Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1896-08-25

make bridge of boats across the
stream OF death. and they are going
to try it; but, alas for the mistake!
When they get mid-stream away will
go the bridge and down will go their
souls 10 perdition o World of the
greedy eye and the hard heart, come
on the stand now and testify in be-
half of the prosecution against this
Christian soul on trial. What do you
know about this Christian man? ooh, 3"
says the World, Il know a great deal
about him. He talks about putting his
treasures in heaven, but he is the
sharpest man in a trade / ever knew.
! He seems to want us to believe that
he is a child OF God, but he is just
| full of imperfections. l do not know
! hut | am great deal better than he
is now. Oftentimes he is very earthly.
and he talks so little about Christ and
| Sd much about himself. l am very
glad to testify that this is bad man"
Stop, o World with the greedy eye
and hard heart. l fear you are too
| much interested in this trial to give
| impartial evidence. Let all those who
hear the testimony of this witness
| know that there is an old family quar-
rel between these two parties. There
! always has been variance between
| the World and the Church, and while
| the World on the witness stand today
has told great deal of truth about this
| Christian man, you must take it all
with much allowance, remembering
| that they still keep the old grudge. o
World OF the greedy eye and the hard
| The second witness | call in this
! case is Conscience. Who art thou, o
| Conscience? What is your business?
Where were you born? What are you
doing here? oh" says Conscience
Il was born in heaven. | came down
to befriend this man. l have lived with
| him. | have instructed him. | have
warned him. / showed him the right
| and the wrong, advising him to take
| the one and eschew the other. | have
kindled great light in his soul With
| a whip of scorpions / have scourged
his wickedness, and | have tried to
| cheer him when doing right; and yet
l am compelled to testify on the stand
! today that he has sometimes rejected
my mission. Oh, how many cups of
life have | pressed to his lips that he
dashed down, and how often has he
stood with his hard heel on the bleed
| ing heart Of the Son of God! 1t pains
! ME very much that | have to testify
against this Christian man, and yet
/ must, in behalf of him who will in
no wise clear the guilty, say that this
/ Christian man has done wrong. He has
| been worldly. He has been neglectful
/ He has done thousand things he
ought not to have done, and left I'M
done a thousand things he ought to
have done" That will do, Conscience.
You can sit down.
The third witness / call in this case
is an angel of God. Bright and shin
ing one. what doest thou here? What
| hast thou to say against this man on
| trial? "Oh," says the angel, Il have
been a messenger to him. have
With this wing | have defended him,
and oftentimes, when he knew it not,
| led him into green pastures and be-
side the still waters. / snatched from
| him the poisoned chalices. When bad
! spirits came upon him to destroy him,
l fought them back with infinite fierce
| ness, and yet | have to testify today
that he has rejected my mission. He
has not done as he ought to have done
Though l came from the sky, he drove
me back. Though with this wing de-
Tended him, and though with this voice
| wooed him, L have to announce his
multiplied imperfections. / dare not
| keep back the testimony, for then |
should not dare to appear again
amongst the sinless ones before the
| great white Throne"
There is only one more witness to be
called on behalf of the prosecution,
and that is the great, the holy, the
| august the omnipotent Spirit Of God
We bow down before him. Holy Spirit,
knowest thou this man? "Oh, yes"
says the Holy One, Il know him.
have striyen with him ten thousand
times, and though sometimes he did
seem to repent, he fell back again as
often from his first estate. Ten thou
sand times ten thousand has he grieved
ME, although the Bible warned him,
saying 'Grieve not the Holy Ghost
Quench not the Spirit Yes. he has
driven me back Though / am the
Third Person OF the Trinity he has
trampled on my mission, and the blood
OF the Atonement that | brought with
which 10 cleanse his soul he some
times despiSed. came from the throne
OF God 10 convert, and comfort ana
sanctify. and yet look at that man and
see what he is, compared with what,
unresisted | would have made him"
The evidence all being in, severe and
stern justice rises on behalf of the
prosecution to make his plea. With the
Bible open in his hand, he reads the
law, stern and inhexible, and the pen
atty: ''The soul that sinneth, it shall
die" Then he says: 20, thou Judge
and LawgiVer. this is thine own stat
ute, and all the evidence in earth and
heaven agrees that the man has sinned
against these enactments. Now let
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