One more reason; and I know it will be a good one for you.  Try and sing in the night, Christian, for that is one of the best arguments in all the world in favor of your religion.  Our divines nowadays spend a great deal of time in trying to prove Christianity against those who disbelieve it.  I should like to have seen Paul trying that!  Elymas the sorcerer withstood him:  how did our friend Paul treat him?  He said, “Oh, full of all subtlety and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of the righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?” That is about the politeness such men ought to have who deny God’s truth.  “We start with this assumption:  we will prove that the Bible is God’s word, but we are not going to prove God’s word.  If you do not like to believe it, we will shake hands, and bid you good-by; we will not argue with you.  The gospel has gained little by discussion.  The greatest piece of folly on earth has been to send a man round the country, to follow another up who has been lecturing on infidelity just to make himself notorious.

Why, let them lecture on; this is a free country; why should we follow them about?  The truth will win the day.  Christianity need not wish for controversy; it is strong enough for it, if it wishes it; but that is not God’s way.

God’s direction is, “Preach, teach, dogmatize.”  Do not stand disputing; claim a divine mission; tell men that God says it, and there leave it.  Say to them, “He that believeth shall be saved, and he that believeth not shall be damned”; and when you have done that, you have done enough.  For what reason should our missionaries stand disputing with Brahmins?  Why should they be wasting their time by attempting to refute first this dogma, and then another, of heathenism?  Why not just go and say, “The God whom ye ignorantly worship, I declare unto you; believe me, and you will be saved; believe me not, and the Bible says you are lost.”  And then, having thus asserted God’s word, say, “I leave it, I declare it unto you; it is a thing for you to believe, not a thing for you to reason about.”

Religion is not a thing merely for your intellect; a thing to prove your own talent upon, by making a syllogism on it; it is a thing that demands your faith.  As a messenger of heaven, I demand that faith; if you do not choose to give it, on your own head be the doom, if there be such, if there be not, you are prepared to risk it.  But I have done my duty; I have told you the truth; that is enough, and there I leave it.  Oh, Christian, instead of disputing, let me tell thee how to prove your religion.  Live it out!

Live it out!  Give the external as well as the internal evidence; give the external evidence of your own life.  You are sick; there is your neighbor who laughs at religion; let him come into your house.  When he was sick, he said, “Oh, send for the doctor”; and there he was fretting, and fuming, and whining, and making all manner of noises.  When you are sick, send for him, tell him that you are resigned to the Lord’s will; that you will kiss the chastening rod; that you will take the cup, and drink it, because your Father gives it.