The record-union., 1894-03-15
POPULAR EXCUSES.
How People Try to Avoid Response
bilty.
They Seem to Have the Same Faults
Noted In the First Gem
tury.


tury.
On Sunday evening last Rev. J. E.
Denton preached a pointed sermon at the
Christian Church, Of which the following
synopsis has been made by Miss E. n.
Ivey. from her stenographic notes:
Luke xiv, Is: And they all with one
consent began to make excuse The
first said unto him, l have bought
piece OF ground; pray thee have me ex-
cused." They all with one consent be-
gan to make excuse. You give reason,
you state fact, you use an illustration,
but an excuse has to be made; yet the
best excuse is good for nothing. Ii Is IN
admission Of failure and yet an effort TO
throw the responsibility on some one
else. Adam made the first excuse ana
Eve the second, and man and woman
have kept about even ever since In the
business of excuse-making; and yet. OF
all the millions of excuses, not one has
had the slightest influence in eXtenuatlng
the consequences of sin. Open confession
is good for the soul, but an excuse Is an
extorted confession. 1t never won
battle. but after the day is lost, it says:
I'VE would have come out far ahead If .;
the boy would have won the race if-the
the other fellow had not run too fast.
Men are only boys grown tall;
Hearts don't change much after all.
Men seldom become too great and wise
to indulge in the foolish business OF max
ing excuses. There was never political
party that could not tell exactly why
they lost the game. Some unfair advan-
tage was taken by the enemy; some friend
proved traitor; anything, everything was
wrong except their own principles or
their management. The world does not
care why We fail. God does not care. ct
men will continue even unto judgment
day 10 tell why they failed. Moody says:
''All excuses are les" and [ am inclined
to think that he is correct. AS samples,
l refer you to the text. One had bought
land, and must go and see it; another had
bought oxen. and must go and prove
them. Each one wanted a more con-
venvenient season. The same excuses
are made yet. ''I have to work too hard
to attend to the demands of religion"
when 1 get this land paid for; when l
get through with the worry of business
or politics; when have more convenient
season, l will call for Thee" Just like
the parable, the true reason was not
stated. Each one pretended he desired
to come, but did not have the time then.
Dollars are made round so that they will
roll and men can spend their time in
chasing them. But we spend all our
time in chasing dollars; we will take time
at last to die. and then will have a long
period for reflection. We have a lifelike
picture in the language of the third man :
Il have married a wife, and, therefore,
l cannot come,n except that the terms
are now more generally reversed. MY
husband is not member of the church
and will not let me come" The saddest
kind OF slavery is that in which earthly
ties hinder weak men and women from
confesslng Christ. 1--WE ought to obey
God rather than man, AS Christ per-
sonally invites us TO the gospel feast we
are ineXcusable if we decline to accept,
no matter who forbids.
A common excuse is: II cannot be-
Eeve." lngersou says: Every fact will
lit every other fact in the universe" Put
the fact that you do not believe by the
side Of the ialsehood that you cannot be-
lieve, and you Will find that the fact does
not tit the falsehood. II cannot believe
the Bible (which l have never tried to be-
ieve)." The man who says he cannot
believe puts himself on par with !
Brother Jasper, who cannot believe that
the earth revolYes, simply because he has /
never studied the evidences of that fact.
Instead OF trying not TO believe, search |
the fact in candor and you will be con- |
vinced.
Another says: "The churches are so |
divided, and the preachers say: 'Lo, here. |
and 10. there.'" Suppose you have acci- !
dentally swallowed dose of poison? DO !
you say: II want no doctor. There are
so many different schools of medicine
there are the homeopathists with their
motto, Sinlittd Sinlitl0uS curdlttuY, and
the allopathists of the contrary motto,
cOntTG1a0B cOlttg'ditlS cHrG3lt3ts. Some use
minerals and some herbs; some prescribe
doses infinitely small, and others doses
almost infinitely large. l will have no
doctor?" You would rather say: ''Go
I.s Nv A or / VaNfT nd I,
bring B. | must have something to neu-
tralize this poison How do you talk
about politics? Do you say: "There are
so many different parties with so many diff
ferent principles, charging each other with
such frauds, that do not want to vote ." |
Do you not rather say: Il see there is a
difference of opinion here, and l must in
vestigate in order that [ may cast my
vote intelligently." That is what you
ought to do in religious matters-use
your common sense.
Much of the talk about the divisions of
the churches is shallow excuse. If you
wish to wallow in the mire, you will have
opportunity; if you wish TO cross the
slough, you will lind stepping stones all
the way. There are fundamental propo-
sitions that are believed by all religious
people. To him who seeks a safe path
way in which to travel heavenward, there
is light to guide his feet. He has but to
rays of truth, and unstop his ears TO hear
the warning and inviting voice of God.
But there are so many bad men in the |
church" This is an excuse not remark |
able for its modesty. l pity the man too
good to associate with the church. He
cannot live in Sacramento; he cannot /
take boat or train to get away, he might
become contaminated; he can get away
from home and he cannot live at home,
for there Is always one black sheep in
the family" God ought to create
planet for him million miles in space
and let him live alone. Suppose there are
hypocrites in the church. There is a
time coming when these hypocrites and
villains will be cast out, and. If outside of
the church, you will be compelled TO en-
dure their society forever.
Another says: II am afraid TO start.
for fear l cannot hold out" You are in
danger, hopeless and fatal, where you
are. Eternal deliverance will be so glor-
ious you cannot afford to fail TO make the
effort. A small boy can kill monstrous
serpent with the proper weapons, but
bravado has been crushed TO death by
giving the serpent the advantage.
Sin is disease. It should be treated
as promptly as any other malady. DO
you say to the physician: II want to
enjoy this cancer or consumption While
longer; in year or two VIII take your
remedy and be healed" 1t is inconslst-
ent to put off salvation. The disease of
sin is eating into the vitals OF the soul.
If you. tarry till you're better,
You will never come at all.
"But you have not mentioned my eX-
cuse," say one 1t is not necessary. If L
had demolished your excuse you would