The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-03-04

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It is able to come to Us and say: Mar,
thou eanst Use thine own fingers; thou
/ caust cut the curtain which separates the
present from the future. but thou eanst
/ also make men work for thee, and with
out me thou canst do nothing as social
1 organism a faith I cry, what dost
/ thou mean? Art thou not simply a gos-
pei messenger Art thou the queen of
commerce? Dost thou as an empress
swing thou seepter over the busy marts
| Of trader? And faith answers: Thou
/ hast we'll said. I am ruler over all TIE
civilized world Where commercial man
/ deals with man, or where man is
mound builder, or where man floats ma
tional flag, [ am faith, ruling, conquer
ing faith"
| Faith is everywhere practical in mans
relation to man. / decide to take a trip
from New York to California. I enter the
railroad office and purchase a ticket.
pay down my money. l practically say
by that act: Here, Mr.. Railroad Pres
ident Is hundred dollars. I have faith
in you that You will keep your contract
and take me to my destination" After
l receive my monthly wages l take my
money to the bank and say; Here, Mr..
Cashier, is my money. Put 1t out at in
terest. l have faith in you. I will trust
you with my ALL" Instead of living the
life of a hermit and arming myself with
pistol anu gun ana DdTIlcdQlHE my Hblie
at night. rs the New England settlers did
during the time Of the Indian uprsings in
1880 / associate myself with my neigh
hors into a a nation. We elect presi-
dent. n governor and a mayor We say
to these officials: You guard us You
protect us. We have faith in you and
your government" The business world,
the domestic world. the political world,
could not be run successfully a day an
hour. a minute, without faith, glorious
and triumphant faith.
Now. my friends as rational faith Is
such an essential for mans physical and
mental and social development, is 1t alb
surd for us to assert that gospel faith Il
as essential for mans spiritual existence?
We have logically proved that when
man lives for himself or when a man
walks with other men he has to walk
with the evidence of the things not seem
Shall man not walk thus with God? And
my brother, If man, in spite of himself, is
compelled to trust man. in order to live
in an earthly and social sense, is 1t ab-
surd for man to trust God in a spiritual
sense?
If you have faith in an earthly parent
why should you not have faith in a
Heavenly Father? Suppose you have
been hayward boy Suppose you have
been a drunkard, gambler and liber-
tine. Suppose you have run away from
old homestead for months-aye. for years
Then suppose a friend meets you In
distant city and sends back home your
address. Then suppose your father sends
to you an earnest, loving letter, which
goes thus: Dear Charley-For months
and months your mother and I have been
trying to find you. Under the awful
strain of worry your mother has broken
down. The doctors say she can only last
a few weeks. Her one cry is: MY boy
my boy! Oh, why does not my boy come
home@ Come home, marley. Come
home to your mother and to me. We will
forgive all If you will only let sin alone
and come bac kto our love" Would you
not believe your father? Would you not
have faith in his forgiveness? Would you
not take the first train back to the old
! homestead and throw yourself upon your
mothers sick bed, just as you used to do
when little boy. and cry: "oh, mother,
motherl Forgive me. motherw If you
have faith that an earthly parent will
forgive your sins. then why have You
not faith in God? Why do you not throw
yourself upon his mercy and cry: Lord,
Jesus forgive mel Lord. Jesus, save me-"
Is the picture which John Bunyan drew
Of his pardon at the cross of Jesus Christ
an absurdity, when he said $50 / saw
in my dream that just as Christian came
up with his cross his burden loosed from
began to tumble and SO continued to do
till It came to the mouth of the sepulcher.
when 1t fell in, and saw 1t no more?'
Not an Absurdity.
If the pardon of sin through the blood
of the atoning Lamb is not an absurdity
why should 1t be an absurdity that with
God to help you there is nothing too great
for you to do? We again follow the same
analogy. Suppose an earthly parent
should come to you and say: my son, I
am thy father l want you to go forth
on a mission in my name. All that have
shall be given to you for help. / will
support you; I will protect you; 1 will
care for you as long as you are true to
me-" Suppose your father should thus
speak to you why" you answer, IF
my father spoke thus I know he would
spend his last cent to help me and II
necessary, pour forth his last drop of
blood for my protection" rhen, my
friend If you have this faith In your
earthly fathers promise of help why will
you not trust your heavenly Father? Why
will you not feel that all the REINFORCE
ments of heaven are thine and all the
powers of God are thine to do his work II
you will only surrender your life to his,
service? Listen. / will quote today from
Christs very words: IF We had faith as
grain of mustard seed We might say
up by the root and be thou planted in the
sea, and 1t should obey yoti.' And I'M
Matthew we can read about the same
promise where Christ says; "All things
whatsoever We shall ask in prayer be-
lieving We shall receive" oh, my brother,
will you not today become one with God?
Will you not make his supernatural power
yours? VIII you not take God at his
word. as by faith you would accept an
earthly PARENTS PROMISE?
But some one says to me-: 81 am
ashamed to come to Christ. have lived
such an awful life of sim. have neg !
ected so many OF his invitations. l am
I'm exactly the same position as man
who has cheated a BUSINESS partner or
one VINO has been untrue to his best
friend" All, my friend. ] am glad to
have you speak thus. Say on. Pile up
your sins mountain high, Then after you
had finished I would pile your sins up 4
higher than the clouds. Then upon the
top of these mountain ranges of sin !
would place the cross OF Jesus Christ,
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