Hutchinson gazette. [volume] (Hutchinson, Kan.) 1895-1902, 1897-08-26

thB' GATE 6f' the head, and the gate OF
the Yeart. The gate OF Your head Is.
locked WITH BOTS and BATS that an
archangei coufd not break, but, the
gate Of your heart isysihgf easily 3nr, ITS
hinges. II ASSAULTED your body with
weapons, you WOULD meet ,pe, NTH
weapons, and it would be sword7stgg!o}ke
for sTprd-stroke, rand wound for
wound, and blood f9EtbIopl; rbstt tftI
come and KNOCK at tRe door, IF your
house. YOU open It, and giyeA me- the
best seat in, Y9ura p8ElpT. II IfsbSuld
come at, you now with an argument
you would cans wen, EAe with an iaEgp-
ment; If with sarcasmj youlwould an
swer me with .sarcasmf blow foT. blow,
stroke for stroke; but when icome
and knock at the door of your heart
you open it and say, Come m my
brother, and telli+me all you know
about Christ and heaven!hI ri1H
Listen to two OF 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, protested to
be a 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? / hold
in my hand a letter, sent me by one
who has rejected the Christian reli-
gion. It says: 81 am old enough to
know that the Joys and pleasures Of
life are eEanesceHty and to Tealizg the
fact, that it must be comfortable In old
age to believe III 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 I could exercise the sim
pie and beautiful faith that Is possess
ed by many whom know. l am not
willingly out of the church or out OF
the faith. Ny state of uncertainty is
one Of unrest. Sometimes doubt my
immortality, and look upon the death
bed as the closing scene, after which
there is9nothing. What shall l do
that l have not done?p9 All! scepti-
clsm is dark and doleful land. Let
me say that this Bible is either true
or false. II 1t be false, we are as well
off as you; if it be true, then which OF
us is safer? I'a@i
Let me also ask whether'your trouble
has not been, that you confounded
4 Christianity with the inconsistent
character Of some who profess it? You
are a lawyer. In your profession there
are mean and dishonest men. Is that
anything against the law You are a
doctor, There are unskilled and con-
4 temptible 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 admibs2some OF the
charges against those who profess re-
ligion. Some of the most Gigantic
swindles of the present day -hsve-been
carried on by members Of the church
There are men standing in the from
rank in the churches who would moi
be trusted for five dollars without
good collateral security They leave
their business dishonesties inthe vesti-
4 bule of the church as they go in and
sit at the communion! Having con-
cluded the sacrament, they get up
wine the wine from their lips, go out
and take up their sins where they left
off. To serve the devil is their regu-
lar work; to serve God a 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 a mans life as specimen Of rel
liglon than you have to takel the
twisted irons and split timbers that
lie on the beach at Coney Island as q
specimen of an American ship. 1t is
time that we draw line between re-
ligion and the frailties of those who
profess 1t.
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
l come to you with both hands extend
ed towards you. In one hand ! have
the Bible, and in the other hand
have nothing. This Bible in enc hand
[ will surrender forever Just as soor
as in my other hand you can put
book that is better. $751;
invite you back into the good old
fashioned religion of your fathers-tc
the God whom they worshipped, to tbs
Bible they read, to the promises on
which they leaned, to the cross on
which they hung their eternal expecta.
lions. You have not been happy a day
since you swung off; you will not be
happy a minute until you swing
back.
70 tst.sf
II. with all the influences favorable
for a right life, men make so many
mistakes, how much harder is 1t when