Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1903-01-10
ROBERT hardy SEVEN DAYS
A DREAM AND ITS CONSEQUENCES.
By Rev. CHARLES NJ. SHELDON.
Author Of I'm His Steps," THE C,uctfrion Of
Philip StTong," ''Mdlcom KIRK Etc.
Copyright, 1900, by Advance Publishing Co. ]
CHAPTER MI

that all the rest should go to church !
while she remained with Clara. Will
was able to go out now. So, for the |
first time IN months, Robert and bis
- noss and the two boys sat to-
gether Ia the same seat. 0ee*aae tAt
hot been to church for q year, lind VIII
was very irregular in his attendance.
Vhe 'sening services seemed espe-
cially Aggressive and beautiful to Mr..
Hardy. He wondered how be had ever
dared sit and criticise Mr.. Jones and
the way he had Of reading the hymns.
To be sure. he was not perfect speak
er, but his love for his people and his
great love for men and his rare good
life every day were so we'll known that
they ought to have counted for more
than they ever did.
1t is astonishing how many good
deeds and good men pass through this
world unnoticcd and unapprecia ted,
but every evil deed is caught up and
maSnticd ana criticised 10y press and
people until it seems as if the world
must be very wicked place indeed
AID the good people very scarce indeed.
AIR. Hardy joined in the service with
a Joy unknown to him f.: years. He
had co::Io to it from the reading Of his
Bible instead of the rea,.!ng Of the
morning paper and from prayer in
stead Of from thoughts Of his business
or yawning stroll through his library.
His mind was receptive of the best
things in the service. He entered into it
with the solemn feeling that it was his
last.
And when the minister gave out the
r. For we must all appear before
rba ;n,,r~n.~t seat of Christ. that ev-
cry man may Receive the 1:'.---, $3.50
IN his body. whether they ~he good OF
bad" he started and leaned forward
antently, feeling that the message Of
the preacher was for him and him
alone and strangely appropriate for
his own peculiar condition. The first
statement of the sermon arrested his
attention and held him to the argu-
ment rresistibly to the end:
The judgment seat of Christ will
not ne dreadful place to a man whose
sins have been forgiven in this world.
but if he comes up to it scanned and
SCARED and stained with sins unre-
pented of and unforgiven because he
has not asked God to forgive him it
will be a place of awful fear to his
soul There are men here in this au
ilience who are as ready to die now as
they ever will be. They have made
their peace with God. They have no
quarrel with their neighbors. Their
accounts are all square In business.
They are living in loving relations
with the home circle. They have nc
great burdens Of remorse or regret
weighing them down. and If Coo
should call them this minute to step uE
to the Judgment seat they would be
ready.
But there are other men here wh(
are not at all ready for such tremen
dous event. They may think they are
but they are mistaken. How can the.
stand before the greatest being in al
the universe and have no fear whe1
they are unprepared to answer his nues
tons: Why did YOU not confess me be
fore men: Why did you net do as
commanded and bear the burdens Q
the work instead of pleasing yourself
What will the man say then:
1T is true that Christ is all mcrc!fu
all loving But Will it make no differ
ence with soul whether it comes u
to his judgment seat out OF a life {
selfish ease and indulgence or out OF
life Of self sacrifice and restraint
When every possible offer Of mercy
hn1 RI
not accept it. will it be all the same q
if they had when they come before tt
Judgment seat of Christ? Why. til;
would be to mock at the meaning {
the incarnation and the atOnement.
would be to cast scorn and conteml
on the agony in the garden and IL
crucitixion. 1t would make unnecess
~ all the prayer and preaching. Nhf
possible need is there that men preac
a gospel of salvation unless there
danger of the opposite?
IF we are all going to be saved an
way, no matter whether we accel
Gods love in Christ or not, what use
the church? And why should we
anxious any more about our children
And what difference does it max
whether they go to the bad here in tn
world if in the world to come they wi
all be saved? For eternity will be {
much grander and sweeter and endu
ing than time that we might as we
take it easy here and not pay much a
tention to the message, God SO love
the world'-that is, If we are going
be saved anyway.
"Why should we care very much If
does say in the revelation Of God
word that the wicked shall go ava
into everlasting punishment If v
don't believe it? Why, the wicked wi
II stand just as good chance Of etern;
glory as the good il the judgment Sc.
of Christ does not mean a separate
of the good from the bad. Let US clio:
our churches and 60 home. Let US e.
and drink and dance and be merry, fl
tomorrow we may die; and after deaf
the Judgment, and after the judgme1