The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1895-03-08
THE LONDONDERRY SITTER

have known men skeptioal from the fact
that they grew mp in houses where reh-
gion was overdone, Sunday was the
most awful day Of the week. They had
religion driven. into them with trip
hammer. They were surfeited NTH
prayer meetings. They were stuffed and
shocked with oateohisms They were
often told they were tho worst boys the
parents ever know because they liked
to ride down hin better than to road
Bunyan's Pilgrims Progress. When
ever father and mother talked of reli'
zion, they drew down the corners of
their mouth and folledpp thoir eyes. If
any one thing will send boy or girl to
ruin sooner than another, that Is it. II
] had had such father and cher, ]
lear / should have been an infidol
Whei, was Is hoy in Sunday school, at
one time we had q teacher who, whom
we were not attentive, struck us over
tho head with " New Testament, and
there is way of using even the Bible
so as to make it offensive.
Others wero tripped up Of skeptioism
from being grievously wrongod by some
man who professed to be a Christian.
They had partner in business who
turned out to be first class scoundrel,
though a protested Christian. Many
years ago they lost all faith by what
happened in an oil company which was
formed amid tho petroleum excitement.
The company owned 10 LAND, or if they
did there was 10 sign Of oil produced,
but the president Of the con pGny was
Presbyterian older, and tho treasurer
was an Episcopal vestryman, and one
director was Methodist class leader,
and the other directors prominent men,
bers of Baptist and Congregational
churches. Circulars were gotten out tell
ing what fabulous prospects opened be-
fore this company. Innocent men and
women who had little money to in
vest, and that little their all, said, II
don't know anything about this com
pany, bat so many good mon are at the
head of it that it must be excellent, and
taking stock in 1t must be almost as
good as joining the church. p"
So they bought the stock and perhaps
received ono dividend so as to keep them
sill, but sitter awhile they found that
the company had reorsaniaed and had
different president and different treas
urer AID different directors. Other EN-.
gagements or i'll health had caused the
former Offices of tho company, with
many regrets, to resign. And all that
~ %Iak hol rs
show for their Investment was beauti-
fully ornamented certificate. Sometimes
that man looking over his old papers
comes across that certificate. and it is SO
suggestive that he vows he wants none
Of the religion that the presidents and
pany pr0feSsod. OF course their rejeo-
tion of religion on such grounds was un.
philosophical and unwise / am told
that many of the United States army
desert every year, and there are thou
sands of court martials every year. Is
that anything against the United States
government that swore them in? And
if soldier of Jesus Christ desert, is
that anything against the Christianity
which he swore to support and defendf
How do you judge of the currency Of a
country? By counterfeit bill? Oh, you
must have patience with those who have
been swindled by religious pretenders.
Live in the presence Of others frank,
| honest, earnest Christian life, that they
may be attracted to the same Saviour
upon whom your hopes depend.
Questions Unanswered.
Remember skepticism always has
some reason. good or bad, for existing.
Goethe's irreligion started when the
news came to Germany Of the earth
quake at Lisbon, Nov. l, 1775. That
60, 900 people should have persisted in
that earthquake and in the after rising
of the Tagus SO stirred his sympathies
that he threw up his belief in the good
ness of God
Others have gone into skepticism
from natural persistence in asking the
reason why. They have been fearfully
stabbed of the Interrogation point. There
are SO many things they cannot get ex-
planned. They cannot understand the
Trinity or how God can be sovereign
and yet man q free agent. Neither can
l. They say, II don't understand why
good God should have let sin come
into the world. Neither do L You
say, why was that child started in life
with such disadvantages, while others
have all physical and mental equip
ment?" cannot tell. They go out of
church on Easter morning and say,
'That doctrine of the resurrection con-
founded M" So it is to me mystery
beyond unravelment understand all
the processes by which men get into the
dark. know them all. have travelled
with burning feet that blistered way.
The first word which most children
learn to utter is, Papa" or Mamma,
but think the first word ever uttered
was, "Why?" I know what it is to
have hundred midnigbts pour their
darkness into one hour. Such men are
not to be scoffed, but helped Turn your
back upon drowning man when you
have the rope with which to pull him
ashore, and let that woman in the third
story Of house perish in the flames
when You have ladder with which to
help her out and help her down, rather
than turn your back scoffingly on a
skeptio whose soul is in more peril than
the bodies of those other endangered
ones possibly can be- Oh, skepticism is
a dark land. There are men in this
house who would give thousand worlds
if they possessed them to get back to the
placid faith of their fathers and moth
ers and it is our place to help them,
and we may help them, never through
their heads, but always through their
hearts. These skeptics, when brought
to Jesus, will be nightly effective, far
more SO than those who never examined
the evidences of Christianity.
Thomas Chalmers was once skeptic,
Robert Hall a skeptic, Robert Newto
skeptio, Christmas Evars skeptic.
But when once with strong hand they
took hold IF tho chariot pf tho oocpo1