The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1901-01-25

rock ana tUe people CsAinheted up ON the
beach. why did not MIR Ancient. that
heroic minister OF the gospel Of whom We
have all read. sat down and take care Of
those men on the beach, wrapping them IN
lannc,s. kadhng FIRE for them aud seeing
that they -, plenty ot foodt Ah he
knew that there were others who wou'd
10 that tie says Wonder are men aud
men and women Freezing IN the riSging OF
that wreck. Launch the lteboat.' Now |
see the oar blades bend under the strong
pull but before they reach the wreck a
woman was frozen and dead. She was
washed Oft. poor thln. But, he saws.
there II man GO save And he crlCS
out: Five minutes longer, and | viii save
YOU. Steady. steady! GIVE me your hand
Leap into the htchaat. Thank God, he ~
savcdi' 80 there are those who are safe
on the shore OF Coils mercy. They are IA
safe A. though they had been 1000 years
IN heaven, kept by the power OF God
through faith unto salvation But there
are some who are freezing IN the rigging
oi SIN and surrounded by tempest. Pull
away. my lads let us reach them. Alas,
one is washed of and gone, There is one
moro 20 bc saved Let MS push out there
for that one. Clutch the rope. q dying
man. Clutch It as with death grip
Steady. now, on the slippery places,
Steady They are saved, saved, Just a. |
thought for Chris. has declared that there
are some still IN the breakers who shall
come ashore. Other sheep | have which
are not OF this fold.
remark again the heavenly Shepherd
is going 10 find a great many OF HIS sheep
among those who are now relcctcrs "
Christianity. Some of the mghtiest advo'
Gates of the gospel were once skeptics
Thomas Chalmers once skeptic, Robert
Hall skeptic. Christmas Evans skepuc.
iHharlaa 4 LtnnaN A gl.n A aul tina
apostle. once skcptic. But when once
with strong hand they laid hold OF the
gospel chariot they rolled u on with what
momentum | do not know how YOU
came 20 reject Christianity IL may have
been through the inidcl talk of some
young man IN the store or shop or factory.
Ii may have been through the irlckcry oi
some proiesscd Christian man, who dts
gusted YOU with religion. IL may be that
thirty years ago YOU lost all faith hy what
happened IN an oil company which was
formed amid the petroleum excitement.
The company owned no land, or, II they
did, there was no sign oi oH produced,
But the president of the company was
Presbyterian elder and the treasurer an
Episcopal -estrvman and one director was
a Methodist class leader and the other
officers prominent mo- bcrs of Baptist and
Congregational churches. Circulars were
got out telling what fabulous prospects
opened before this company, The circu.
lar had all the hucs OF earth and sea and
sky The letters famed with all the beauty
of gold and Jasper and amethyst. limo
cent men and 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 It that It must hc excellent,
| and taking stock IN It must he almost as
good as joining the church 50 they
| bought their stock. and perhaps received
one dividend 10 keep them still But after
| awhile they found that the company had
reorganlzcd and had a different president.
| different treasurer and different dlrcc-
| tors. Other engagements or an overcoming
modcsty had caused the former officers of
! the company, with many regrets, To resign,
and all the subscribers of that stock had
! TO show for their investment was heautl'
! fully ornamcnted certificate. Sometimes
| that man. looking over his old papers,
| comes across that certificate, and IT ~ so
suggestive that he VOWS he wants none of
! the religion that the president and direc'
! tors of that oil company proiessed.
But do not stop now To know how YOU
| came into rejection of Christianity. Yon
| frankly tell me that YOU do reject II.
! You do not believe that Christ - a divine
| being, although you admit that lie was a
very good man. You do not believe that
| the Bible was inspired OF God, although
| YOU think taerp are some very fine things
| IN il. You believe that the Scriptural de-
scription OF Eden was only m allegory.
There are fifty things that ] believe that
you DO not believe. and yet you are an
| accommodating man. Everybody that
! knows you says that OF you.
II should ark you to do n kindness for
me, or 4 any one clse should ask Of you a
kindness, 4 would do It. II when you
are III | should come To you with a phial
OF medicine and say, This kind Of mcd.
cine has cured fifty people who were just
a. badly of "a you are Take IT., and you
replied. II do not want TO take Il. ! have
no confidence IN it," | would say. Take IL
10 obllgc me, and you would say, We'll,
# II will accommodate YOU viii take Il.
Now, you have found that this world is
| insufficient and you are sick of sin. |
come 10 YOU with gospel medicine. II
| has cured hundreds and thousands and
millions VIII you take It? No. you
say. II have no confidence in it, Take
D.. then 10 obligc me. tell you ol phy
s.clan who has cured more blind eyes aud
| bound up more broken hearts and healed
more ghastly wounds than all the doctors
| since the time of Ac3culnplus. Bc obliging,
and Just make the experiment.
! II you are not acquainted with the ord
nary modes OF prayer, say ~ substance:
| "Oh, Lord Jesus, this is a strange thing
for me 10 do. ! know nothing about the
formulas of religion. These Christian peo.
! pie have been talking 40 long about what
Thou canst do for me, ] am ready 10 dc
whatever Thou commanded me. II there
| be any power IN religion, as these people
| say, Jet me have the advantage Of IT.
| VIII you not try that experiment
! do not now Say there - anything in re-
| lglon. DO not take my counsel or the
counsel oi any clergyman, for you may dis
| like cleryymen Perhaps we may tall, pro
iessOnally. Perhaps we may be prcIndiccd
IN the matter. Perhaps our advice is not
worth taking. Then take the counsel nt
some very respectable layman. as John
! Milton, the poet, az William WilberfOrce,
the cmancipator, as Isaac Newton, the AS
trOnOmer, as Robert Boyle, the pbiloso
! pher, az Locke, the metaphysician; as
! Morse, the telcgraphcr, as Washington,
! the statesman.
! They never preached, or pretended 20
! preach, yet putting down one his Telescope
| and another his parlmentarians scroll and
| another his electricians wire, came forth
| and commended the religion of Christ as
| the best thing for the cure of the worlds
| woes II you will not take the rccommen.
| datlon Of ministers Of the gospel. take the
recommendation Of highly respectable lay.
/ men
Oh, men. skeptical and struck through
with unrest | beg you 10 come oH that
/ great Sahara desert 81 doubt into the
! bright and lururiant land Of gospel hope
! and peace. Yo DO not want your children
10 come up IN that skepticism. ii you do
not believe IN anything else, you believe IN
| lovc-a fathers love, mothers love,
| wiies love, child's love.
! Then let me tell you that God loves you
more than all these together The great
heart of Christ aches 10 have you come m.
! and lie looks into your eyes this moment,
] Il. 4 a. sui.t,l gf