The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1897-09-23
when yon believed in tn truth Of the

the tospel. Wonld you not like 10
live the same quiet life and die the
same peaceful deathF | hold in my
hand a letter. sent me by one who has
elected the Christian religion. 1t
SAYS; Il am old enough to know
that the joys and pleasures OF
life are eyanescent, n to real
ize the fact that it must be COM
Portable in old age to believe in ONE
thing relative TO the future, and to
have a faith in some system that pro-
posss to-save am free To confess
that ! would be happier if could cx-
ercise 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 state
of uncertainty is one of unrest. Some
times | doubt my Immortality. and
look upon the deathbcd as the closing
scene, after which there is nothing.
What shall I do that have not done9
All. skeptic,sm is a dark ami doleful
land. Let me say that this Billie is
either true or false. II it be false we
are as well off rs you; If it be true,
then which OF us is safer?
Let me also ask whether your trou-
Bile has not been that you COMPOUNDED
christianity with the inconsistent char
acter of some who profess it? You are
a lawyer. In your profession there are
mean and dishonest men. Is that any
thing against the law? You are a doe
tor. There are unskilled and con
temptible men in your profession. Is
that anything against medicine' You
are "a 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 it's disciples. We admit some
OF the charges against those who pro-
Tess religion. Some of the most gil
gantic swindles of the present day
have been carried on by members of
in the front rank in the churches who
would not be trusted for five dollars
without good collateral security, They
leave their business DISTINGUISHES in the
vcStibule OF the church as they go in
and sit at the communion. Having
concluded the sacrament, they get mp,
wipe the wine from their lips, go out
and take up their sins where they
left off. To serve the devil is their
regular work: to serve God n sort of
pIay-spell. With a Sunday sponge
they expect to wipe off from their bust
ness slate all the past weeks incon-
sistencies. You have no more right To
take such a mans life as a specimen Of
religion than you have to take the
twisted irons and split timbcrs that lie
ON the beach at Concy island as Il spcei-
men of an American. ship. 1t is time
that we draw a line between religion
and the frailties of those who profess
It,.
Do Won 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 as much in it? Do
you not think, upon the whole, that
It's influence has been bcneticent? !
come to you with both hands extended
toward you. In one hand | have the
Bible, and in the other hand | have
nothing. This Bible in one hand | will
surrender forever just as soon as in my
other hand you IL put a book that is
better.
| invite you back into the good old
fashioned religion of your fathers-tO
the God whom they w~orshiped, to the
Bible they read, to the promises they
learned, to the cross on which they
hung their eternal expectations. You
have not been happy a day since you
swung off; You wilt not be happy IA
minute until you swing back.
There is a large class Of persons in
midlife who have still in them appc-
titcs that were aroused in early man
hood, at a time when they prided them
selves on being n %''little fast" high
~livers," free and easy" hail fellows
well met" They are now paying in
compound interest for troubles they
collected 20 years ago. Some Of you
are trying to escape, and you will
yet very narrowly, ''as with the skin
Of your teeth" God and your own
soul only know what the struggle is.
Omnipotent grace has pulled out many
a soul that was deeper in the mirc
than you are. They line the beach
Of Heaven the multitude whom
God has rescued you from the thrall Of
suicidal ahifs vnu thia div furp