Bradford County telegraph. (Starke, Fla.) 1888-current, 1895-03-15

doors seems written, mo sdmittance;" while
the minister stands ID the pulpit; laundering
cut his little niceties Of belief; pounding out
the techRicalities OF religion, making pins.
In the most practical, common sense way,
and laying aside she nonessentials aud the
hard definitions OF religion, 60 out on the
God given mission, telling the people what
they need and when and how they can get 1t.
Comparatively little effort as yet has been
made TO save that large class OK persons in
our midst called skeptcs, and he who goes
to work here will not be building upon
another mans foundation. There is 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: ''Thou 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 commandment,
and the second Is like to this-namely, thou
shalt loVethy n9ighb0r az 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 al the understanding, and all the SOUL
and all the strength, Is moro than whole
burnt offerings and sacrifices" And when
Jesus saw that he answered discreetly 20
said unto him, "Thou art not far from the
Kingdom OF God" so a skeptic was saved
In one interview. But foW Christian people
tr5st the skeptic In that way. Instead Of tax
ing hold Of him with the gentle hand Of love-
we are apt to take him with the iron pinchers
OF ecclesiaStioism.
You would not be so rough on that man II
you knew by what process he had lost his
faith In Christianity. have known men
sk6ptical from the fact that they grew up in
houses where religion was ovardone. Sun
day was the most awful day Of the week.
They had religion driven into them with a
trip hammer, They were surfsitei with
prayer meetings. They were stuffed and
| choked with c8techismS 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.
II any ono thing will send boy or girl to
ruin sooner than another, that "a 1t. II 1
had such father and mother, 1 fear should
have been an inadeL When was boy In
Sunday-School, at one time we had teacher
who, when We were not attentive, struck US
over the head with New Testament, and
thero is way OF using even the Bible so as
10 make 1t Offensive.
Others were trpped up Of skepticism from
| being grtevously wronged by some man who
protested to be a Christian. They hal q
partner in business who turned out to DO q
arst-class sooundrel, though a profes5ei
| 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 II they did
there was no sign Of oil produced, but tho
| President OF the company was Presbyterian
| elder, and the treasurer was an Episcopal
| vestryman. and ono dlrector was Methodist
class leader ard the other directors promi-
nent members Of Baptist and Congregational
churches. Circulars were gotten out telling
| what fabulous prospects opened before this
| company. Innocent men and women
who had q little money to invest, aud that
little their all, said, Il don't know anything
about this company, but 50 many good men
are at the head Of Ii that Ii must be excellent,
and taking stock In it must be almost as
good as joining the church"
SO they bought the stock and perhaps re-
eeived one dividend 80 as to keep them still,
but after awhile they found that the COM
papy had reorgani7ed aud had different
president and different treasurer and differ
ant directors. Other engagements or i'll
health had caused the former officers Of the
company, with many regrets, to resign
And all that tho subscribers Ofthat stock had
to show for their investment was a beaui-
fully ornamental certificate. Sometimes
that man looking over his old papers comes
across that certificate, and il is 50 suggestive
that he VOWS he wants mono Of the religion
that the presidents and trustees and direc-
tors OF that oil company protested. or
course their rejection of religion on such
grounds WAS unphilOsOphical and unwLse.
am told that many OF the United States army
desert every year, aud there are thousands
OF court martisls every year. Is that
anything against the United States Gov
eminent that sWOre them IMP Aud
II a soldier of Jesus Christ desert, Is that
anything against the Christianity which
he swore to support and defend2 How do
you judge Of the currency Of a country By
a counterfeit bill2 Oh, you must have pa
tience 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 Saw
Jour upon whom your hopes depend.
Remember skepticism always has some
reason, good OF bad. for existing. Goathe's
irreli9ion started when the news came to
Germany OF the earthquake at Lisbon, Nov.
l, IT'S. That 10000 people should have
persisted in that earthquake and In the after
| rising Of the Ta9us 80 stirred his sympathies
that he threw up his belief In the goodness oil
| God.
Others have gone into skepticism from a
natural persistence in asking the reason why.
They have been fearfully stabbed OF the IN
terrogation point. There are 50 many thing:
they cannot get explained. They cannot IN
derstsnd the Trinity or how God can be SOW
ereign and yet man free agent. Neither
can l. They say: 81 don't understand WIZ
a good God should have let sin come into the
world. Neither do 1. Yoa say: "Why was
that child started In life with such disa1vau-
tages, while Others have all physical and
4 k.a1
out OF church on Easter morning and say:
THAT doctrine of the resurrection con
founded me-" SO it is to me q mystery be-
yOnd unravelment. understand all tho pro-
cesses by which men get into the dark. !
know them all. l have travelled with burning
feet that blistered way. The first word which
most children learn to utter Is: "Papa," OF
Mamma" but 1 think the first word ever
uttered was: "Why?" l know what 1t is to
have n hundred midnights pour their
darkness into one hour. Such men are no:
10 be scOffed, but helped. Turn your back
upon drOV Hing man when You have the
rope with which to pull him ashore, and lei
that woman in the third story OF q house
perish in tho flames when you have q ladder
with which to help her out and help her
down, rather than turn your back scoffirgly
on skeptie whose soul is in more peril thar
the bodies of those other endangered one
possibly can be. Oh, skepticism Is dars
land There are men in this house who
would give a thousand worlds il they Dos
seSsed them 70 get back to the placid faith O
their fathers and mothers, and it is our pIac;
to help them, and we may help them, nevei
through their heads, but always througl
their hearts. These skeptics, when brought
% Jesus, will be nightly effective, far NOR,
50 than those who never examined the ev;
dnneeS of Christianity.
Thomas Chalmers was once skepti,
Robert Hall q skeptic, Robert Newton a skep
tie, Christmas Evans n skeptIc But whe,
once with strong hand they took hold OF tn
chariot OF the gospel they rolled 1t on wit
what momentum II address such me
and women to-day, throw out no scof.
implead them by tho memory of the goo
old days, when 1T their aother's knee the
said, "Now lay me down to Sleep" and b
those days and nights Of scarlet fever Il
which she watched you, giving YOU til
medicine at Just the right time and turnini
your pillow when 1t was hot, and with hand
that many years ago turned to dust soothe
away your pain, and with voice that you vii
never hear again, unless VOu iOin her I'm tn