Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1900-10-05

full remission OF their sins"
Now. what is Justification? VIII
tell you what Justification is-when a
sinner believes. God lets him OF. One
summer IN Connecticut | went to a
large factor~. aud saw over the door
written the words. NO Admittancc."
l entered and saw over the next door,
mo Admittance." or course | enter
cd. got inside and found it a pin
factory. and they were making pins
very Serviccable. Gne ana useful pins.
So the spirit of eXclusiveness has prac-
ticaliy written over the outside door
OF many a church. mo Admittance."
And " the stranger enters he fnds
practically written over the second
door. NO Admittance." and if he goes
In over all the pew doors seems writ
ten. NO Adu;ittancc." while the min
lister stands in the pulpit hammering
out his little niceties Of belief. pound
Ing out the techpicalitieS of religion.
making pins. In the most practical
common sense way and laying aside
the nonesseutials and the hard defini-
lions of religion go out on the God CIV
en- mission. telling the people what
they need and when aud how they can
get it.
Save the skeptics.
Comparatively little effort as yet has
been made to save that large class OF
persons in cur midst called skeptics,
and he who goes to work here will not
he building upon another mans foun-
dation, There is large number of
them. They are afraid Of us and our
churches. for the reason we do not
know how to treat them. One OF this
class met Christ and heard with what
tenderness and pathOs and beauty and
success Christ dealt with him: Thou
shalt love the Lord thy God with all
thy heart and with all thy soul. and
with all thy mind, and with all thy
strength. This is the first and great
and the second Is like
unto it-namely. Thou shalt love thy
neighbcr Gs myself There Is none
other commandment greater thuu
these" And the scribe said to him,
We'll. Master, thou hast said the
truth. for there is one God. and to love
him with all the heart. and all the I'M
Outstanding. and all the soul. and MI
the strength. is more than whole burnt
offerings and sacrifices" And when
Jesus sa~ that he answered discreetly
he said unto him. Thou art not far
from the kingdom OF God" So n
skeptic was saved in one interview.
But few Christian people treat the
skeptic i'm thGt way. Instead of taking
hold of him with the gentle hand OF
love we 0re apt to take him with the
pinchers of ecclesiasticism.
You would not be so rough on that
man If you knew how he lost his faith
in Christianity. have known men
skeptical from the fact that they grew
up in houses where religion was over
done. Sunday was the most awful day
in the week. They had religion driven
into them with trip hammer; they
were surfeited with prayer meetings.;
they were stuffed and choked with cat
echisms: they were often told that they
were the worst boys the parents ever
knew because they liked to ride down
hill better than TO read Bunyau's "Pil-
grimS Progress" Whenever father
and mother talked of religion they
drew down the corners OF their mouth
and rolled up their eyes. If any one
thing will send n hoy or girl to ruin
sooner than another. that Is It. IL I
had such father and mother, fear I
thould have been an infdel
Grounds For Unbeiief
Others were trlpped up to skepticism
from being grievously wronScd by
some man who professed to be n
Christian They had partner In
business who turned out to be a
first class scoundrcL though pro
fesscd Christian Many years ngo they
lost all faith by what happened I'm an
oil company which was formed amid
the petroleum excitement The COM
pany owned no land, or. IL II did.
there was no sign of oil produced: but
the president OF the company was
Presbyterian elder and the treasurer
was an Episcopalian vestryman, and
one director was Methodist class
leader and the other directors prom
inent members OF Baptist and Congre-
gational churches. Circulars were got
out telling what fabulous prospects
opened before this company. Innocent
men ana women who had little
money~to Invest and that little their
all, said: Il do not know anything
about this company. but so many good
men are at the head OF II that IL must
be excellent. and taking stock in IL
must be almost as good as joining the
church" SO they bought the stock and
perhaps received one dividend So as TO
keep them still. but after awhile they
found that the company had reorgan-
lied and had u different president and
different treasurer and different di-
rectors. Other engagements or I'll
health had caused the former officers
Sf the company. with many regrets, to
resign. And all that the subscribers of
that stock had to show for their invest
ment was n beautifully ornamented
certificate. Sometimes that man. look
Ing over his old papers. comes across
that certificate. and it is so suggestive
that he vows he wants none OF the re-
nSion that the president and trustees
and directors OF that oil company pro-
fessed.
or course. their rejection of religion
on such grounds was unphilosoDhIcal
and unwise. l am told that many of
the United States army desert every
year. and there are many court mar
tiais every year. Is that anything
against the United States government
that swore them in? And il q soldier
OF Christ deserts is that anything
against the Christianity which he
swore TO support and defend? How do
you judge OF the currency OF n coun-
try? BY counterfeit bill? Now, YOU
must have patience with those who
have been swindled by religious pre-
tenders. Live In the presence of others
frank honest. earnest Christian life.
that they may be attracted to the same
Saviour upon whom your hopes de-
pend.
Remember skepticism always has
some reason. good or bad, for existing.
Goethe's irreligion started when the
news came to Germany Of the earth
quake at Lisbon Nov. 1, 1775. That
10000 people should have persisted in
thot earthquake and in the after rising