Evening journal., 1916-01-17

feelings of his best friends. He did
not have any interest in these oxen
before. He bought them to find
whether they were large or small. fat
or lean. but now when the bargain
has been made and the money paid,
and he received the greatest invita-
tion OF his life. he becomes very much
excited over trying out those oxen.
And / have always thought that the
third man was the most foolish of
all. If there is any one that is stuck
up. it is the one who has just gotten
married. ] can see him strutting
around like a peacock as he says, II
have married a wife and therefore I
cannot come" Why didn't the foolish
fellow bring his wife with him. She
would have enjoyed that feast as well
as he would. How could have they
have better spent their wedding even
ing? You smile at these excuses. but
are not the excuses which people are
giving today for rejecting Jesus
Christ just as fimsy as those of
whom Jesus spoke?
One SAYS, Il will not become a
Christian because there are many
things in the Bible I cannot under
stand" Well what If there are, there
are plenty Of things you can under
stand Believe your beliefs. but doubt
your doubts You can understand
enough about the Bible to know that
you are sinner You would know
that. even If there were no Bible. You
know enough Of the Bible to learn
that you can be saved God will al
ways give you little more faith than
you put to use. Reading the Bible is
like eating fish. When you come TO
a bone you do not throw away the fisa.
you just lay the bone aside. Just
because there are some things in the
Bible you cannot understand. do not
think for a moment they are not true.
Il is just because your little benighted
mind has not been able to comprehend
their meaning. Spiritual things are
spiritually discerned.
hed heard about the beautiful art
windows in the Milan Cathedral. I
viewed these windows from the out
side OF the building, but they had no
especial beauty. but I went inside and
1 the sun came out from beneath the
clouds. and those windows were re-
sDlendent with an indescrihable
glory. So when you enter the King
dom Of Heaven the word of God will
/ look entirely different to YOU Sup
/ posing ] got a letter from my aged
/ mother. She speaks Of family affairs
that would have little interest TO
strangers but every line has a signifi-
canoe to me. So when you become a
child Of God, this family letter which
the Father has written TO his children
! is filled with new interest
7 have heard OF young lady who
was given the present OF q book She
glanced over it hastily. but had no
especial interest in it. but afterwards
this girl fell in love with a young
man. as sometimes girls do. and one
day she happened to notice that the
name of the author Of this book was
the same as the name Of her lover
She made inquiry and found indeed
that her lover was the author of the
volume. Now the book has a new
meaning and interest to her. She
reads eagerly every word. Why
because she has learned to know ano
love the author. So when you come
to know God as your Father and
Jesus as your Saviour. the divine
word will have a new meaning and
interest to you.
have all sympathy with those who
are honest doubters, who are tryins
to believe the great truths of Chris.
tianity. but are yet in the darkness oi
doubt. But I have no sympathy al
all for the man who is trying to hide
his sins under the cloak of skepticism
Why is il that many boast that they
are agnostics. Why do they not use
the Latin word 'ignoramus" instead
OF the Greek word "agnostics." for il
means exactly the same thing. I an
reminded Of smart young fellow
who was making sport of his grand
mother for reading the Bible. He
says. Grandmother do you believe
that book?'' Certainly / do my son
because It is true" do you believe
the miracles?" Eyes, every one
well, what do you think about thai
story of Balaam and the ass? DO yoJ
not think il was remarkable for al
ass to talk like a MANI" She looked
at him over her steel-bowed specta
, cles and replied. well, sonny, I dC
not know that is any more remarkable
than for a man to talk like an ass
> like you are doing" Sometimes it il
best TO answer a fool according to his
folly.
There are others who try to excus,
themselves from accepting Christ be
cause they say there are hypocrites il
the church Well. what if there are
A man came TO me with that eXcust
and l replied well there is room TO
one more. there is room for you" 70,
are never going to improve matters b!
standing back aud criticizing. Cure
are not applied simply to the outside
but to the inside If there are thos
within the church that are livin
wrong lives. the duty is upon you {,
live such an upright. earnest Chris
tian life that il will make then
. ashamed Of themselves. Supposing il
looking through your pocketbool
some day, among your bills yo
should find counterfeit Would yo
stick the whole pocketbook into tn
fire. bills and all? You say. Ger
tainly not; I have more sense tha
! that" The very fact Of the counter
felt proves the genuine What
; they counterfeit. anyway? Do the
7 counterfeit brown paper and iro
{ washers? You say. "No: they cour
terfeit bank bills and gold and silve
$ coin" You know plenty OF Christian
: that are genuine, Model your life al
u ter them.
5 In that little company Of Christ
S disciples there was one traitor-JU
I, das Was that anything against tn
q sinceriiv Of James and John and th
+ rest? The church has a right to hay
e one hypOcrite in twelve-it will M
3 average worse than that. Supposin
e a. civil war WIS in progress in thi