Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1902-04-14

they are retained. ~, -, 1.1NIIneS to
be a lawyer because there are SO many
incompetent lawyers? Yet there are
tens of thousands of people who decline
being religious because there are so
many unworthy Christians. Now, l
say it is illogical. Poor lawyers are
nothing against jurisprudence; poor
physicians are nothing against medi-
cine; poor farmers are nothing against
agriculture, and mean, contemplate
professors of religion are nothing
against our glorious Christianity
False Lights to Be Avoided.
Sometimes you have been riding
along on a summer night by a swamp,
and you have seen lights that kindled
over decayed vegetation-lights which
are called jack-o'- lantern or will-o'-
the-wisp. These lights are merely poi
sonous miasmata. My friends, on your
way to heaven you will want better
light than the will-o -the-wisps which
dance on the rotten character of MORT
bund Christians. EXudations from poi
sonous trees in our neighbours garden
will make a very poor balm for our
wounds.
Sickness will come, and we will be
pushed out toward the Red sea which
divides this world from the next, and
not the inconsistency of Christians, but
the rod Of faith, will wave back the wa
tiers as a commander wheels his host
The judgment will come, with it's thun-
der shod solemnities. Oh. then we will
not stop and say, "There was mean
Christian; there was a cowardly Chris
tan; there was an impure Christian"
In that day as now, eff thou be wise,
thou shalt be wise for myself, but if
thou soonest thou alone shall bear it."
Why, my brother, the inconsistency of
Christians, so far from being an argu-
ment to keep you away from God,
ought to be an argument to drive you
to him. The best place for skillful
doctor is in a neighbOrhood where there
are all poor doctors, the best place for
an enterprising merchant to open his
store is in a place where the bargain
makers do not understand their bust
ness, and the best place for you who
want to become the illustrious and
complete Christian, the best place for
you is to come right down among US
| who are so incompetent and so incon-
| sistent sometimes. Show us how. Give
us an example.
| Other persons apologize for not be-
coming Christians because they lack
| time, as though religion muddled the
| brain of the accountant or tripped the
| pen of the author or thickened the
/ tongue of the orator or weakened the
| arm of the mechanic or scattered the
| briefs of the lawyer or interrupted the
| sales of the merchant. They bolt their
store doors against it and fight it back
with trowels and with yardsticks and
cry, away with your religion from
our store our office, our factory!
They do not understand that religion
in this workday world will help you tc
do anything you ought to do. 1T car
| lay a keel; it can sail a ship; it car
| buy a cargo; it can work pulley; i
can pave 4 street; it can fit wrist
band; it can write a constitution; it car
marshal host. 1t is as appropriate tt
the astronomer as his telescope, to the
chemist as his laboratory, to the ma
son as his plumb line, to the carpenter
as his plane, to the child as his mar
bles, to grandfather as his staff.
Time to Be Religious.
No time to be religious here! YOU
have no time not to be religious. Yol
might as we'll have no clerks in you
| in Ii lNtsoy. N.
compass Oh your ship, no rifle in thu
battle, no hat for your head, no Goa
for your back, no shoes for your feet
Better travel on toward eternity bare
headed and barefooted and houseles
and homeless and friendless than t
go through life without religion. Dit
religion make Raleigh any less of
statesman or Havelock any less of
soldier or Grinnell any less of mer
chant or West any less of a painter
Why, my friends, religion is the bes
security in every bargain; it is TIL
sweetest note in every song; it is tn
brightest gem in every coronet. n
time to be religious? Why, you Wi
have to take time to be sick, to
|
wharf from which we are to embar
for heaven. No time to secure tn
friendship of Christ? No time to blu
lamp and trim it for that wal
through the darkness which otherwis
; will be illumined only by the white
ness of the tombstones? No time
, educate the eye for heavenly splendor
or the hand for choral harps or the ca
!, for everlasting songs or the soul fo
honor, glory and immortality? On
would think we had time for nothin
else.
Other persons apologize for not ente
Ing the Christian life because it is tin
enough yet. That is very like thos
persons who send regrets and say.
! will come in perhaps at II or IL o'clocl
will not be there at the opening of tt
; banquet, but | will be there at tt
close" Not yet! Not yet! Now, | {