St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1897-09-25

sword-strokc for sword-stroke, and
wound for wound, aud blood for blood;
but if come and knock at the door OF
your house, you open it, and give me
the best seat in your parlor. III
should come ut you now with an ergO-
ment, YOU would answer me with an
argument; if with sarcasm. you would
answer me with sarcasm; blow for
blow, stroke for stroke; but when l
come and knock at the door of your
heart, you open it and say: Come in.
my brother, and tell me all you know
about Christ and Heaven"
Listen to two or three questions
Are you as happy as you used to be
when you believed in the truth of the
Christian religion? Would you like to
have your children travel on in the
road in which you are now travelling?
You had q relative who professed to he
a Christian, and was thoroughly con-
sistent. living and dying in the faith OF
the Gospel Would you not like to
live the same quiet life and die the
same peaceful death? l hold in my
hand a letter, sent me by one who has
rejected the Christian religion. 1t
says: II nm old enough to know
that the joys aud pleasures OF
life are cvanescent and to real
ize the fact that it must be COM
Portable in old age to believe in some
thing relative to the future, and to
have faith in some system that pro-
poses to save. / am free to confess
that would be happier If I could ex-
ercisc the simple and beautiful faith
that is possessed by many whom /
know. am not willingly out of the
church or out of the faith. My stste
of uncertainty is one of unrest Some
times I doubt my immortality, and
look upon the deathbed rs the closing
scene, after which there is nothing.
What shall do that have not done?
All! skepticls;n is q dark and doletul
land. Let me say that this Bible is
either true or false. Ii it be false we
are as well off rs you; il it be true.
then which of us is safer?
Let me also ask whether your trou-
bic has not been that you confounded
Christianity with the Inconsistent char
acter of some who profess it? You are
. lawyer. In your profession there are
mean and dishonest men. Is that any
thing against the law? You are doc
tor. There are unskilled and con-
temptible men in your profession. Is
that any thing against medicine? You
are . merchant There are thieves
and defrauders in your business Is
that anything against merchandise?
Behold, then. the unfairness Of charg-
ing upon Christianity the wicked
ness of its disciples. We admit some
of the charges against those who pro-
fess religion. Some Of the most gi-
gantic swindles of the present day
have been carried on by members of
the church. There are men standing
in the front rank in the churches who
would not be trusted for five dollars
without good collateral security. They
leave their business dishonestics in the
vcstibule OF the church as they go in
and sit at the communion. Having
concluded the sacrament, they get up,
wipe the wine from their lips, go out
and take up their sins where they
left of. To serve the devil is their
regular work; to serve God q sort oi
play-spell. With q Sunday sponge
they expect to wipe off from their busi-
ness slate all the past weeks incon-
sistencies. You have no more right to
take such q mans life as a specimen Of
religion than you have to take the
twisted irons and split timbers that lie
on the beach at Coney island us spcci-
men of an American ship. 1t is time
that we draw q line between religion
and the frailties Of those who profess
it
Do You not feel that the Bible, take
it all in all, is about the best book that
the world has ever seen? Do you know
any book that has rs much in it? Dc
you not think, upon the whole, that
its influence has been benefcent?!
come to you with both hands extended
toward you. In one hand have the
Bible, and in the other hand l have
nothing. This Bible in one hand l viii
surrender forever just rs soon as in my
other hand you can put book that u
better.
Invite you back into the good old
fashioned religion Of your fathers-te
the God whom they worshipcd. to thu
bible they read, to the promises they
learned, to the cross on which they
hung their eternal expectations fos
have not been happy . day since yo'
swung on; you will not be happy
minute until you swing back.
There is = large class Of persons IL
midlife who have still in them appe
tites that were aroused in carly man
hood, 1T time when they prided them
selves on being ''little fast, "higl
livers,r free and easy" '.hail fellows
we'll met" They arc now paying il
compound interest for troubles thcl
collected 20 years ago. Some OF yo'
arc irving to escape, and you will
vet very narrowly. las with the Skin
of your teeth God aud your owl
soul only know what the struggle il
Omnipotent grace has pulled out many
u soul that was deeper in the mir
than ron are. They line the beacl
OF Hcavcn-th4t multitude whom
God has rescued you from the thrall Q
suicidal habits. II you this day tur.
back ON the wrong and start anew
God will help yoa. Oh. the weakness
OF human help! Men will sympathi.'
for awhile. and then turn you on. !
you ask for their pardon, they vii
give it and say they will try you again
but falling away again under n
power Of temptation. they cast you Q,
forever. But God forRives savent
times seven; yea, seven hundred times
yea, though this Be the ten thousandt'
time, He Is more earnest more symps
thetic, more helpful this last time thai
vhen vou took the first mtstep.