The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1904-04-30

Questions to young men who had been
4 brought up in Christian homes, which
Ihe-had them answer without investi
cation. and it was alarming what they
4 did not know. One said that Joseph
of Arimathea was a young man, who
had coat of many colors. Another
said that Saul, the son of kish, was
converted on his way TO Capernauni.
Two young men We're discussing this
matter one day, when the one said
to the other: I'll bet you ten dollars
that you don't know the Lords pray
err" He took him up. He said NOV
4 just listen to me repeat it-.ThiS
night lay me down TO Sleep. The
other fellow broke in and said Hero;
your ten dollars. for you do know II
after all We are driven back to
the local church for the securing Of
what we ca4. Christian education.
| l congratulate You upon what be
| Heve is a solution for one OF the
gravest things that confronts US as
churches to-day. the lack OF Christian
education. Having now come slow =
to the college in the First BaDtist
Church of FairmonJ, let US take a few
ton will do 70" people.
1t VIII Produce Steadfastness.
There is a vacillation and unreli;i-
biIity and stiffness among SO many
people that they readily fall prey
to any new ism that comes alons
They don't have any back bone, any
stamina. any power TO resist, but jusI
yield to the latest fad of the times.
They are easily carried away. Tho
least wind catches them up like down
and OH --ey so. In Mrs. Wards book
Robert ElsmeTe. YOU know she repr'-
sents contest between Squire WEI
dover and Robert Eismere. Squire
Weudovcr is against Christianity. III
speaking with Robert Elsmere he
drops few words against the mira
cles and claims of Christ, and Robert
EIsmere just Surrenaers without a pro
test. He puts UP no counter argument.
but throws up his hands without
word Now that is a pretty true pic.
ture of things as they now are among
many churches. When l first Went
to AcKeesport, l called on the MEM
bers. and one lady told me: 20 Mr.
Maxwell. l am not a Baptist any long
err. I have joined the RusseliteS. l
said I was sorry, told her wherein l
thought she was wrong, left her i'll
the hope that she would see her e.ro"
and repent. The next time saw her
l asked her if she was of the same
mind as when saw her before. She
said: 20 no; I have changed m:
mind in regard to that belief" I was
glad, hoping that she had changed fci
the better. NO, no. she said. :!
have joined the Christian Science
CHURCH. Well, told her wherein
thought she was wrong and left her.
hoping that my words had done some
good. The next time l called, /
asked her if she was still of the same
mind as when l last talked with her
90. no. she said, y have joined the
Spiritualists.' I thought well, surely
that's the end; she is as far as she
can so. have not seen her for .seN-
eral years. but l know that if there
has anything new come along that
she has Joined it. Now. what does
that woman need? Why. she needs
Christian education. Take spiritual
ism, for instance, the last ism 20
which | knew that she surrendered
Now, she thought that it was some
thing new just going to sweep the
whole world in few weeks What
would an education do for her? Why.
she would learn that this fake is as old
as the hills; that the Brahmns held
seances, made tables dance, heard
wrappingS thousands of years aSn.
Why, she would learn that one thous
and years before Christ the Greeks
practiced Spiritualism. She would
have learned that all the fathers tell
us Of these things practiced; that
John denounced the Nicolaitans or
Gnostics, just Spiritualists. in his epis-
tie, that it is nothing new, but some
thing that has been tried for fou.
thousand years and found to yiei'l
nothing but revenue for the mediums.
At the present day there is cur
rent, dangerous current, in which
many, many people are being caught
and carried away from the truth ana
hope of the Gospel. Personally, 1 re
gard nothing more dangerous than the
teaching. attracting so many, as to the
divinity of Jesus Christ. l mean the