Milford chronicle., 1895-03-08
Justineatlon Deaned.

a reality, then great populations are Ol
their way TO the bar of God untitled 70
the ordeal, and what are we doingi
Justification Defined.
In order TO reach the multitude Of out
siders we must drop all technicalities on
of our religion. When we talk to peopl
about the hypostatic union and Frencl
encyclopedianism and erastianism au1
complutensianism, we are as impoliti
and little understood as if a physician
should talk to an ordinary patient abou
the pericardium and intercostal muscle
and scorbutic symptoms. Many of Iii
( come out of the theological seminaries :,
( loaded up that we take the first ten year,
TO show our people how much we know
and the next ten years get our people t,
know as much as we know, and at til,
end find that neitherof us knows anything
as we ought 20 know Here are hundred.
of thousands of SHINING struggling and
| dying people who need to realize just one
thing-that Jesus Christ came to save
4 them and will save them now.
But we go into profound and elaborate
definition of what Justification is, and aft
/ er all the work there are not, outside OF
the learned professions, ., 600 people in the
/ United States who can tell what justiflca-
| tion IS. l will read you the definition:
Justification is purely forensic act, the
act of judge sitting in the forum, in
which the Supreme Ruler and Judge, who
is accountable to none, and who alone
knows the manner in which the ends of
his universal government can best be at
tained, reckons that which was done by
the substitute, and not on account Of any
thing done by them, but purely upon ao-
, count of this gracious method of reckon
ing grants them the full remission Of
their sins -
Now, what is Justification? I will tell
you what justification Is When a sinner
believes God let's him on. One summer
In Connections, went to a large factory,
and 1 saw over the door written the words,
M admittance / entered and saw
over the next door, No admittance. " OF
course I entered I got inside and found
it q pin factory, and they were making
pins, very serviccahle, fine and useful pins.
So he spirit Of exclusiveness has practical
ly written over the outside door of many "a
church. 90 No admittance." And If the
stranger enter he finds practically written
over the second door, 80 No admittance,
and if he goes in over all the pew doors
seems written, No admittance, " while
the minister stands in the pulpit hammer
ing out his little niceties of belief, pound
ing out the technicalities of freligion-mak-
ing pins. In the most practical. common
sense way, and laying aside the nOnessen-
tials and the hard definitions Of religion,
go out on the God given mission, telling
tile people what they need and when and
how they can get it.
Saved In One Interview.
Comparatively little effort as yet has
been made to save that large class of per
sons in our midst called skeptics, and he
who goes to work here will not be build
ing upon another mans foundation.
There is a great multitude Of them. They
are afraid Of us and our churches, for the
reason We do not know how to treat them.
One of this class met Christ, and hear with
what tenderness and pathos and beauty
and success Christ dealt with him: Thou
shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy
heart, and with all thy soul, and with all
thy mind, and with all thy strength. This
is the first commandment, and the second
is like to this-namely, thou shalt love thy
neighbor as thyself There is no other
commandment greater than this. " And
the scribe said to him; We'll, Master,
thou hast said the truth, for there is one
God, and to love him with all the heart,
and all the understanding, and all the
soul, and all the strength, is more than
whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. " And
when Jesus saw that he answered discreet (
ly he said unto him, Thou art not far
from the kingdom of God. " So a skeptic
was saved in one interview But few
Christian people treat the skeptio in that
way. Instead Of taking hold of him with
the gentle hand of love- we are apt to take
him with the iron pinohers Of eoclesiasti- T
oism.
You would not be so rough on that man
If you knew by what process he had lost
his faith in Christianity. I have known
men skeptical from the fact that they grew
up in houses where religion was overdone.
Sunday was the most awful day Of the
week. They had religion driven into them
with a trip hammer They were surfeited
with prayer meetings They were stuffed
and choked with catechisms. They were
often told they were the worst boys the
parents ever knew, because they liked to
ride down hill better than to read Bun
yan's Pilgrims Progress. " Whenever
father and mother talked Of religion, they
drew down the corners Of their mouth and
rolled up their eyes. If any one thing
viii send a boy or girl to ruin sooner than
another, that is it, If had had such a
been an infidel When was a boy in Sun
day school, at one time we had teacher
who, when we were not attentive, struck
us over the head with a New Testament
and there is a way of using even the Bible
so as to make it offensive.
Tripped Up by Professed Christians.
Others were tripped up of skepticism
from being grievous wronged by some
man who professed to be a Christian.
They had partner in business who turn
ed out to be a first class scoundrel, though
a professed Christian Many years ago
they lost all faith by what happened in an
oil company which was formed amid the
petroleum excitement. The company
owned no land, OF if they did there was
no sign Of oil produced, hut the president
Of the company was a Presbyterian elder,
and the treasurer was an Episcopal vestry-
man, and one director was a Methodist
GLASS leader and the other directors promi- {
nent members of Baptist and Congrega-
tional churches. Circulars were gotten out
telling what fabulous prospects opened be- !
fore this company Innocent men and
women who had little money to invest, {
and that little their all, said, Il don't /
know anything about this company, but
80 many good men are at the head of 1t {
that 1t must be excellent, and taking stock {
IN it must he almost as good as joining the
church. So they bought the stock and
perhaps received one dividend SO as to {
Keep them still, but after awhile they t
'ound that the company had reorganized {
md had a different president and different G
and different directors. Other '
or III health had caused the :
ormer officers of the company with many /
egrets, TO resign. And all that the sub '
cribers of that stock had to show for their Z
Investment was a beautifully ornamented I
Sometimes that man, looking (
,ver his old papers, comes across that Ger q
iflcate, and it is so suggestive that he :
lows he wants none Of the religion tha5 7
he presidents and trustees and directors /
# that oil company professed. OF course c
heir rejection of religion on suoh grounds a
vas unphilosc 9hical and unwise. 1 am /
old that many Of the United States army !
lesert every year, and there are thousands ]
Il court martials every year. Is that any /
hing against the United States govern 5
nent that sysore them in2 And If sol L
liar If Taay4e Cbrict desert is that auv- 4