The free press., 1895-02-07

: X.
submerged with "Joy to the World, the
Lord is Gomez Really, II l thought the
human race were as determined to be bad
and getting worse, as the pessimlsts repre-
sent, [ would think it was hardly worm
saving II after hundreds OF years OF gos-
pelization no improvement has been made
let us give it up and go at something eise
/ besides praying and preaching.
NV opinion is that If we had enough falth
! In Quick results and could go forth rightly
! equipped with the gospel call the battle ior
| God and righteousness would end with inns
nineteenth century, and the twont eth
century, only five or six years off, would be-
gin the millennium. and Christ wouia
reign, either in person on some throne set
up between the Alleghanies and the Rockies
or in the institutions Of mercy and grandeur
set up by His ransomed people. Discouraged
work will meet with defeat. Expectant and
buoyant work will gain the victory. Start
out with the idea that all men are liars and
scoundrels, and that everybody is as bad as
he can be, and that society, and the church,
and the world are on the way to demolition,
and the only use you will ever be to the
world will be to increase the value of
lots in cemetery. We need moro
cheerful front in all our religious work:
People have enough trouble already ana
do not want to ship another cargo oftrouole
in the shape OF rehgiosty. If religion has
ton and a ioy, say so. Say 1t by word OF
mouth, by pen in your hand. by face illu-
mined with divine satisfaction. If this
world is ever to be taken for God, it will not
be by groans, but by halleluiahs. Ii we
could present the Christian religion rs it
really is, in its true attractiveness, all the
people would accept it. and accept it right
away. The cities, the nations would cry
out "Give US that, give it to us in all its
holy magnetism and gracious power Put
that save on our wounds Throw back the
shutters for that morning light. Knock off
these chains with that silver hammer Give
us Christ-His pardon. His peace, His com
fort, His heaven! Give us Christ in song
Christ In sermon. Christ in book, Christ in
living example ~
As system OF didactics religion has never
gained one inch OF progress AS II tech
nlcafity it befogs more than it irradiates. A.
dogmatism it is an awful failure. But as u
fact, as a reinforcement, rs n trGnstigura-
ton,, 1t Is the mightiest thing that ever
descended from the heavens or touched thu
earth. Exemplify it in the life OF a good
man or good woman, and no one : I help
but like 1t. A city missionary visited n house
in London and found a sick and dying boy.
There was an orange lying on his bed, and
the missionary said. "Where did you get
that orange?' He said "a man brought it
to ME. He comes here often and reads the
Bible to me and prays with me and brings
me Mica things to eat" "What is his
name?' said the city missionary. 81
forget his name" said the sick 10y,
"but he makes great speeches over in
that great building" pointing to the
Parliament House of London. The mis-
sionary asked, ''Was his name Me. GlaG-
stone?" sob, yes" said the boy, 'that ia
his name-Mr. Gladstone" Do you tell mo
a man can see religion like that and no; like
y? There is an old fashioned mother in u
arm house. Perhaps she is somewhere in
he seventies, perhaps sevcnty-Hvs or sew
fnty-six. 1t is the early evening hour.
chrough spectacles No. she is reading
A,wspaper until toward bedtime, w1en $40
takes up a well-worn book, called tho Bible.
| know from the illumination in her faco
she is reading one OF the thanks giving
psalms, or in Revelation the story of the
twelve pearly gates. After awhile she closes
the book and folds her hands and thinks over
the past and seems Whispering the names OF
her children, some OF them on earth AMI
some of them in heaven. Now II smile Is on
her face, and now tear, and sometimes tho
smile catches the tear. The scenes of a long
life come back to her. One minute she
sees all the children smiling around her,
with their toys and sports and strange qucs'
tionings. Then she remembers several OF
them down sick with infantIle disorders
Then she sees a short grave, but over 1t cut
in marble, "Suffer them to come to Me-"
Then there is the wedding hour, and the
neighbors IN, and the promise OF ~ will"
and the departure from the old homestead,
then scene of hard times, and scant bread
and struggle Then she thinks OF few
years with gush OF sunshine and fittings OF
dark shadows and vicssitudes.
Then she kneels down slowly, for many
years have stiffened the joints, and the ill~
nesses of a lifetime have made her less sup
nj Har ia M iYt II n
sustaining grace during all those years, and
thanks for children good and Christian
and kind, and a prayer for the wandering
boy whom she hopes to see come home be-
fore her departure. And then her trembling
lips speak of the land Of reunion. where she
expects to meet her loved ones already
translated, and after telling the Lord in very
simple language how much she loves Him.
and trusts Him, and hopes to see Him soon,
l hear her pronounce the quiet "Amen. and
she rises up-a little more difficult effort
than kneeling down. And then she puts her
head on the pillow for the night, and the
angels OF safety and peace stand SEN
house, and her face ever and
anon shows signs of dreams about
the heaven she read Of before retiring. In
the morning the days work has begun down
stairs, and seated Mt tho table the remark is
made, "Mother must have oversight her
sell. And the grandcnlldren also notice
that grandmother is absent from her usual
place at the table. One OF the grandchildren
goes to the foot of the stairs and cries,
"Grandmother But there Is no answer.
Fearing something is the matter, they go up
10 see, and all seems right. The spectacies
and Bible on the stand, and the covers of
the bed are smooth, and the face is calm
her white hair on the white pillow case like
snow on snow already fallen. But her soul
Is gone up to look upon the things that the
night before she had been reading OF In the
Scriptures. What u transporting look on her
dear old wrinkled face! She has seen tho
'King in His beanty." She has been well
coined by the "Lamb who was slain And
her two oldest sons, having hurried up
stairs, look and whisper, Henry to George,
"That is religion" George to Henry "Yes,
that Is religion ~
There is New York merchant who has
been in business l should say forty or fifty
years. During an old-fashioned revival OF
religion in boyhood he gave his heart to
God. He did not make the ghastly and in-
flute and everlasting mistake Of sowing
'wild oats, with the expectation of sowing
good wheat later on. He realized the fact
that the most Of those who SOW wild oats"
never reap any other crop. He started right
| and hps kanf RIGHT "a 1nyun in 1Sr7