The Washington weekly post., 1899-12-19


nta gonism TO Christianity. Some Of the
mIghtiest advocates of The Gospel were
once skeptics- Thomas Chalmers once a
skeptic. Robert Hail a skeptic. Robert
Newton skeptic. Christian Evans
skeptic, Charles q. FJnner a skeptie, Paul
the Apostle once a skeptie. But when
once with strong hand they took hold et
the Gospel chariot they rolled IL on win
what momentum do not know how you
came TO reject Christianity.
How Wen Fsr-ake RELIGION.
''It may have been through hearing The
odore Parker preach, or through reading
Remains Life OF Jesus or through the
infidel talk of seme young man In your
store, IL may have been through the
trickery OF some pr0fessed Christian man,
who disgusted you with religion. Ii may
be tfat thirty years ago you lost all faith
by what happened In an oil company
which was formed amid the petroleum ex-
citement The company owned no land.
or. If they did, there was no sign OF oil
produced; but the president OF the COM
pany was a Presbyterian elder. and the
treasurer an Episcopal vestryman. and one
director was Methodist class leader. and
the other officers prominent members of
Baptist and Congregational churches. Cir
cuiars were gotten out telling what fabu
lous prospects opened before this COM
pany. The circular had all the hues of
earth and sea and sky. The letters famed
with all the beauty Of gold and Jasper and
amethyst. Innocent men and women who
had q little money to invest, and that
little their ALL said: 1 do not know any
thing about this company. bur so many
good men are at the head OF Il that Ii
must be excellent, ana taking stock In u
must bl almost as good as joining the
church So they bought their stock. and
perhaps received one dividend. so as 10
keep them still. But after a while they
found the company had reorganiZed and
had q different president. different
treasurer, and different directors. Other
engagements or an overcoming modesty
had caused the former officers Of the COM
pany, with many regrets. to resign, and
all that the subscribers OF that stock had
10 show for their investment was a beau
tifully ornamented certificate. Sometimes
that man, looking over his old papers
comes across that certificate, and il Is
so suggestive that he VOWS he wants none
OF the religion that the president and
trustees and directors of that oil company
professed.
''Or you may have become skepticai from
the fact that you grew up in home
the most awful day in the week. You had
reilglOn driven into you with a trip-ham-
mer. You we're surfeited with prayer
meetings. You were stuffed and choked
withcatechisms. You were often told that
you were the worst boy your parents ever
knew because you liked to ride down hill
better than to read Bunyan Pilgrim s
Progress. Whenever your father and
mother talked of religion. they drew down
| the corners of their mouths and rolled up
nr1a Inc will
boy or girl to ruin sooner than another,
that is IL.
skeptics shonid Try Religion.
you came into rejection of Christianity.
You frankly tell me that you do reject
H. You do not believe that Christ is 4
divine being, although you admit that
He was very good man. You do no.
believe that the Bible was inspired OF
God, although you think that there are
some very fine things in IT. You believe
that the Scripturai description of Eden
was only an aIlegory. There are fifty
things that / believe that you do not be-
iieve, and yet you are an accommodating
man. Everybody that knows you says
that of you. IL ] should ask you to do a
kindness for me, or if any one else should
ask OF you kindness, you would do it,
Now. have a kindness to ask of you. Ii
is something that will cost you nothing
and will give me great delight. l want
you, by experiment, to try the power OF
Christs religion II | should come to
you when you were very sick and doctors
| had given you up and said there was no
cfanee Tor you, and should take out a
1 bottle and say: Here is a medicine that
| will cure you. 1t has cured fifty people
end Will cure you, you would say, L have
| no confidence in it, and | would say
! Won't you take it to oblige me-? Wei
you would say. If it Is any accommoda,
tion TO you, / will take it, Ny friend
VIII you be just as accommodating in
matters OF religion? There are some oi
you VINO Nave fOrnd out that this world
cannot satisfy your soul. You are like
the man who told NE on Sabbath after
service: i have tried the world and found
1t an insufficient portion. Tell me oi
something better. You are sick for the
reed of divine medicament. Now, / come
and tell you of ply sician who will cure
you, who has cured hundreds and thou.
| sands. who are as sick as you are. oh,
you say, i have no confidence I'm Him
But will you net try Him.? Accommodate
IC III lHls oDllRe ME IN This
matter. Just try Him. You will reply
/ have 10 special confidence In Him, but
! If you ask me as matter of accommo
dation. introduce Him So do introduc,
Him. Christ, the Physician, who ba.
cured more blind eyes, and healed NOR,
CHASTITY wounds, and bound up NOR,
broken hearts than all the doctors sine.
the time of AesculapIus. That Diyin.
! Dhxscf l. Il.
and stops before you. Are you not ready
TO try Him? Will you not. as a matter o.
pure experiment. try Him, and state you
case before Him tonight? Hold nothin.
back from Him. III you cannot pray. i
you do not know how 10 pray any othe
way, say in substance: %. Lord Jesus
this is a strange thing for me TO do.
know nothing about the formulas of re
ligion. These Christian people have beer
talking 80 long about what Thou cans
DO for me. ! an ready 10 do whateye
Thou commandeSt me. IL there be an
power in religion, as these people say. le
me have the advantage Of IL VIII yo,
try that experiment?
Learning Religion from Scientists.
'I shall not at this point Of my dis
course say that there is anything In re
ligion, but l simply say. Try 1t Do no
take my counsel, or the counsel or an
1
haps We may be talking professionally
Perhaps we may be prejudIced in tn
matter. Perhaps our advice Is not wortl
taking. Then take cousel II some YER
respectable laymen. as John Milton, tn,
poet; as William Wilberforce. the enamel
pator; as ISaac Newton, the astronomer
as Robert Boyle, the philosopher: a
Locke. the metaphyslcian; as Morse tn
| telegrapher; as Washington, the states
man They never preached. or pretended
! TO preach. yet putting down one his tele
scope. and another his parliamentar.an'
scroll, and another his electricians wire
they all declare the adaptability O
Christs religion 10 the wants and trou
. bles OF the world. II You viii. not TAX
r the recommendation Of ministers OF III
7 Gospel, then take the recommendation O
, highly respectable iaymen.
"Oh men. skeptical and struck ;hroug
with unrest. would you not ike 10 hav
. some OF the peace which broods over ou
/ fn-pfDhf1 I knaU a x.o,,