Milford chronicle., 1906-04-20

Are you prepared to assert with your
one breath that Jesus Christ is the
best of all human beings and then to
assert with your next breath that
Christ Is a deceiver. Nay, nay, not
that. As an intelligent man you
should be ready to say here and now
"NO man could have uttered such
words as did Jesus Christ unless he
was true. And therefore, II Christ Is
true. Christ is the Son Of God" By the
law of logic and common sense we can
not get away from this conclusion.
The Bible biographies Of Christ Dy
their Internal evidence. prove tnaI
Christ's life was divine.
Now, having seen enough Of the signs
and wonders OF the Bible to prove that
It Is Of divine authorship, am reaoy
to make a confession. am ready TO
confess that this holy book is hlleo
! with mysteries. Like a blind man,
bump I'D against them everywhere
But because cannot understand why
/ God should so love the world that ne
gave bis only begotten Son that whose
| ever beIleveth on him should not perlsh'
but have everlasting life, Is that any
reason why 1 should reject that divine
offer OF pardon and eternal lifeF NAY,
nav" again say. Why all the prom
fses OF God are given to us ! cannot
conceive. But those promises are there
And because they are there wil &C
oept them and live by them and teaVe
the explanations for eternity
Il - hot
ing Father and that the Bible Is given
to us by divine inspiration, the next
difficult question which cOnfronts US IS
this: why does loving Father, VINO is
preparing such felicity for Us on the
e5ther side Of the grave, allow so much
misery and suffering and injustice 10
his dear ones on this side OF the
;grave?" for we all can say with the
lpsalmist, i have seen the wicked II
great power and spreading himself like
l:a green bay tree" Yes, we have seen
wicked Dives in a palace and good
Lazarus as a beggar dying in the gut
liter. But that is not the universal rule
Religion has in it the promise or the
life that now is. A proof OF the fact we
may see around US in prosperous. hap
py men, who are beading good Chrls-
tian lives.
Act of Loving Father.
But I can explain to you how avert
ed a tragedy in my own home some
two wears ago. One Of my little chill
dren. then about three years of age
came running to me, calling, Papa
there is a fire. I never waited mo-
ment. 1 leaped UP the stairs, and there
I found that my little boy had been
playing with matches and had set hfe
to the closet. / was practically alone
in the house. went into that closet
and tore the clothes down from the
hooks and threw them out Of the win
dow. burned my arms and my face
But what Of that2 I saved the house.
The boy was too frightened to speak,
so I did not punish him, but the next
dav found that this little boy Of only
three years of age went and built an
other fire in the back yard. He seemed
to have the same fascination for fire
that the moth miller has for the even
ing lamp. There he was, lying upon
his stomach, playing with the burning
sticks. What did l dO2 / loved that
bov lust as much as did any Of the
other children, but l knew severe
course had to be taken to save him
from a horrible death. First whipped
him. Then 1 took match and lighted
it and said, MY boy, if you ever touch
matches again l shall put your little
finger into that fire and burn your skin
lust as much as papa's was burned
yesterday in that fire you made"
What was the result? That little boy
found out what a deadly enemy fire
could be, and he has never touched
match from that day to this Was /
cruel father to punish the child, or was
a true parent to save my little boy
from a tragic death? Cannot God IN
the same way be a loving, kind Fa-
ther when he sometimes permits trou-
bles to beat on the throbbing hearts of
his own children?
In closing I would bid you set your
gospel compass. l want you to be like
tue traveller going through the western
country guided by the beacon light Of
the rising and setting sun. / want you
to be like Il vOyager setting san across
the Atlantic. He does not go in hap
hazard way to a fisherman of Nan
tucket and say, "Will you with your
sailboat take me to EuropeY" But he
goes down to the Office of a great trans
atlantic line. There he selects his
steamer. He knows that this steamer
is managed by a competent crew and
commanded by an able captain. When
the storms come and the winds blow
and the pillows heave, he does not rush
upon the deck and say. Let me take
that wheel" Nay. He says, 1.-THE cap
tain knows best, and he will see US
through" So may it be with us in
Ife's voyage. May we step into the
gospel ship and say to Jesus Master
Commander, wherever thou takest me
I know it is best for me to 60"