The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-02-01

uOW tOu GAME ~ IeJGCI SuEiSLlduIt1. IL
may have been through the infdel 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 mat 30 years ago you lost all
faith by what har pence in an oil com
pany which was formed amid the petro-
leum excitement. The company owned
10 land, or if they did there was no sign
of oil produced. But the president of the
company was q Presbyterian elder and
the treasurer 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 let
tiers famed with all the beauty of gold
and jasper and amethyst. Innocent men
and women who had a little money to
invest and that little their all said, 81
DO not know anything about this COM
pany, but so many good men are at the
head of it that it 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
OhC W hCN iii out 1tcI
awhile they found that the company
had recognized and had a different
president, o different treasurer and diff
ferent directors. Other engagements or
an overcoming modcsty 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 investment was a beautifully
ornamented certificate. Sometimes that
man, looking over his old papers, comes
across that certificate, and it is SO sug-
gestiye that he VOWS he wants none of
the religion that the president and di-
rectors of that oil company professed.
Or you may have become skeptical
from the fact that you grew up in a
home where religion was overdone. Sup
day was the most awful day in the week..
You had religion driven into you with
q trip hammer. You were surfeited with
prayer meetings. You were stuffed and
choked with catechisms. You were Of
ten told that you were the worst boy
your parents ever knew because you
liked to ride down hill better than 10
read Bunyan's Pilgrims Progress"
Whenever your father and mother talk
ed religion they drew down the corners
of their mouths and rolled up their eyes.
If any n thing will send a boy to ruin
sooner than another, that is it.
Why Reject Christianity
But | do not stop now to know how
you came into rejection of Christianity.
You frankly tell me that you 90 reject it.
You do not believe that Christ is Il 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 de-
scription of Eden was only an allegory.
There are so things that l believe that
you do not believe, and yet you are an
accommodating man. Everybody that
knows you says that of you. If l should
ask you to do q kindness for me or if any
one else should ask of you a kindness,
you would do it. If, when you are ill, l
should come to you with a vial of medi-
cine and say, "This kin of medicine has
cured so people who were just as badly
off as you are; take it," and you replied,
81 do not want to take it; / have no
confidence in it," 1 would say, "Take it
to oblige me-" and you would say, well,
if it will accommodate you / will take
it." Now, you have found that this
world is insufficient and you are sick of
sin. L come to you with a gospel medi-
cine. 1t has cured hundreds and thou
sands and millions. Will you take it?
"No," you say, Il have no confidence in
it." Fake it, then, to oblige me. l tell
you of a Physician who has cured more
blind eyes, and bound up more broken
hearts, and healed more CHASTITY wounds
than all the doctors since the time of
Esculapius. BE obliging and just make
the experiment. If you are not ac-
quainted with the ordinary modes of
prayer, say in substances: 80 Lord Jesus.
this is a strange thing for me to do. I
know nothing about the formulas of re-
Iigion. These Christian people have been
talking so long about what thou canst do
for me | am ready to do whatever thou
c~ommandest me-. If there be any power
in religion, as these people say, let me
lave the advantage OF it," VIII you not
try that experiment?
/ do not now say there is anything in
religion. Do not take my counsel or the
counsel OF any clergyman. for you may
dislike ~cicr-ymen Pc haps we may talk
professionally Perhaps VIC may be pref.
udiced III ti'e. matter. Perhaps our aG
VICE IS moi Wvrii taking. Then take the
Counsel W Soi:!c very respectable layman,
as Iohn Milton, the poet; as William
WILDE. force, the eEaancirator; as Isaac
Newton. he astronomer: as Robert
Boyle. the philosopher; as Locke, the
metaphysician; as Morse the telegra-
pher: as Washington. the statesman.
They never preached or pretended to
preach. yet. putting down one his tele-
scope and another his parliamentarian's
scroll AMI 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 recommendation of ministers of the
gospel, take the recommendation of
highly respectable laymen.
Gospel of Peace and Hope.
Oh, men, skeptical and struck through
with unrest! l beg you come off that
great Sahara desert Of doubt into the
bright and luxuriant land Of gospel hope
and peace. You do not want your chill
dren to come up in that skepticism. If
you do not believe in anything else. you
believe In love-a fathers love, q moth
arc 1Nvo a wifo,c Love q ob;ldso Low.