The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1922-04-22
THE APPEAL OF CHRISTIANITY.
BAIRD MITCHELL

HEEinftnite love and compassion, the sympathy
andgcare divlne-these elements OF the Gospcl
work themselves tenderly about broken hearts and
shattered lives. and for this we devoutly thank
cod
onSthe other hand we are here TO form charac.
ter andsin forming It, We are here to face what
ever comes. We are here to meet obstacles and
hardships. We are here to wrestle with difficulties
and 80 overcome them. There Is something in
christianity that appeals to all that is heroic in the
human heart! One incident in the life of Jesus
strikes us with peculiar force. Men.throng around
Elm Aacribe says: Master, I will follow Thee
whitheFsoeyer Thou goest." Jesus answers: Foxes
hayeSholes, and birds Of the air have nests, but the
son 81 Man hath not where to lay His head" Was
anything so pathetic? Almost a beggar-invitlng
1nenSto eternal riches! Homeless and unsheltered,
askings them to follow Him that they might win
he Kingdom Of God! And yet there Is something
m ~ so heroic, that it draws us to His side and
makesau US say, Master, I will follow Thee that I
may realize my ideals and enter the Kingdom and
rtghteousness OF God.
Secondly. christ's religion is not here to make
lie easy, but to make men great; not to lower tho
standards,s but to raise the aims: not 20 Tighten
the load, but 70 increase the strength; not to rel
noSesthei difficulties, but to augment tho resources.
Thus he. appeals to the Heroic Spirit-the spirit
that ought to characterize youth and strength.
When Garibaldi had been defeated at Rome, hh
fssned his Immortal appeal: Soldiers, I am with
ont money}and without rewards; I have nothing I'd
ofterayou5 but cold and hunger, rags and hardships;
iet him9who loves his country follow me-" How
ffke5thei Son Of Man in the incident OF which I haTs
spokenlaB But that appeal has. always won high and
herolcssouls. He says "Follow Me, and I will lsAd
you over rivers OF dangers and mountains of toll.
Il WflIElhadE vn1 9EYhera f0ns ara ~ ha fou 1hE ord Liza
beasts I will give you tasks that willttax
gov y the sutternost, and lay upon you RESPONSE
haltttes beneath which you will reel and %totterI but
4 viii give you Power and Victory"
Thirdly, A religion that demands but little Is
worth but little; a religion that demands allAthe
whole of hfe-ts worth everything. A religion that
promises ease and u%nruftled serenity and peade for
ourselves alone; that has in it no element Of spcrl-
ttce-zis a religion from which all nbole souls IN
stlnettyely turn. Life is OF interest as it presents
pFoBle1ns ind difficulties that develop our powers.
MI. Hutton's story Of the ivory hunter, he says:
Many a time I've come back from a trip, half
dead with fever, swearing that I'm done with the
business for good. And some bright day in SIX
months, or even three. the smell of the jungle gets
nostrils; through all the roar Of the street
ttaftics / hear the squeal of the elephant or the
coughing roar Of a lions challenge,-that settles
the business. Back I hasten, knowing presently
That Is co~ming-the sweating days and the chilling
efghts, the torments of insects and OF thirst; TIE
risks the hardships, the privRtions. For o1ce
AFRICA has laid hcr spell upon a man, he Is hbre
forever Mr.. Hutton found the fascination ofthe
hunt the exultation Of achieving, stronger than
safering and toll. And we may say, in %reveEeat
paraphrase: When once Christ has laid His kpell
mon q man, he is His forever" Then We are WILL
ingFtoigo with Him into the wilderness or desckt 10
endure the perils and hardships Of the Wild we
aSe willing 10 sail with Him on stormy seas; to
gslk with Him through jeering crowds; TO stand
With Him on battleaelds, that we may share His
story
IN ! storm off Diamond Shoals a ship WAS
laundering in the great waves. Captain Pat
EtherIdge got the lifeboat ready. but the crew
aesitated in taco of the fearful peril. Captain Pat$,
satd one, Its no use with that wind. We can
launch the boat, and we can reach the ship; but
can never come back" Boys" said the old
hsEo&ss We don't have to come back" once the old