Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-11-26
EIGHTY TWO
PENITENTS
GO EQRWA Ard

touch not the unclean things anu /
also: "If any man will come after me- /
let him take up his cross daily and |
deny himself and follow me" and "In |
:aoii he lifted up his eyes, being in tor
ment,' and like strong and soul-stir
ring truths There we're nails on that
cross: there were tears along thai
way. The cross did not have any flow
ers on it except the Rose of Sharon
and the Lily of the Valley. There is
cross in religion. You cannot have
an Easter without Good Friday. In that /,
day It meant to be fool for Christ's
sake; 1t meant to be cut dead by PEG |
pie who did not follow Christ,
Present Day Religion.
But what does religion mean to peo-
pie today in the churches, for the most
part? Come to the social. Come to the
bazaar. Come and sell oyster soup,
Religion today is too cheap. Yon cant
Improve on .Calvary's method.I would
yather lose my soul in an honest at
tempt to keep up to the high standard
that Jesus Christ has established than .
TO lower the standard to please my
critical 'trimness and satisfy them. My
chances on the high standard level
would be better than success on tho
low level
The tag CT the label is not needed
TO show people who you are. You carry
your religion in your every day life.
In the spring time you go out and
look at the hillside, just being cover
cd with a carpet of green; see the
daisies and the wild flowers sending
UP their soft and beautiful tents, and
smell the fragrance of their perfume.
as if fresh from heaven; and see the
lambs skip and play, and halo of
glory over all, as IL God had broken
rainbow and thrown it at your feet
you would know what season of the
year it is without my going to tho
store and buying 10-cent brush and
putting a label on natures beautiful
picture which said: This is Spring
! Nor is It necessary when winter
! freezes the ground and puts crystals
on the. window pane and sends the
snow swirlJng down the street, while
the wagon wheels creak and crush
the crisp snow as they creep along
the road; DO birds nests, no flowers.
no leaves upon the trees. that should
paint a sign which read: This is Win.
ter"
The New Birth.
You may have been baptized,
sprinkled snd immersed. you may have
been confirmed, you may still be a
child OF the devil; unless you have in
you the spirit and sign of the nos
birth
I am not a theological graduate
am no doctor of divinity. I don't need
a doctor TO doctor by doctrine. But |
say to yoIt, there are but two classes
there are but two families; belong to
one OF the other: YOU are child OF
God or a child of the devil The child
Of hedevil comes un and SAYS. Give
me ,hance to cuss, to lie. to steal"
He can not be good when he is child |
of the ,eyil He cannot be good unless |
he is b'rn ,gain.
Old Truth.
This S not a new notion. Not the
outcomt Of wild crazed outburst of
q self-dEuded leader, but a truth as
old as he hills. It had its origin al
he Gret White Throne of God. Paul |
defended i John defended it; so did |
James i'd SavanaroIa, Martin Luther. |
Spurgeo F'inney and Calvin and |
Knox al Wesley and Moody; and 1t |
will foreer be defended by the faith |
full ohild.f God |
Three Answers.
s;uppos 7 go down among YOU |
church nDlbers and ask Are you
Christh?' ] would get three differ |
ent ansMs. The first will say: II !
hope SOL,
When Engry. and you go and salts |
fy your aletite. and ask you II you t
have dine you do not say: II hope |
50"
When thsty and weary you go to
the babblit spring and take drink
of the coole water and say: Have i
YOU had rink Of water7" you do
not reply hone so" Are YOU mar
ried T? 7 horso"
Do you thIx q, man can feel burden |
Sd because osn, CROPPING in the dark
ness for tbs sht and go through the
struggle to es rid of sin and enter
into life and lght through the pangs
Of the new brh and not know it?
mat is |i6ed lis that crawled UP
cut Of hell iron the father of lies to
his children. that a, man could be a |
christian and not know it.
! will not cry Peace, peace, when
mere IS nol peacs I'll tear down the |
screens benlnd which you have hid. |
zen yourselves ard ask you if you are |
child OF God AM not know it.
The next answ,r to the question:
Are you Christian" is usually. II !;
think SO, Are YOU alive?" 81 think
SO Hallalnjah. know | am alive!
yes, know That kind keeps things
going in the churct and the commun. !
1ty a friend OF nine came upon 2
group Of card players on a railway
train train and hitting the booze, when he
refer to Christians Jas Frauds like
their Master He WAS aroused. anu
replying to him said, II will not
have my Master ,landered. He has
comforted me in sorrow, he's been
with me in trial He has given me
hope when death drew mar. and loved
ones have been laid low n the grave.
love him and ne loves ne"
oh, man, you are dre,ming,p ex
claimed the man. Quick as q. flash
came the resno,te.