Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1914-08-29
SIT DOWN. YOU'RE ROCKING THE BOAT,
AN APT sermon BY REV. HE. MARSHALL

were yous What were you thinking
abouti" Something | saw this morn
ing | saw poor old man on the slip
perry street, going along as well as he
could with one eruteh. 1t was slow and
slippery and trcachcrous, and
as l was watching him n man came
along and knocked the crutch away and
left the poor lame man standing help
less on the pavement. Then |, watched
him as he tried to walk, but il was
only little way before he fell. What
do you think of the man who knocked
the crutch from undcr hint :" He was
a beast" "Well," said Beeeher, al
know thousands of men who are lean
ing on the cross of Jesus Christ.
know thousands of women there, earth
ly help is gone, swept away long ago,
aud their earthly friends have left
them. Now, Mr.. lngersol, you come
along and would sweep away at one
stroke that cross which is supporting
them. You have rendered your own
judgment of the man who would do
such a thing; you said he was beast. -
And Beecher left him there. Ere ]
would dare to rock the boat of the old
Christian faith; ere you might dare to
rock it; wish you would 90 down and,
talk to the boatman--talk to the man
who ferries souls Of men across u Q
river to the better land. wish you
would go down and talk to him about
your old mother, when she was pas
hnt 4 ,tph III
talk to him about when your dear old
father wcnded him way to the river s
brink and j0urneyed across. Talk to
him about the time your companion
went across. Go to yonder cemetery
and read the message upon granite
there that declares the same thing, and
don I rock the boat in which you plac.
ed the form of the little babe; don 7
rock the boat that thirty million men
and women are elinging to with their
lives at stake. Sit down, don I rock the
boat.
/ have right to speak for the faith
of your mother; have a right to speak
for the faith of your old father.
have a right to speak for the faith OF
the ones who have gone to Glory Land
and at least to try and get you to EN-
brace the faith-get you to the place
where you will not say another wore
against it. Except these abide in tn,
ship, we cannot be saved" F"
Then there is another way of rock
ing--a modern way; don t like it. Tht
inspiration of that book from Genesis
to Revelation, straight through it, wore
ford word, chapter for chapter, bool
for book. There are some who just lik
to take that dear old book and the,
like to say: ~ don't believe abou
4 Jonah, and I don't believe that Nose
wrote the Pentatuch and am not cei
tain who penned the book of Isaiah an
the book of John" That is the way
lot of folks are trying to rock the boa
There is the book to which my fait
is pinned. ] win anchor to it. Prov
/ to me that one word is wrong and
will throw it away. Every word {
scripture is given by inspiration {
God and is profitable for doctrine, fC
Ireproof. instruction in righteousness
] that the man of God may be perfc,
unto every good work, " | stand ther
; Now rock the boat if you will, bt
before you do it, ! want you to 9
, back to the old home ut candlelightiu
= time, look at the old book on the cel
ter table in the room that has the Ol
I marker in it--limp and worn and po
siby tear stained in Matthew, Lul
= and John. 1t has the record of who
your father and mother were marriet
= the record of when your mother wei
: into the valley of the shadow of deaf
and then came back and brought yC
= with her. Then turn over and wat'
the pencil markings; see how mar
g times mother read that passage, "Con
! unto me all ye that are weary and he
:. Wy laden and viii give you rest.
: Maybe flower pressed between Il
:, leaves somewhere; even the fragran
= Of the mothers kiss still seems to Ii
ger with the book. Go back and loo
!, in your trunk for that book she put
! your pocket. Take that book cut al
= take a good look at it before you ro'
u the boat. / wouldn't do it. Sit dow
u you are rocking the boat wouldn
do it. "
y There is another class | want to Ia
u about. You said you would not join {
~ church because there are hypocrites
u it. You said you would not join !
cause some in it do not live godly liv'
y 1 know one who was member of t
y church one time. ] am going to forg
y all about everybody else. Do you
u member when she used to come in a
y y take her seat in the pew9 Do you
o. member the smile on her face as S
~ sang can hail the power of Jes
~ name''l Then you remember how
y Monday morning she sang Jesus, i
n er of my soul, let me to thy bosom fly
as When the evening had settled down 5
., would sing "What a friend we have
81 Jesus" Do you want to talk abe
- hypocrites in the ehurcbf You
~ slandering your dear old mother a
"a; father, and, you husbands and wiv
!, DON t do it. Don't rock the boat, m
ne for your mother IS in it and your ia
le- or is in it and your loved ones are
m it. Better let the ship sail on, and
~. down and be sweet about it,
'rs Last, another kind that rock
ng boat, the backslider. One can ca
OF more trouble than seventeen devils
81. am always afraid of them. You p
vi baekslider, Hopping around and 70