The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1897-02-26


has for all the Christian centuries been
interpreted another way" You say:
II do not like Princeton theology or
New Haven theology, or Andover
theology" l do not ask you on board
either of these great men-of-war, their
portfolios filled with the great SIEGE
guns OF ecclesiastical battle. But do
ask you to take the one plank OF the
Gospel that you do believe in and strike
out for the pearl-strung beach OF
heaven.
Says some other man; Il would at
tend to religion II l was quite sure
about the doctrine of election and free
agency, but that mixes me all up"
Those things used to bother me, but
l have no more perplexjty about them I;
for say to myself: IF love Christ
and live good, honest, useful life.
| am elected to be saved; and If / do
not love Christ, and live bad life,
will be damned, and all the the theo-
logical seminaries Of the universe can
not make it any different" / founder
ed along while in the sea Of sin and
doubt, and 1t was as rough as the Medi-
terranean on the fourteenth night,
when they threw the grain overheard,
but l saw there was mercy for sin
ner, and that plank 1 took, and 1 have
been warming myself by the bright fire
on the shore ever since.
While / am talking to another man
about his soul he tells me: II do not
become a Christian because I do not
believe there Is any hell at ALL" All!
don't you? Do all the people of all
beliefs and no belief at all, of good
morals and bad morals go straight to
a happy heaven? Do the holy and the
debauched have the same destination?
At midnight, in hallway, the owner
OF house and burglar meet; they
both fire, and both are wounded, but
the burglar dies in five minutes and
the owner OF the house lives a week
after; will the burglar be at the gate
OF heaven, waiting, when the house
owner comes in? Will the debauchee
and the libertine go right in among
the families Of heaven? / wonder If
Herod is playing ON the banks of the
river Of life with the children he mas
sacred: l wonder il Charles Guiteau
and John Wilkes Booth are up there
shooting at mark. do not now con-
trovert it, although l must say that for
such miserable heaven l have no ad-
miration. But the Bible does not say:
Believe in perdition and be saved"
Because all are saved, according to your
theory, that ought not to keep you from
loving and serving Christ. Do not re-
fuse to come ashore because all the
others, according to your theory, are
going to get ashore. You may have a
different theory about chemistry, about
astronomy, about the atmosphere
from that which others adopt, but you
are not, therefore, hindered from ac-
ton. Because your theory of light is
different from others, do not refuse to
open your eyes. Because your theory
of air is different you do not refuse
to breathe. because your theory about
the stellar system is different, you do
not refuse to acknowledge the north
star. Why should the fact that your
theological theories are different him
der you from acting upon what you
know? If you have not a whole ship
fastened in the theological drydocks
to bring you to wharfage, you have
at least a plank. Some on broken
pieces of the ship"
But 1 don't believe in revivals."
Then go to Your room, and all alone,
with your door locked, give your heart
to God, and join some church where the
never gets higher than
fifty in the shade.
But / do not believe in bapt1smy'
Come in without it and settle that mat
ter afterward. But there are so
many inconsistent Christians!" Then
come in and show them by good ex-
ample how professors should act. But
I don't believe in the Old TESTAMENT
Then come in on the New. But l |
lon't like the Book of Romans" Then |
,ome in on Matthew or Luke. Refus- |
ng to come to Christ, whom you admit |
% be the Savior of the lost, because |
you cannot admit other things, you are |
ike a man out there in that Mediter-
'anean tempest, and tossed in the Me-
tia breakers, refusing 10 come ashore
Until he can mend the pieces of the
,roken ship. hear him say: Il won't
20 in on any Of these planks until l
NOW in what part of the ship they
,elong. When l can get the windlass
n the right place, and the sails set,
nd that keel-piece where it belongs,
nd that floor-timber right, and these
opes untangled, will go ashore. am
n old sailor. and know all about ships
or forty years. and as soon as can get
he vessel afloat in good shape 1 will
ONE in" A man drifting by on a
iece of wood overhears him and says:
You will drown before you get that
hip reconstructed. Better do as / am
ding. l know nothing about ships,
nd never saw one before l came on
GARD this. and | cannot swim stroke,
ut l am going ashore on this shivered
mber." The man in the offing, while :
'ying to mend his ship goes down.