Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1901-01-25


ners with a gloss on. It is as If man
work on one acre. He might raise never
so large ears of corn, never SO big heads
Of wheat, still he would remain poor.
The church of God has bestowed it's
chief care on one acre and has raised
splendid men and women in that small
inclosure But the field is the world.
That means Europe, Asia, Africa,
North and South America and all the
islands of the sea.
I have to remark that the Heavenly
shepherd will find many sheep amid
the nonchurchgoers. There are con-
.gregations where they are all Chris
tians, and they seem to be completely
finished, and they remind one of the
skeleton leaves which by chemical
preparation have had all the greenness
and verdure taken off them and are
left cold and white and delicate, moth
ing wanting but glass case to put
over them. The minister of Christ has
nothing to do with such Christians but
to come once a week and with ostrich
feather dust Off the accumulation of
the last six days, leaving them bright
and crystalline as before. But the
other kind of church is an armory,
with perpetual sound of drum and fife.
gathering recruits for the Lord OF
Hosts and saying to every applicant:
do you want to be on Gods side, the
safe slice and the happy side? If SO,
come in the armory and get equipped.
Here is a bath in which to be cleansed.
Here are sandals to put on your feet.
Here is helmet for your brow. Here
is breastp1ate for your heart. Here
is a sword for your right arm, and
yonder is the battlefield. Quit your
selves like men,"
I remark again the Heavenly Shop
herd is going to find a great many OF
his sheep among those who are now re-
jecters of Christianity. Some of the
nigh test advocates of the Gospel were
| once skeptics. Thomas Chalmers once
a skeptic. Robert Hall a skeptic.
Christmas Evans skeptic. Charles G
Finney a skeptic. Paul, the apostle,
| once a skeptic. But when once with
strong hand they laid hold of the Cos
pei chariot they rolled it on with what
momentum! I do not know how you
came to reject Christianity. 1t may
have been through the infidel talk OF
some young man in the store or shop OF
factory. It may have been through the
trickery of some professed Christian
| man who disguised you with religion
1t may be that 80 years ago you LOS
all faith by what happened in an OF
! company which was formed amid the
petroleum excitement. The com
| Pany owned no land, or if they die
there was no sign of oil produced. Blu
the president of the company was {
Presbyterian elder and the trea sure1
an Episcopalian vetryman, and on
director was Methodist class Leader
and the other officers promin ent mem
bers OF Baptist and Congregations
churches. Circulars were got out tell
ing what fabulous prospects opened
before this company. The circular az
all the hues of earth and sea and sky
The letters famed with all the beauty
of gold and jasper and amethyst In
nocent men and women who had a lit
tie money to invest, and that little theil
all, said: II do not know anything
about this company, but so many goot
men are at the head of it that it mus
be excellent and taking stock in i
must be almost as good as joining thu
NANASA' ~ tucy tuSlT StOCi
and perhaps received one dividend t.
keep them still. But after awhile the,
found that the company had reorgan
lied and had a different president, .
different treasurer and different di
rectors. Other engagements or al
overcoming modesty had caused tn
former officers of the company, witt
many regrets, to resign, and all tina
the subscribers for the stock had t.
show for their investment was beau
TRULY ornamented certificate. Some
times that man, looking over his oil
papers comes across that certificate
and it is SO suggestive that he VOWS h
wants none of the religion that tn
president and directors of that oil com
pany professed.
Or you may have become skeptica
from the fact that you grew up in
home where religion was overdons
Sunday was the most awful day in tn
week. You had religion driven int
you with a trip hammer. You wer
surfeited with prayer meetings. Yo
were stuffed and choked with cate
chisms. You were often told that yo
were the worst boy your parents eve
me" oecdu you ukeO 10 roe COW
hill better than to read Bunyan's cpl
grim's Progress" Whenever you
father and mother talked religion the
drew down the corners of their mouth
and rolled up their eyes. If any on
thing will send a boy to ruin soone
than another. that is it.
But do not stop now to know no,
| you came into rejection of Christian
; ity. You frankly tell me that you d
reject it. You do not believe that Chris
. is Divine being, although you admi
that He was avery good man. Yo
} do not believe that the Bible was in
| snired of God. although xou fhi NJ + he