The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-06-22


more right to question in a sane man than
l have right to question your existence.
Now, you can see my position, II all this
be true, then am not doing my full duty
toward you until ! have told you what /
have found, and urged upon you to avail
yourself Of the same blessing. Please do
not think of me as one who points the
finger of condemnation at you, but as one
who is prompted by the spirit Of love to
help you, and beg of you. do not think OF
Jesus Christ as one who came into the
world to condemn the world; For God
has sent not His Son into the world TO
condemn the world. but that the world
through Him might be saved" (see John
Ill. I'D. The best friend you have in the
universe today Is this friend of sinners.
He stands waiting to do for you what
none other can do for you. and next to
Ii I'm are those who point you to Him.
These are your friends, not those who en-
courage you to reject your only salvation.
You say that when / make such assertions
as ! made in my last ] should not only be
ready for argument, but ready also to give
proof that l am right. So far as the fur
nishing Is concerned, think / am ready
for both. No man Is worthy follower Of
Jesus Christ until he Is ready to give a
reason for the hope that Is in him. With
all due Difference to your expressed opin-
ion to the contrary. the Christian religion
is IA reasonable religion.
Rnt the thougbt I wisbod IN co,yev In
my Iast about arounar, y,os ,b;c. ya,
NOT writing IN Won for tho n,rnosa NJ e,art-
ing an argument on tho suhiect NJ chris
TIA nm tho otber hand I uisbed onIv
IN y,va vou nv witness tbat had nroved
Jasus (,hrist IN no what "a. claim. IN be
and that n seems IN mo is tho very hos,
kind of nroof n is not tbeore.ioa,
n ;s Observation-Disclosures ~ yo, nIsaeo
sunnose that An vour business Won
have rece,ved two stonass,nn,es NJ
two d,Terent binds NJ marble An
other marble man bannens IN and be
savs IN bis oninion th,t ono wiII stand tho
offects of tbe atmosnhere tho LONGER time.
while Won take vour stand that the other
will nrove tho mora lasting you hotb
have vour theories about tho stones and
so YOU argue. But while vo,, are in the
midst of tho argument another man etens
in and he gives his testimony You know
hin, to be !. raiiahJa man ana yo,, hal;ayo
him He save. "Ip apotber mart of tho
countrv these stones arc more cornmon,v
used. and 7 mvself have tested them. in
the Same vear 7 mt IN side nv side one
oach of these etones about which vo, have
been In argument and TODAY this one
stands perfectly whole unaffected bv the
weather. as when mt nm. while that one
Is crumblinp to the pronnd Now tell
me don't Won think II would ba foolish 10
90 on tbeorizing and arguing simplv from
theory about the lasting qualities of these
stones after having rscaiyed sucb a ,es-
tjmony as that? I have made an actual
experiment of these doctrines Of the New
Testament gospel. 7 come to Won with the
result of the experiment. and il is this:
They are true. / have proved them true.
You say there is a difference between be-
lieving and knowing and Won are certainly
right. T recognize the difference but vet
l saw I know in whom I have believed. I
have willed to do His will. and now I
know of the teaching whether If is of God
or of man. according to the promise of
Jesus. Lam conscious that am in possess
sion of such knowledge. VIII Won take
nv TESTIMONY along with thousands of
others who have made the same expert
ment. or will Won go on theor;zinpo
That mart of your letter which speaks
of the person of Christ is a grief to NV
soul. not because of any feelings of aptip-
athy toward Won. hut because of your
words of blasphemy against Him ..who
knew no sin''-it hurts me that Won TINS
speak of nv best fr;end-I would rather
that Won thus spoke of me than Jesus.
never read words that grated more harshly
upon me than these in YOUR letter: .If
the Jesus Christ of the Testament ever
lived. He lied. He stole. He called his fel
low-men uply names because they did NOT
believe what He said. Although 1 don't
know that He claimed to be God He did
say He was equal to God. But no
difference. He was arrested tried in the
to death. Am l to suppose or believe that
the officers of Justice in His own country
knew nothing about Him and heIieve Won
know all about Him." / cannot think
that this is ANYTHING but an outburst of
bitter hatred against Him who came into
this world to nut away sin. II sounds
like the cry of those who nut him to death.
who. when PLATE made an appeal of reason
to them. did but bl,ndly cry in their mur-
derous antipathy against Him. "Crucifv
Himi Cruelty Himr
You say farther on: "I know Won won't
like this letter. but take warning: leave
men like me alone" Putting these two
things together they reveal your attitude
toward Jesus to be the same as that of
the Jews in Christ's day. They did not
want to believe in Christ-they wanted to
get Him out of the way. to he rid of Him
altogether. His moral teaching cut into
their practices so deeply that they did not
wish to subject themselves 10 His search.
ing truths. like Won thev wanted To he left
alone-they did not want TO submit TO
Jesus.
II is sometimes N he noticed IN children
that when they are surprised or unexnect.
edlv discovered in doing what they know
is wrong or forbidden. thev become indir.
nant and claim the right to do as tbev
please, and that their parents or teachers
have no right to trouble them.
Devil-possessed men cried out to Jesus
when He came in contact with them. say
ing: Let us alone; what have we to do
with Thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth?"