The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1874-03-05


aginstion the nutilated form Of his
uncle Enoch hidden in the lsaves and
scented BY hungry wolves. He
waited to bear bis own sentence.
Hitherto the preacher had spoken
with vehemence. Nov, he stopped
and began again with tears, and in :
tone broken with emotion, looking
in . general way toward whore Kike
sat: 20, young man, there arc stains
Of blood on your hands! How dare
you hold them up before the Judge
Of ell? You are another Cain, and
God sends his messenger 70 you to-
day to inquire after him whom you
have already killed in your heart.
Yos are a Usrdsrers Nothing but
Gods mercy can snatch you from
hell!"
No doubt an this 10 rude in refined
ears. But is it nothing that BY these
rude words he laid bare Kike's sins
to Hikes conscicnceY That in this
moment Hike heard the voice Of God
denouncing his sins, and trcmbleds
Can you do man any higher service
than to make him know himself, in
the light Of the highest sense Of
right that he is capable Of? Kike,
for his part, bowed to the rebukc oi
the preacher as to the rebuke Of God.
His frail frame shook with fear and
pcnitence, As it had before shaken
with wrath. 20, God! what .
wretch I am" cried he, hiding his
face in his hands.
"Thank God for showing it to you,
my young friend" responded the
preacher. "What . wonder that
your sims did not drive away the
Holy Ghost, leaving you with your
day of grace sinned away, - good as
damned already!" And with this he
turned and appealed yet more power
fully to the rest, already excited by
the fresh contsgion Of Hikes peni.
tence, until there were cries and sobs
in all parts Of tho house. Some left
in haste to avoid yielding to their
feeling, while many fell upon their
knees and prayed.
The preacher now thought il time
to change, and offer some consola-
ton. You would say that his view
of the atonement was crude, conven-
tional and commercial, that he mis-
took figures Of speech in Scripture
for general and formulated postulates.
But, however imperfect his symbols,
he succeeded in making known to
his hearers the mercy Of God. And
surely that is the main thing. The
figure of speech is but the vessel
the great truth that God is naerciful
to the guilty, what is this but the
water Of ife?--not less refreshing
because the jar in which it is brough,
is rude! The preachers whole man.
ner changed. Many weeping and
sobbing people were swept now tc
the other extreme, and cried aloud
| with joy. Perhaps Magruder eA-
aggeated the change that had taken
place in them. But is it nothing
that man has bowed his soul il
penitence before Gods justice, and
then lifted his face in childlike trus,
to Gods mercyr II is hard for ,
man who has once passed through
this experience not to date from it ,
| revolution. There were many who
had not much to or in themselves
doubtless, but among Magruder's
hearers this day were those who, liv-
ing half q century aftcrward, counted
their better living from the hour OF
his forceful presentation Of Gods
antagonism to sin, and Gods tende,
mercy for the sinner.
1t was not in Kike to change
quickly. Smitten with a sense oi
his guilt, he rose from his seat and
slowly knelt, quivering with feeling
When the preacher had finished
preaching, amid cries Of sorrow and
Of Joy, he began TO sing, to an ex-
quisitely pathetic tune, Watts hymn:
''show pity. Lord, o Lord, forgive,
let repenting rebel live.
Are not thy merciea large and freec
May not sinner trust In thee:'
The meeting was held until late.
Kike remained quietly kneeling, the
tears trickling through his fingers.
He did not utter word or cry. In
al the confusion he was still. What
deliberate recounting of his own mis-
doings took place then no one can
know. Thoughtless readers may
SCOT at the poor backwoods boy in
his trouble. But who Of us would
not be better il we could be brought
thus face to face with our own souls!
His simple penitent faith did more
for him than all our philosophy has
done for us, maybe.
At last the meeting was dismissed.
Brady, who had been awe-stricken
at sight OF kike's agony Of con,ri-
ton, now thought it best that he and
Kike's mother should 60 home, leav-
ing the Young man to follow when
he chose. But Hike staid immovs-
BILE upon his knees. His sense OF
guilt had become an agony. All
tn Sc allowances which we in more
intelligent age make for inherited
peculiarities and the defects Of edu-
cation, Kike knew nothing about
He believed all his revengefulness to
be voluntary; he had feeling that
unless he found some assurance Of
Gods mercy then, he could not live
till morning. So the minister and
Mrs. Wheeler and two or three
brethren that had come from adjoin-
ing settlements staid and prayed and
talked to the distressed youth until
after midnight. The early Metho-
dists regarded this persistence rs q
sure sign Of sssound" awakening.
At last the preacher knelt again
BY like, and asked "Sister Wheeler
TO pray. There was nothing in the
old Methodist meetings so excellen,
as the audible prayers Of women
Women oftener than men have .
genius for prayer. Mrs. Wheele,
began tenderly, penitently, to con-
fess, not kike's sins, but the sins o.
all of them; her penitence fell in with
Hikes; she confessed the very SIM
that he was grieving over. Their
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