The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1901-04-05

iA"i means Europe, Asia. Africa
North and South America and all tin
islands of the sea.
have TO remark that the Heavenl,
shepherd will find many sheep ami,
the nonchmchgoers. There are con
srcgations where they are an Chris
tiaus, and they seem TO be completed,
finished. and they remind one of th,
skeleton leaves which by chemica
preparation have had all the greennes.
and yerdure taken or 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
90 come once a week and with ostrich
feather dust of 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 side and the happy side? If so.
come i'm the armory and get equipped.
Here is bath i'm which 10 be cieansed
Here are sandals 10 put on your feet.
Here is helmet for your brow. Here
is breastpaie for your heart Here
is o sword for your right arm. and
yonder is the battlefield. Quit your
selves like men,"
! remark again the Heavenly Shep-
herd is going TO find a great many Of
bis sheep among those who are now re-
jecters of Christianity. Some of the
michtiest advocates Of the Gospel were
once skeptics. Thomas Chalmers once
skeptic. Robert Hall a skeptic.
Christmas Evans a skepiic. Charles G.
Finney a skeptic. Paul. the apostle.
once skeptic. But when once with
strong hand they laid hold of the Cos
pei chariot they rolled it on with what
momentum! / do not know how you
came 20 reject Christianity. 1t may
ve'bcen through the infidel talk Of
some young man in the store or shop or
factory. IL may have been through the
trckery OF some professed Christian
man who Disguised You with religion.
10 may be that 30 years ago you lost
all faith by what happened in an oil
company which was formed amid the
petroleum excitement. The com
pany owned no land. or # they did
there was no sign of oil produced. But
the president of the company was
FresbJ terian elder and the treasurer
an Episcopalian yetryman. and one
director was a Methodist class leader
and the other officers prominent mem
oers of Baptist and Congregational
churches. Circulars were got out tell
ing what fabulous prospects opened
before This company. The circular had
i.l the hues of earth and sea and sky.
he letters famed with an the beauty
l' gold and jasper and amethyst In
locent men and women who had a lit
'e money 90 invest. and that little their
Oh. said; 81 do not know anything
bout this company but so many good
men are at the head of 20 that it must
De excellent and taking stock in it
must be almost as good as Joining the
hurch. So they bought their stock
md perhaps received one dividend to
'eep them still. But after awhile they
ound that the company had reorgan-
lea and had different president.
ilerent treasurer and different di-
ectors. Other engagements or an
vercoming modesty had caused the
ormer officers OF the company. with
many regrets, TO resign. and all that
he subscribers for the stock had to
how for their investment was beau
fully ornamented certificate. Some
ines that man. looking over his old
apers comes across that certificate.
md il is so suggestive that be vows he
ants none of the religion that the
resident and directors of that oil COM I
any professed {
or you may have become skeptical !
.om the fact that you grew up in a {
ONE where religion was overdone. }
lnday was the most awful day in the q
eek. You had religion driven into a
lu with a trip hammer. You were a
irfeited with prayer meetings. You +
ere stuffed and choked with cate a
isms. You were often told that YOU I
ere the worst boy your parents ever q
Iew because you liked TO ride down L
10 better than TO read Bunyan's "Pil-
inns Progress" Whenever your ?
ther and mother talked religion they D
'ew down the corners of their mouths "
d rolled up their eyes. If any one n
ing will send a boy to ruin sooner D
an another, that is it.. !,
But / do not stop now TO know how ~
no came into rejection of Christian y
+. You frankly tell me that you do q
iectit You DO not believe that Christ =
a Divine being. although you admit p
at He was very good man. Yos .,
not believe that the Bible was in -,
ired Of God, although YOU think there .
q some very fine things In H. You T.
lieye that the Scrip,ural description ,
Eden was only an alegory. There o.,
e 30 things that believe that you r.
not believe. and yet YOU are an ac- -
man. Everybody that r.
ows YOU says that of YOU. III should ~,
Is YOU TO Go a Kindness for me or If n
yone else should ask Of you kind h,
-s. YOU would DO it. If, when YOU ,y
3 ili. / should come TO You with q n.
} of medicine and say: This kind "a
medicine cured 50 people who were Is
70 as badly Oft as you are; take It," et