Semi-weekly independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1895-1897, 1896-02-08

y Plain Road.
Still further. the road spoken OF Is q
plain road. The wayfaring men. though
fools, shall not err therein'-that is, if 4
man X threc-fourths an idiot, he can find
this road just as we'll IS if he were a phi
losopher. The imbecile boy, the laughing
stock of the street. and followed by 4 mob
hooting 1T him, has only just To llock
once ut the gate of heaven, and it swings
open, while there has been many n man
who could lecture about ~pneumaticS and
chemistry Il tell the story of f~araday'S
theory of electrical polarization and yet
has been shut out of heaven. There has
been many q man who stood in an observ-
at0ry and swept the heavens with his tele-
scope and yet has not been able to see the
morning star. Many a man has been IA
miliar with all the higher branches of
mathematics and yet could not Go the
simple sum, What shall it profit a man
if he gain the whole world and lose his
own soul:' Many Il man has been a fine
reader OF tragedies and poems and yet
could not read his title clear 10 man
sions in the skies"
Many 4 man has botanized the CONT
nent and yet not known the Rose of Shar-
on, and the LILY of the Valley. But ii
one shall come in the right spirit. asking
the way to heaven. he will find it a plain
way. The pardon is plain. The peace is
plain. Everything i plain. lie who tries
10 get III the road To heaven through the
New Testament teaching will get on beau
tifally. He who goes through philosophi-
cal discussion will not get on ut all. Christ
says, Come TO me and / will take all
your sins away. and | will take all your
troubles away" Now, what is the use
of my discussing il any moret is not that
plain? II YOU wanted to go TO some city.
and | pointed YOU out Il highway thorough
ly laid out. would | be wise in OBTAINING
YOU by Il geological discussion about the
gravel You will pass over. or Il physiology
cal discussion about the muscles you will
nave to bring into play? No. After this
Bible has pointed You the way 10 heaven.
is it wise for me to detain you with any
discussion about the nature of the human
Will, or whether the atonemcnt is limited
or unlimited? There is the road-go on il.
1t is Il plain way. This is a faithful
saving and worthy Of all acceptation that
Christ Jesus came into the world to save
sinners And that is YOU and that *
me. Any little child here can understand
/ tHlS us wen us i CHI. tDltS> YOU he
come as Il little child you cannot see the
kingdom of God" If yor are saved, it
will not be rs Il philosopher; it will be as
Il little child. "Of such is the kingdom
of heaven" Unless YOU get the spirit of
little children you will never come out
at their glorious destiny.
A Safe Road.
Still further. this road To heaven is =
safe road. Sometimes the traveller in
those ancient highways would think him
self perfectly secure. not knowing there
was n lion by the way, burying his head
deep between his paws, and then. when
the right moment came, under the fearful
spring the mans life was gone, and there
was a mauled carcass by the roadside.
But, says my text. NO lion shall be
there" l wish l could make you feel your
entire security. l tell you plainly that
one minute after a man has become a
child of God he is as safe as though he had
been 10000 years in heaven. lie may
slip. he may slide, he may stumble, but
he cannot be destroyed; kept by the power
of God, through faith, unto complete sal
vation. everlastingly safe. The s~evcrest
trial To which you can subject n Chris
tian man is to kill him, and that is glory.
In other words. the worst thing that can
| happen n child of God is heaven. The
body is only the old slippers that he
throws aside just before putting on the
sandals of light. His soul, you canine
hurt il. No fires can consume it; no floods
can drown it; no devils can capture it.
Firm and unmoved are they
Who rest their souls on God;
Fixed as the ground where David stood,
Or where the ark abode.
His soul is safe. His reputation is safe.
Everything is safe. But" you say. sup
pose his store burns up?' Why. then it
will be only a change of Investments from
earthly to heavenly securities. But"
you say, suppose his name goes down
under the hoof of scorn and contempt? 2"
The name will be SO much brighter in
glory. Suppose his physical health fails"
God will pour into him the floods Of ever
lasting health. and ii will not make any
| difference. Earthly subtraction is hcav-
enly addition. The tears of earth are the
CRYSTALS Of heaven. As they take Il z
and tatters and put them through the paper
mill. and they come out beautiful white
sheets of paper, SO often the rags of earth
ly destitution, under the cylinders of
death. come out Il white scroll pom which
shall be written eternal emancipation.
There was one passage of Scripture the
force of which | never understood until
one day ut ChamouniX, with Mont Blanc
on one side and Montanvert on the other.
| opened my Bible and read, "As the
mountains are around about Jerusalem, SO
the Lord is around about them that fear
him" The surroundings were an omnipo-
tent commentary.
Though troubles assail and dangers af-
fright,
Though friends should all fail and foes
all unite.
Yet one thing secures us, whatever be-
tide,
The Scripture assures us the Lord will
provide.
A Pleasant Road.
Still further, the road spoken OF is n
pleasant road. God gives Il bond of in
demnity against all evil to every man that
trcads it. "All things work together for
good to those who love God" No'weapon
formed against them can prosper. That
is the bond. signed. sealed and delivered