The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1904-07-01
THE POWER OF RELIGION

Evangelist Ham nreacheh strohS
sermon Tuesday night. from which
we get this central thought that the
religion of the Lord Jesus Christ is the
only satisfying thing in this world.
That is a strong thought. and worthy
to be pondered bv every thoughtful man
and woman in the world.
What is it we are all striving forg
What is it the saint and sinner alike
are seeking? Is it not something to
satisfy us?
Perhaps the greed for gam wrecks
more lives than any other one thing.
) The most mistaken idea in the world
Is that great happiness may be pur-
chased with great riches. But mil
lions of men are Shaving themselves to
death today under the mistaken idea
that when they shall have accumulated
a certain amount of money they will
be satisfied and happy. And yet if
they will but look around them they
Will see that boarding money invari-
ably makes one sordid and sour and
selfish. and-unhappy.
Many others wreck their lives on the
rock of worldly ambition. There is no
more fatal delusion under the sun than
that place and power can satisfy the
longings of the human heart. It may
tickle man s fancy, or fiatter his
vanity. or better than that it may
inspire him to nobleI effort but at last
It turns to ashes on his lips and he
fam would find something to satisfy
him.
And worldly amusements How
many people go to their graves hollow
eyed. hungry and tired. chasing the
ignis fatuus of Pleasure. Not that we
would decrv all so-called worldly
pleasures. We do not believe In a
hermit life. We do not believe in
narrow life. We do not believe in an
austere, cold and unattractive religion.
We do not believe in any code OF
morals or religion that denies that rest
to the mind and body which comes
from recreation and diversion and inno-
cent amusement. And majority Of.
the so-called worldly amusements, we
believe, are innocent IN themselve~.
The trouble and the danger and the
sin comes in the abuse of them. And
we do not believe that the children of
God should be denied an innocent
hing just because the children of the
Devil abuse 1t. But what a vain de-
fusion it IS for one to suppose that he
can be satisfied by the worldly amuse-
ments of this world. How vain and
foolish it is to chase that ignls fatuus,
when one may look around him any
day and see, instead of satisfaction,
safety written upon the faces of all
the devotees to worldly pleasures.
How do we know there comes no |
satisfying pleasure or comfort to the
rich? Because they tell us so.
How do we know there comes none
to the ambitious? Because they tell us
10?
How do we know this peaceful. rest
eul, satisfying sense never comes to
The devotees of society and of fashion
md of worldly pleasures? Because they
tell us so.
How do we know that it does con
10 the consecrated christian man and
Because they tell us so.
Did you ever, in your whole life,
hear any one in whose consecrated
christian character you had confidence.
ay they wished to return to the cd
way. to the worldly way? Did you
'ver hear christian wish he was a
innery Have you not heard thousands {
4 sinners wish they were christians? |
rom the experience of christians in {
whom you can have no doubt from 6
ne testimony of sinners themselves {
rom observation and experience of
1ankind the world over, is not Il Q
roof abundant and conclusive tn, t ,
he most rational and only satisfying '
re for this world even--to say moth 8
ng of that endless life Of which we |
now so little-is the christian life?
nd If that be true. then why pursue
vain thing when the real thing is \
fered you? n