Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1900-02-22


of your reputation. If God be for you,
who can be against your How much
should that man worry about his rcputa.
ton? not much. If that broker who
some years ago in Wall street. after he
had lost money, sat down and wrote n
farewell letter to his wife before he
blew his brains out--if instead of taking
out of his pocket n pistol, he had taken
out well read New Testament, there
would have been one less suicide. q
nervous and fevcrish people of the world,
try this almighty sedative. You will
live % years longer under its soothing
power. 1t is not choral that you want
or morphine that you want. 1t is the
gospel of Jesiis Christ. with long life
will | satisfy him."
Removes Corroding Care.
Again, practical religion is friend Of
longevity in the fact that it removes all
corroding care about future existence.
Every man wants to know what is to be-
come of him. If you get on board rail
train, you want to know at what depot
it is going to stop. If you get on board Il
ship, you want to know into what harbor
it is going to run, and if you should tell
me you have no interest in what is to be
your IuluTt utSlluN i NOulu III bplitt
way as | know how tell you | did not
believe you. Before | had this matter
settled with reference to my future ex-
istcncc the question almost worried me
into ruined health. The anxietes men
have upon this subject put together
would make martyrdom. This is n
state of awful unhealthncss. There are
people who fret themselves to death for
fear Of dying,
want to take the strain off your
nerves and the depression off your soul,
and | make two or three experiments.
Experiment the first: When you 20 out
of this world it does not make any diff
ference whether you have been good or
bad, or whether you believed truth or
error you will go straight to glory. I'm
possible" you say. My common sense
as well as my religion teaches that the
bad and the good cannot live together
forever. You give me no comfort in that
experiment." Experiment the second:
When you leave this world, you will 20
into an intermediate state where you can
get converted and prepared for heaven.
impossible" you say; las the tree fall
eth, so it must lie. and | cannot postpone
to an intermediate state that reformation
which ought to have been effected in this
state" Experiment the third: There is
no future world. WfDh a man dies, that
is the last of him. Do not worry about
what you are to do in another state OF
being: you will not do anything. I'm
possible" you say. 'There is something
that tells me that death is not the ap
pendix. hut the preface; there is some
thna that tells me that on this side Of the
grave | only get started and that shall
go on forever. My power to think says
forever, my affections say forever, my
capacity to enjoy or suffer forever.
The Wages of sin.
WELL you defeat me in my three ex-
periments | have only one more tc
make. and if you defeat me in that | an
exhausted A mighty one on a knoll
back OF Jerusalem one day. the skies
filled with forked lightnings and the
earth filled with volcanic disturbances
turned bis pale and agonized face TOWARD
the heavens and said: II take the sins
and sorrows of the ages into my owr
heart. ! am the expiation. Witness
earth and heaven and he'll, l am the e2
patton" And the hammer struck hin
and the spears punctured him. and heav
en- Numbered, The wages OF sin il
DEATH" 1.-THE soul that sinneth 1t shall
dier 81 will by no means clear tn,
guilty" Then there was silence for hal
an hour and the lightnings were draw
back into the scabbard of the sky and thu
earth ceased to culver and all the color
of the sky began to shift themselves int,
a rainbow woven out OF the falling tear
Of Jesus and there was red as of tn
nnIchaIIip,v tbaro hlna n
the bruisinG and there was green as of tn
heavenly foliage and there was orang
as Of the day dawn. And along the lin
of the blue | saw the words, 81 wa
bruised for their iniquities." And alon
the line OF the red | saw the words, 9Th
blood of Jesus Christ ceanseth from a
sin" And along the line of the green
saw the words, The leaves of the tire
of life for the healing OF the nations.
And along the line of the orange | say
the words, The dayspring from on hig
hath visited u.s."
And then | saw the storm was ovcl
and the rainbow rose higher and highe
until it seemed retreatng to anothe
heaven, and planting one column of il
colors on one side the eternal hill an
planting the other column of its coors o
the other side the eternal hill it rose VI
ward and upward, and, behold, there wa
a rainbow about the throne.
Accept that sacrifice and quit worr!
ing. Take the tonic, the inspiration. til
longevity, of this truth Religion is SUI
shine; that is health. Religion is fires
air and pure water they are health,
Religion is warmth, that is healthy. As
all the doctors, and they will tell -
that n quiet conscience and pleasant al
ticipations are hygienic. | offer you pc
feet peace now and hereafter
What do you want in the future world
Tell me, and you shall have it Orchards
There are the trees with II manner
fruits, yielding fruit every month. w;
ter scenery? There is the river of If
from under the throne of God. clear .
crystal, and the sea of glass mingled wit
fire. DO you want music? There are II
oratorio of the Creation" led on by A,
am, and the oratorio of the RED Sea
led on by Moses, and the oratorio of Il
Messiah" led on by st. Paul, while II
archangcl, with swinging baton, contro
the In, ZOO who make mp the orchestra
DO you want reunion? There are yol
dead children waiting to kiss you, wal
ing to embrace you, waiting to twist "a
lands in your hair You have been a
customed to open the door on this 81,
the sepucher; | open the door on Il
other side the sepuIcher. You have bee
accustomed to walk in the wet grass
the top of the grave; show you the U
dersde of the grave. The bottom h
fallen out, and the long ropes with whit
the pallhearers let down your dead |
them clear through into heaven. Clio
be to God for this robust. hea!thy. re