Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1894-08-01

! swings easily on KS hinges. II | assault.
ed your body with weapons, y0u would
meet ne with weapons, and it would
be sword stroke for sword stroke, and
wound Tor wound, and blood for blood,
but II l como 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-
mcnt; II with sarcasm, you would an
'Wer me with sarcasm, blow for blow,
! ttToke for stroke, bat when l come and
mock at the door Of your heart you
open 1t and say, Come in, my brother
ana teal 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 TIE truth of the Chris
lian religion? Would you like to have
your children travel ON in the road in
which you are now travelling? You had
I relative who profcssed to be Chris
tan and was thoroughly consistent, liv-
ing and dying in the faith of the gos-
| pei. Would you not like to live the
same quiet life and die the same peace
lul death? l received letter sent me
| by one who has rejected the Christian
| religion. 1t says: II am old enough to
tnow that ihe joys and pleasures of life
| are evanesccDt and to realize the fact
that it must be comfortable in old age
TO believe i'll something relative to the
,uture and to have faith in some sys-
t,gt 30 7 -,
confess that / would be happier if
rould exercise the simple and beautiful
saith that is possessed By many whom /
llow. | an not willingly out Of the
;hurch OF out of the faith. My state of
uncertainty is one Of unrest. Sometimes
[ doubt my immortality and look upon
he deathbed as the closing scene, aftel
which there is nothing. What shall
10 that / have not done?" All, ske. &.
ism is dark and doleful land Let
mc say that this Bible is either true ol
false. If it be false, we are as we'll of
as you; if it be true, then which of II,
is safer?
Line Drawn.
Let mo also ask whether your trouble
has not been that you confounded Chris
tianity with the inconsistent character
of some who profess it. You are law
ser. In your profession there are meal
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 tho
most gigantic swindles of the present
lay have been carried on by member
Of the church. There are men in the
churches who would not be trusted foi
80 without good collateral security.
They leave their business dishonesties
in the vestibule of the church as they
20 in and sit at the communion. Hav.
ing concluded the sacrament, they get
up, wipe the wine from their lips, 60
out and take up their sins where they
let off. To serve the devil is their rogu
lar work; to serve God, a sort of play
spell. With a Sunday sponge they ex-
pect to wipe off from their business slate
all the past week S inconsistencies. You
have no more right to take such a mans
life as 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.
Hindrances to Piety.
Again, there may be some Of you
who, in the attempt after Christian
life, will have to run against powerful
passions and appetites. Perhaps it is
disposition to anger that you have to
contend against, and perhaps, while i'll
very serious mood, you hear of some
thing that makes you feel that you must
swear OF die know Of Christian
man who was once so exasperated that
he said to a mean customer, 81 cannot
swear at you myself, for / am mem
Der of the church. but if you will go
down stairs my partner in business will |
swear at you" All your good resolu-
tiops heretofore have been torn to tat
ters by explosions of temper Now, there
is no harm in getting mad if you only |
get mad at sin. You need to bride and |
saddle these hot breathed passions, and
with them ride down injustice and |
wrong. There are thousand things i'll |
the world that we ought to be mad at.
There is no harm in getting redhut if |
you only bring to the forge that which |
needs hammering. A man who has no |
power Of righteous indignation is an i'm
beetle. But be sure it is a righteous in
dignation and not a petulancy that |
blurs and unrGyels and depletes the soul |
There is large class of persons in
midlife who have still in them appe
tites that were aroused in early man
hood, at a time when thoy prided them
selves on being little fast, " thigh
liveIs - f'frea and easy - "hail fellows |