The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1909-01-01
found rest and he speaks about the

lOuuu rest anu ne speaks ABOUT tue
amazement with which he realizes
how one objection TO Christianity
Cancelled another out. Take one OBJ.
lection 10 Christianity and IL is com.
pletely answered by another objec-
tion from some other objector. He
found. he says. one objection in the
agnostic manual 10 Christianity or
the ground that II Is a religion OF
gloom. and another because Christian.
ity had east a rose pink veil over all
human life. with silly. fiabby senti.
mentalism about this being the best
of all possible worlds. He found an.
other objection that il has made man
weak and that Christianity took all
the virility, all the manhood out of
us, and another that Christianity had
deluged the nations with blood. Is
Christianity, he asks. religion OF
meekness and mildness, or of mur.
der and massacre? IL may be one or
the other, but il cannot be both al
the same time.
You remember the humorous poem
by John Godfrey SAKE about the four
blind Hindus who went TO see an
elephant. They could not see the ele.
phant, but they said what they had
seen. One happened 10 lean against
the elephant and declared it was
much like a wall Another got hold
of his tail and described him as being
like a rope. Another got his trunk
and said he was a serpent, and the
fourth ran against his tusk and said
he was shaped very much like a spear.
The fact is that they had not seen the
elephant at all. That is all And
that is my sermon. The objectors
have never seen Christianity at all:
they have never understood Chris
tianity at all. They have seen mere
fragments-the tail or ear of the
elephant-but they have not seen
Christianity and know not what II is.
The difficulties of religion are
great. but the difficulties of unbelief
are infinitely greater. IL is not true
that Christianity in its fullness is a
simple thing that anybody can grasp
In two minutes. There are difficulties
and perpleXities. but the difficulties
and perpleXities and problems in
which YOU involve yourself by the
rejection of Christianity are far great.
er than those involved in its accept
ance. / could present half a dozen,
| Will present one: If unbelief has
stated the case truly TO us, Jesus
Shi ioI Ndo Olllg a peasant DON "a car
penter and a fanatic for religion, who
lived in an obscure part of the Ro-
man empire and died as a criminal
after three years of agitation. That
is all. And yet Christianity, the most
tremendous and colossal fact in the
world, has all grown out of that!
Men and women, ignorant and wise,
in widely different circumstances, tell
you that they have been down and
have been raised, have had burdens
lifted from their shoulders, strength
came TO them, enabling them 10 bear
their loads, they have been conscious
OF sin and realized forgiveness, the
chains have dropped from their man.
acled spirits and they have walked in
the freedom of manhood and woman
hood, they tell you they have been
lost and were found. | myself have
at times seen through the vail that
hides the invisible from the visible
and have been sure OF a God, and
have risen from what | thought the
very gates of death and have walked
the hills of life again, and found that
my Saviour was by my side. If YOU
want to know whether Christianity
is true, try it. The objections contra
dict each other, and are not true
Christianity stands and Christ makes
His appeal still to YOU tonight and
offers the invitation. Come unto
Me all ye that labor and are heavy
laden, and | will give you rest"