Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1894-09-08

trust lnf NO man would think OF ven
turing his lifo on a vessel going out to
sen that had never been inspected.
No; you must have the certificate
hung amidships, telling how many tons
it carries, and how long age it was
built, and who built it, and all about it.
And you cannot expect me to risk the
cargo of my immortal interests on board
any craft till You tell me what it is
made Of, and where it was made, and
what it is.
The Divine Character.
When, then, ask you who this is
you want mo to trust III, you tell me he
is very attractive person. Contem-
porary writers describe his whole ap-
pearance as being resplendent. There
was no need for Christ to tell the chill
dren to come to him. Suffer little
children to come unto me- was not
spoken TO the children. 1t was spoken
to the disciples. The children came read
lily enough without any invitation. No
sooner did Jesus appear than the little
ones jumped from their mothers arms,
an avalanche of beauty and love, into
his lap. Christ did not ask John to put
his head down on his bosom. John
could not help but PIT his head there.
/ suppose look at Christ was just to
love him. How attractive his mannerl
Why, when they saw Christ coming
along the street, they ran into their
houses, and they wrapped up their in
valids as quick as they could and
Al, =
them. Oh, there was something SO
pleasant, so inviting, so cheering i'll ev-
erything he did, i'll his very lookl When
these sick ones were brought out, did he
say: do not bring before me these
sores. Do not trouble me with these
leprosies:" No, no; there was a kind
look; there was gentle word; there
keep away from him.
] think there are many under the in
fuence of the Spirit of God who are
saving, II will trust him if you will
only tell me how" And the great ques-
ton asked by many is, 'sHow, how"
And while answer your question I look
up and utter the prayer which Rowland
Hill so often uttered in the midst Of his
sermons, "Master, helpP' How are you
to trust i'll Christ?
Perfect Confidence.
Just as you trust any one. You trust
your partner i'll business with important
things. If commercial house gives you
note payable three months hence, you
expect the payment of that note at the
end of three months. You have perfect
confidence III their word and il their
ability. Or, again, you go home today
You expect there will be food on the
table. You have confidence in that
Now, ask you to have the same conf
denee in the Lord Jesus Christ. He says,
you believe; l take away your sins, .
and they are all taken away. WHAT
you say, "bofore I pray any more? Be-
fore l 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? Confidence. 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 Trustworthy as they are then
deal with him as fairly.
ooh, says some ono i'll light way,
81 believe that Christ was born i'll Beth
lehem, and | believe that he died Gu the
cross. - Do You believe it with your
head or your heart? 1 will illustrate the
difference. You arc III your own house
In the morning you open newspaper,
and you read how Captain Braveheart
Oh the sea risked his life for the saliva
ton of his passengers. You say: What
o grand fellow he must have beenl His
family deserves very well Of the conn
try" You fold the newspaper and sit
down at the table and perhaps DO net
think Of that incident again. That is
historical faith
Saved by Faith.
But row you are on the sea, and it is
night, and you are asleep, and you are
awakened by the shrek Of 'Fire!" You
rush out OH the deck. You hear, amid
the wringing Of the hands and the faint
ing, the cry: ''No hope, no hope! We
arc lost, we are LOST" The sail puts out
its wing Of fire, the ropes mako burn
ing ladder III the night heavens, the
spirit Of wrecks misses in the wave, and
on the hurricane deck shakes out its BAN
ner of smoke and darkness. Down
with the lifeboatsl" cries the captain.
Down with the lifeboatsr' People rush
into them. The boats are about full.
Room only for one more man. You are
standing on the deck beside the captain. |
Who shall it be? You or the captain?
Tho captain says, "You." You jump
and are saved. He stands there and dies,
Now, you believe that Captain Brave
heart sacrificed himself for his passcn-
gers, but you believe it with love, with
tears, with hot and long continued ex-
carnations, with grief at his loss and
joy at your deliverance. That is saving
faith--in other words, what you believe
with all the heart and believe i'll regard
to yourself On this hinge turns my SER
mon--aye, the salvation of your i'm
mortal soul You often so across a |
bridge you know nothing about. You
do not know who built the bridge, You
do not know what material 1t is made /
Of, but you come to it and walk over it |
and ask no questions. And here is an
arched bridge blasted from the Rock |
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 to it, and |
you stop, and you go little way on, |
and you stop, and you fall back, and
you experiment. You say, How DO |
know that bridge will hold mc?" in
stead of marching Oh with firm step, |
asking 10 questions, but feeling that
the strength of the eternal God is under
you.
oh, was there ever prize rrof'ered |
so cheap as pardon ard heaven are Of
fered to you? For how much? A million !;
dollars? 1t is certainly worth more than