The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1895-03-29

Neut about thH paflenfiHm ana inlnfaHatN
muscle and arorautic symptoms. Many OF
us come out 0i che theological Hemiulre fo
loaded up thlt we take the FIRST ten years 90
show our psIpIe how mush Ws know aud
the next ten years to s,t our people 90 know
as much as Wo know, and at the end hnl
that neither Ui BAL knows anything N We
ought to SNOW. h're are thousands of sine
ming. struggling and dying people who need
20 realize Iuat one thing=thW Jesus Christ
came t0 M4e them. and viii save Thorn now.
But wo 90 into "a profound aud elaborate
definition of what justification b., ana alter
an the work there arc not outside OF the
learned professions 5000 people lu che United
States who can tell what justification "a
/ viii read you the definition.
"JuHlnoatloRi j. purely a forensic act, tho
aot OF n Judge sitting I'm tho forum, in which
the Supreme Ruler and Judge, who Is ac-
c0untablo 90 none, aud who alone knows the
manner in which the ends OF Hls universal
government can best DO attained, reekOns
that which was done by tho substitute, and
not on account Of anything done by thom,
but purely upon account OF this gracious
method OF reckoning, grants them the full
remission OF their sins"
Now, what Is iustinoation2 viii toll You
what justification "a. When q sinner be-
lioves God lot8 him on. One summer I'm
Connecticut / went 30 a largo factory, and
saw over the door written thB words, ono adj
mlttance." / entered and saw over the next
door, ono ndmittance." OF cOursa entered.
got inside aud found Il a pin factory, and
they were making pins, very serviceable. 1ne
and useful pins. SO the spirit OF exclusive
moss has practically written over tho outside
door OF manga church, ono admitianean
And n the stranger enter he finds practically
written over tho second door, "NO admit
lance, and II he goes In over all tho pew
doors seems written. "No aimittance," while
the minister stands in the pulpit hammerlne
out his little niceties of belief, pounding out
the tochnicalIuos Of religion, making pins.
In the most practical, common sense way.
and laying aside tho nOness3ntial5 and the
hard definitions OF religion, 20 out on tho
God given mission, telling the people what
they need and when and how they can got it.
Comparatively little effort as vet has been
made TO save that large class OF persons IN
our midst called skeptics, and he who goes
90 work here will not be building 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: ''IhOu 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 commitment,
and the second is like TO this-namely, thou
shalt lovethy neighbOr az myself There is
no other commandment greater than this.
And the scribe said to Him, "Well, 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 aud sacrifices" And when
Jesus saw that he answered discreetly 70
said unto him, "ThOu art not far from the
Kingdom OF God" So a skeptie was saved
in one interview. But few Christian people
treat the skeptic in that way. Instead of TAX
| ing hold of him with the gentle hand of love-
we are aptto take him with the iron pinchers
Of ecclesiastieism.
! You would not be 80 rough on that man IL
/ you knew by what process ne had lost his
faith In Christianity. 1 have known men
skeptical from the fact that they grew up in
/ houses whore religion was overdOne. Sun
| day was the most awful day of the week.
/ They had religion driven into them with a
/ trip hammer. They were surleitei 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 Bunyan's "Pilgrim s
! Progress" Whenever father and mother
| talked Of religion, they drew down the cor
ners Of their mouth and rolled up their eyes.
If any one thing viii send boy or girl to
ruin sooner than another, that is 1t. II
had such father and mother, fear should
| have been an infdel When l was boy in
| Sunday-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 way Of using even the Bible so as
to make it offensive.
Others were tripped up of skepticism from
being grieYously wronged by some man who
professed to be a Christian. They had a
partner in business who turned 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, or If they did
there was no sign Of oil produced, but the
President Of the company was a Presbyterian
elder and the treasurer was an Episeopa
vestryman and one director was O Methodist
class leader, and the other directors promi.
nent members of Baptist and Congregations
churches. Circulars were gotten out telling
what fabulous prospects opened before 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 so many good mel
are at the head OF it that it must be excellent
and taking stock in it must be almost a
good as joining the church"
So they bought the stock and perhaps re-
ceived one dividend 50 as to keep them still
but after awhile they found that the com
pany had reorganized and had different
president and different treasurer and differ
emit directors. Other engagements or il
health had caused the former officers of tn
company, with many regrets, to resign
And all that the subscribers ofthat stock has
to show for their investment was a beauti
fully ornamented certificate. Sometime
that man looking over his old papers come
across that certificate, and it is so suggestiv
that he VOWS he wants none of the religio
that the presidents and trustees and direc
tors of that oil company protested. 0
course their rejection of religion on sucl
grounds was unphilosophical and unwlse.
am told that many of the United States arm
desert every year, aud there are thousand
Of oOuvf Uarttpla evarV vaar Ia tha