Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1901-01-24

to become one of the Lords sheep, but
you will become one now.
Send Out the Li'sboat.
When the steamer Atlantic struck
Mars rock and the people clambered Id
on the beach, why did not Mr.. An.
cient, that heroic minister Of the Cos
down and take care of those men on
the beach, wrapping them in fiannels.
kindling fire for them, and seeing that
they got plenty Of food? All, he knew
that there were others who would do
that. He says: "Yonder are men and
women freezing in the rigging of that
wreck. Launch the lifeboat." Now l
see the oar blades bend under the
strong pull, but before they reach the
wreck woman was frozen and dead
She was washed off, poor thing. But"
he says. there is a man to save" And
he cries out: Five minutes longer,
and | will save you. Steady, steady!
Give me your hand. Leap into the life
boat. Thank God, he is saved!" So
there are those who are safe on the
shore of Gods mercy. They are as
safe as though they had been a thou
sand years in heaven. kept by the
power Of God through faith unto sal
vation." But there are some who are
freezing In the rigging of sin and sur
rounded by tempest. Pull away, my
lads! Let us reach them. Alas, one is
washed off and gone. There is one
more to be saved. Let us push out
there for that one. Clutch the rope,
o dying man; clutch it as with death
grip. Steady, now, on the slippery
places! Steady They are saved,
saved, just as / thought, for Christ
has declared that there are some still
in TIA breakers who shall come ashore.
Other sheep | have which are not OF
this fold"
Finding Lost Sheep
The heavenly Shepherd is going to
find a great many Of his sheep among
those who are now rejecters Of Chris
tianity. Some of the mightiest advo-
Gates of the gospel were once skeptics.
Thomas Chalmers once a skeptic. Rob
ert Hall a skeptic. Christmas Evans a
skeptic. Charles G. Finney a skep-
tic. Paul, the apostle, once skeptic.
But when once with strong hand they
laid hold of the gospel chariot they
rolled 1t on with what momentum!
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 or factory. 1t may
have been through the trickery OF
some professed Christian man who
disguised you with religion. 1t may
be that thirty years ago you lost all
faith by what happened in an oil COM
pany which was formed amid the Pc
troleum excitement. The company
owned no land, or II they did there
was no sign of oil produced. But the
president of the company was a Pres
byterian elder and the treasurer of an
Episcopal vestryman, and one director
was a Methodist class leader and the
other officers prominent members OF
Baptist and Congregational churches.
Circulars were got out telling what
fabulous prospects opened before this
company. The circular had all the
hues 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 a little
money TO invest and that little their
all said, II do not know anything
about this company, but SO many good
men are at the head of 1t that 1t must
be excellent and taking stock in It
must be almost as good as joining the
church" So they bought their stock
and perhaps received one dividend to
keep them still. But after awhile they
found that the company had reorganiz-
ed and had a different president, diff
ferent treasurer and different directors.
! Other engagements or an overcoming
modesty had caused the former officers
of the company, with many regrets, to
resign, and all that the subscribers of
that stock had to show for their in
vestment was beautifully ornamented
certificate. Sometimes that man, look
ing over his old papers, comes across
that certificate, and 1t is so suggestive
that he VOWS that he wants none of
the religion that the president and di-
rectors of that oil company pro-
fessed.
Why Reject Christianity
But do not stop now to know how
you came into rejection of Christian
ity. You frankly tell me that you do
reject it. You do not believe that
Christ is a divine being, although
you admit that he was a very good
man. You do not believe that the
Bible was inspired of God, although
you think there are some very fine
things in it. You believe that the
Scriptural description of Eden was
only an 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. IL I should
ask OF you kindness, you
do kindness for me or IL any one else
would do f. II. when you are Ill,
should come to you with vial of
medicine and say, This kind of medi-
cine has cured fifty people who were
just as badly off as you are; take it,"
and you replied. II do not want to take
1t; have no confidence in It," would
say. Take it to oblige me-" and you