The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1895-03-08

struggling and dying people who need
to realize just one thing-that Jesus
Christ came to save them, and will
save them DOW. But we go into pro-
found and elaborate definition of what
| justification is, and after all the work
there are not, outside of the learned
professions, 5000 people in the United
States vino can tell what justification
is. | will read you the definition:
classification is purely forensic
act, the act of a 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 gov
eminent can be attained, reclSons that
which was done by the substitute, and
not on account of anything done by
them, but purely upon account of the
gracious method of reckoning, grants
them full remission from their sins"
Now, what is justification? 1 will
tell you what justification is: When a
sinner believes, God lets him off. One
summer in Connecticut | went to a
large factory. and l saw over the door
| entered and saw over the next door,
mo Admittance. Of course entered.
l got inside and found it pin factory,
and they were making pins, very
serviceable, fine and useful pins.
So the spirit OF exclusiveness
has practically written over the
outside door OF many a church,
mo Admittance. And if the stranger
enter he finds practically written over
the second door, No Admittance,"
and if he goes in over all the pew
doors seems written, mo Admittance, 3"
while the minister stands in the pulpit
hammering out MS niceties of belief,
pounding out the technicalities of re-
ligion, making pins.
Comparatively little effort as yet has
been made to save that large class of
persons in our midst called skeptics,
and he VINO goes to work here will
not be building upon another mans
foundation. There is a great multi
tude of them. They are afraid
of us and our churches, for the
reason that 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
mind, and with ali 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: 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
burnt offerings and sacrifices" And
when Jesus saw that ne answered dis
creetly, he said unto him; Thou art
not far from the kingdom of God"
So skeptic was saved in one inter
view. But few Christian people treat
the slleptic in that way. Instead of
taking hold of him with the gentle
hands of love. we are apt TO take him
with the iron pincers of ecclesiastic-
ism
You would not be so rough on that
man if You knew by what process he
had lost mis- faith in Christianity
have known men skeptical from the
fact that they grew up in houses where
religion was overdone. Sunday was
the most awful day in the week. They
had religion driven into them with a
trip-hammer. They We're surfeited
with prayer meetings. They were
stuffed and choked with catechisms
They were often told they were the
worst boys the parents ever knew, be-
cause they liked to ride down hill bet
ter than to read Bunyan's Pilgrims
Progress. Whenever father and moth
er talked of religion they drew down
the corners Of their mouth and rolled
up their eyes. II any one thing will
send boy or girl to ruin sooner than
another, that IS it.
Others were tripped up of skepticism
from being grievously wronged by
some man who professed to be Chris
tian. They had a partner in business
VINO turned out to be a first-class scoun-
drel, 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; bu: the president of
the company was a Presbyterian elder.
and the treasurer was an Episcopal
vestryman, and one director was a
Methodist class leader and the other
prominent members of Baptist |
and congregational churches Circulars
Were gotten out telling what fabulous
prospects opened before this company. |
Innocent men and women who had a |
little money 20 invest, and that little |
their all. said: Il don't know any
thing about this company, but so many |
good men are at the head of it that it |
must be excellent, and taking stock in |
it must be almost as good as joining |
the church" SO they bought the |
stock and perhaps received one divi-
dend so as TO keep them still, but after |
a while they found that the company |
had reorganized, and had a different |
president, and different treasurer, and |
different directors. Other enga yements. |
or ill-health, had caused the former |
officers of the company. with many |
10 resign. And all that the
subscribers Of that stock mad to show
for their investment was beautifully |
certificate. Sometimes |
that man looking over his old papers, !
comes across that certificate. and il is
SO suggestive that he vows he wants
none of the religion that the presidents,
and trustees, and directors of that oil |
company professed Oh, You must
have patieace with those who have