The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-07-18
OUR RELIGIOUS COLUMN.
Renpninncn.

Sin cannot be torn off without drawing
blood from our souls; but if we let it remain
on like the poisoned robe, ii kills as. There
fore we must tear it OF, without shrinking or
finohing from the pain it may cost us to do so.
We must escape to the mountain, because
we are fleeing rom SOdOm, and because We
cannot tarry In Sodom without being con-
sumed by its fire. 1t is impossible to press this
point too strongly; SO | will try to enforos
what l have said by another parable. On
the seashore, many of you must know, there
ere often rocks. Now, suppose man walk
ing among these rocks, and finding the stones
painful to his feet, thinks he shall walk more
easily and pleasantly in the smooth sand
below. He quits the rocks and goes down to
the sands. The tide is out; the sea is calm;
the waves are long way OFF: there eau be no
danger: so he walks on. Presently the wind
begins to rise. Still there can bs no dauger:
it is only rounding that jutting cliff: there is
plenty of time; and then he will be safe
4 Meanwhile the sea comes on, gradually,
gradually, wave after wave, like so many
= lines of horsemen in battle array riding
on after the other. Every moment they ad-
vance step or two; and before the man
+ has got to the iutting cliff be sees them dash
| ing against his feet. What is he TO do Ou
one side of him is a steep and rugged ledge of
rocks; on the other side the sea, which the
wind is lashiDg into q storm, is rushing to-
wards him with all its might and fury.
Would man in such plight Jhiuk of losing
another momentl Would he stop TO consider
whether he should not hurt his hands by lay
ing hold of the sharp stones Would not ne
strain every nerve to reach a place of safety,
before the waves could overtake hun II
his slothfulness whispered to him, at is of no
use; the ledge is very steep; you may fall
back when you have got hall way; stay where
you are; perhaps the wind may drop, or the
waves may stop short; and so you will be- safe
| here" if his 'slothfulness prompted such
thoughts as these, would he listen to them
Would he not reply, "Hard as the task may
be, it must be tried, or l am dead man.
God will not work a miracle in my behalf.
! He will not change the course of the tides, and
put new and strange bride on the sea to
i save me from the effects of my own laziness.
! / have still a few minutes left; let me make
the most of them and / may be- safe; if
they slip away, l must be drowned This
picture is not mere piece of fancy. Many
stories are told of the risks people have run
"A by the coming in of the tide, when they were
+ strayiDg heedlessly along the sands. Some
by great efforts, aided by Gods good Pro wi.
dence have escaped. Others have perished
mserably. Now the sinner is Just in the situa-
tion of the man have been speaking of. Ga one
side of him is the steep ledge of rep-ntauce; on
the other the fiery waves of the bottomless
pit are every moment rolling on toward him.
Could his eyes be opened, as the eyes OF
Elisha's servant We're, he would set those fiery
waves already beginning to surround him. Is
this situation for man to stop in? VIII
any one in such plight talk about the diff
Guilty of repentance Let passion cry ont
SIT is hard to deny ones self' faith must
make answer, at is harder to dwell amid end.
less burnings. ."-ReU. VIM. augustus Hare.