon
the deathbed as the closing scene, after
which there is nothing. What shall l
do that / have not done" All, skepti-
cism is dark and doleful landl Let
me say that this Bible is either true or
false. If it be false, we are as well off
as you; if it be true, then which of us
is safer?
A Line Drawn.
Let mo also ask whether your trouble
has not been that you COMPOUNDED Chris
tianity with the inconsistent character
of some who profess it. You are law
yer. In your profession there are mean
and dishonest men. Is that anything
against the law? You are a doctor.
There are unskilled and contemplate
men in your profession. Is that any
thing against medicine? You are mer-
chant. There are thieves and defrauders
in your business. Is that anything
against merchandise? Behold, then, the
unfairness of charging upon Christiani-
ty the wickedness of its disciples.
We admit some of the charges against
those who profess religion. Some of the
most gigantic swindles of the present
day have been carried on by members
of the church. There are men in the
churches who would not be trusted for
So without good collateral security.
They leave their business dishonesties
in the vestibule of the church as they
go in and sit at the communion. HAY
ing concluded the sacrament, they get
up, wipe the wine from their lips, go
out and take up their sins where they
let off. To serve the devil is their regu-
lar work; to serve God, sort of play
spell. With Sunday sponge they ex-
pect to wipe off from their business slate
all the past week inconsistencies. You
have no more right to take such mans
life as a specimen of religion than you
have to take the twisted irons and split
timbers that lie on the beach at Coney
Island as a specimen of an American
ship. 1t is time that we drew line be-
tween religion and the frailties of those
who profess it.