Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1897-08-31

There are two gates to your nature;
the gate of the head, and the gate of
the heart. The gate of your head is
locked with bolts and bars that an
archangel could not break, but the
gate of your heart swings easily on its
hinges. If assaulted your body with
weapons you would meet me with
weapons, and it would be sword-stroke
for sword-stroke, and wound for
wound, and blood for blood; but il
come and knock at the door of your
best seat in your parlor. If l should
come at you now with an argument,
you would answer me with an argu-
ment; If with sarcasm, you would an
swer 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 ard 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 relative who professed to
be Christian, and was thoroughly
consistent, 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 letter, sent me by one
who has rejected the Christian reli-
gion. 1t says: Il am old enough to
know that the joys and Pleasures of
life are evanescent, and to realize the
fact that 1T must be comfortable in old
age to believe in something relative
to the future, and to have faith in
some system that proposes to save. l
am free to confess that l would be
happier If l could exercise the sim
pie and beautiful faith that is possess
willingly out of the church or out Of
the faith. My state of uncertainty is
one of unrest. Sometimes l doubt my
immortality, and look upon the death
bed as the closing scene, after which
there is nothing. What shall l do
that l have not done?" Ah! scepti-
csm is a dark and doleful land Let
me say that this Bible is either true
or false. If it be false, we are as we'll
off as you; if it be true, then which Of
us is safer?
Let me also ask whether your trouble
n
Christianity with the inconsistent
character of some who profess it? You
are lawyer. In your profession there
are mean and dishonest men. Is that
anything against the law? You are
doctor. There are unskilled and con-
temptibie men in your profession. Is
that anything against medicine? You
are merchant. There are thieves and
defrauders in your business. Is that
anything against merchandise? Be-
hold, then, the unfairness of charging
upon Christianity the wickednesS of its
disciples. We admit some of the
| charges against those who profess re-
| ligion. Some of the most gigantic
| 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 dlshonesties in the vesti-
! bule of the church as they go in and
sit at the communion. Having con-
! cluded the sacrament, they get up,
wipe the wine from their lips, go out,
| and take up their sins where they left
| off. To serve the devil is their regu-
J lar work; to serve God sort of play
| SPELL With Sunday sponge they ex-
| pect to wipe off from their business
slate all the past weeks inconsistent
cies. You have no more right to take
such mans life as a specimen OF re-
| ligion than you have to take the
twisted irons and split timbers that
lie on the beach at Coney Island as a
specimen of an American ship. 1t is
time that we draw line between re-
ligion 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 as much in
it? Do you not think upon the whole.
| that its influence has been benefcent?
come to you with both hands extend
ed towards you. In one hand | have
the Bible, and in the other hand l
have nothing. This Bible in enc hand
l will surrender forever just as soon
as in my other hand you can put
book that is better.
I invite you back into the good old
| fashioned religion OF your fathers-to
the God whom they worshipped, to the
Bible they read, to the promises on
which they leaned, to the cross on
which they hung their eternal expecta-
tons. You have not Eeen happy a day
since you swung off; you will not be
happy minute until you swing
back.
II, with all the influences favorable
for right life, men make so many
mistakes, how much harder is it when,
for instance, some appetite thrusts its
iron grapple into the roots of the
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