Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1877-02-07
An Eloquent Paragraph.

Mr. Moody in his sermon on Sunday morn
ing on the theme, "Where do you stand in
relation to God" said "The next class
that want to speak to are those who once
professed to be followers of Jesus Christ and
have left Him. Let me ask the backslider,
where art thou ? Are you happy2 If you
are, you are the first backsider that is. |
never knew a man or woman that ever knew
Christ and left Him that ever had any peace.
The world never can satisfy the void that
has been made by the loss of Christ There
is no altar in your home now. Perhaps
there was a time when you used to pray,
and perhaps now your children ask you,
What has God done that you don't pray
to Him any more p Why is it that you
have left Him II may be that you have
trouble at home that your husband perse-
cutes you, or that your children make light
of your prayer, but is that any reason why
the altar should come DOWN. Ought not
this to drive us nearer TO Christ and make
us more Christ-lilSe ? What has Christ done
to you that you should have left Him ? 1t
is Christ that you have wandered from and
left, and what lie wants is to have you come
back to-day. | wish could say something
that would bring back every backslider, and
have all of them hocking INTO the fold that
they have wandered from. | bring you a
loving message to-day He will forgive you
If you will return to Him. lie will forgive
you as if you never had wandered. re-
member of hearing about a young man who
went TO California and became very reck-
less and wicked, and his father hearing of
his life of dissipation and SIM used to write
letters to him; but the boy did not care
much for his fathers letters. A neighbor
was going out there, and the father said,
u want you to find out my boy, and tell
hiri that his father loves him as much as
ever, and if he will only come home will
forgive him freely; that my heart is as true
to him as ever and when he got to Cali.
| forni' he hunted for the boy. One night he
found him in gambling den with others,
and having got him away from them, told
him about the message. And great tears
trickled down the boys face, and he said,
Did my father say he loves me still p So
| say to backslders, God does love you.
| The most tender and loving words that were
ever uttered by the Lord, were said to back
sliding Israel. He gave them aprophet that
they might repent of their sins and be saved
that seventy years of captivity; but they
would not listen to the word, and at last
judgment came. God will win you back in
love if lie can, but if that will not do, the
rod will come So He won Lot out OF
Sodom. He was backslder, and the Lord
had to burn Sodom to get him. have yet
to find the man or woman who left the Lord
that could give reason for it. They have
talked about the church and unfaithful
ones but the faults of others should not
make them leave the Lord. You may want
to know how you can get out of your present
position. There is one peculiar way out OF
the backslider's ditch, and that is the same
way you went into it. The Lord did not
leave you; you left Him, and the only way
that you can get away from Him is to turn
your back on Him. If you make Christ a
real personal friend, and treat Him as you dc
personal friend, you will never go away
from Him. If were going to leave Boston
would shake hands with my friends anC
say, Goodbye But did you ever hear Of
backslider going into his closet and say
ing, Lord, have served you so long, ant
am tired of your service and am going
back into the world so goodbye Who
ever heard of any one leaving Christ in tha
way? You leave Him without saying good
bye He will have mercy on you if yoI
come back to Him. May God bring home
the wanderers may they hear the voice o
the Shepherd to-day in the dark mountain
calling them home"