Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1901-07-01


morals. Let it take possession of this
earth, and there would be no virtue
| left in all the worlds circumference.
All the sins rebuked in the Ten Com
mandments would be dominant. The
torch that shall kindle the conf1agra-
ton of the earth in its last catastrophe
will not do as much damage as would
infidelity and agnOsticism if they got
q chance. Be angry with such theories
of unbelief and hatred Of God. Never
laugh at the witticisms Of those who
would belittle the Bible with their joe
ularity.
Pity the Sinner.
Have lightning in your eye and a
flush in your cheek and a frown on
your brow for a dastardy that would
blot out the sun and moon and stars of
Christianity and leave all things in an
arctic night, the cold equal to the dark
ness. You do well to be angry, but
how about those who have been flung
of skepticism, and that is more millions
than you will ever know of until the
judgment day reveals everything. All,
here comes your opportunity for gentle
ness, kindness and sympathy. The
probability is that if you had been
piled with the same influences as this
unbelieyer there would not be a Bible
in all your house from cellar to attic.
Perhaps he was in some important
transaction swindled by a member of
the church whose taking of the sacra-
ment was a sacrilege. Perhaps he read
agnostic books and heard agnostic lee
lures and mingled in agnoStic circles
until he has been befogged and needs
your Christian help more than any one
that you know of. Do not get into any
labOred argument about the truth of
Christianity. He may beat you at that.
He has a whole artillery of weapons
ready to open fire. Remember that no
one was ever reformed for this life or
saved for the life to come by an argu-
ment, but in humblest and gentlest
way, your voice subdued ask him a
few questions. Ask him if he had
Christian parentage, and if he says yes
ask him whether the old folks died
happy. Ask him if he ever heard Of
any one going out of this life in rap
lures of infdelity and agnosticism.
Ask him if it is not a somewhat re-
markable fact that the Bible, after so
many years, sticks together and that
there are more copies of it in existence
than ever before. Ask him if he knows
of any better civilization than Chris
tian civilization and whether he thinks
the teachings of COnfucius or Christ
are preferable. Ask him if he thinks it
would be a fair thing in the Creator of
all things to put in this world the hui
man race and give them no direct COM
munication for their guidance and, if
they did wrong, tell them of no way
of recovery.
1 think if a famous infideI of our
time instead Of being taken away in
simultaneously had died in his bed after
weeks and months of illness he would
have revoked his teachings and left for
his beloved family consultations which
they could not find in obseQuies at
which not one word of holy Scripture
was read or at Fresh Pond crematory,
where no Christian benedictiOn was
pronounced. 1 do not positively say
that in prolonged illness there would
have been a retractiOn, but l think
there would.
The renowned infidel, Mr.. Barker,
after spending his long life in lecturing
against Christianity in all our cities and
in publishing large and elaborate books
in depreciation of the Scriptures, in the
closing years of his life wrote me that
he had changed and that he would like
to stand III my pulpit and undo the evil
that he had wrought for the most of
his lifetime. | wrote him in cOngratu-
lation for his souls sake that he had
turned back from infdelity, but that l
thought he could not undo the work of
a lifetime and that he had talked SO
long on the wrong side l did not think
he could do anything by talking Oh the
right side. The mercy of God is so /
great that many Of the mightiest antag- |
onists of our religion have in their last |
days been brought to repentance and !
eternal life. Let the thunder of your
Indignation be followed by |
the kindly rain of pity and love. 'Be |
We angry ana sin not"
The Sin of Hate.
But let me confess at this crisis of |
my sermon that there is not an injunc- |
ton in the Bible more difficult to obey |
than the words Of the text. While it |
applauds a Wholesome indignation, it |
warns against sinful anger. And there |
is in all the realm of passion nothing |
more destructive than indiscriminate
hate. First of all, it frenzies the nerv- |
ous ganglia. Those people who easily |
fare up on little provocation, go into
high dudgeon, take umbrage without
reason, snap you up quick, have ruined
their nerves, and there is only one
thing worse to ruin, and that is the
brain, and we say of one that is given
to frequent ebullitions Of temper that
be is an unbalanced man. A business
man of our acquaintance said, II can