The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1878-11-14

youth the heart is tender, it Is easily
touched, but in age it grows hard,
and the wicked ol,t man can truly
say,
t'The rocks can rend,
The mountains shake,
OF feeling, all things show some sign,
But this unfeeling heart of mine"
In early life the habits are not
like chains TO bind one to sin and
death. They are not like cable
ropes which giant could not break.
They are then like cob webs which
an infant can easily brush away.
10 early life the faculty of being re
ligious, or rather the power To be
religious, is not destroyed. Now
you know. children, that If you were
not TO use your hand for year you
would not be able to use IL at all.
If you were 70 stay in tue dark or
cover up your eyes SO that you
could not see for a long time. you
would lose the power of seeing. II
any of these little boys or girls were
to stop using their tongues for a
long time, they would get s. they
could not talk at all. Now every
child is best with power 10 be re
iigious. to repent, to believe, 10 love.
He can learn to use that power just
as he can learn to walk, ar use his
hands, or eyes, or tongue But If
he refuses To use it until he be
comes old, he may get so after
awhile that he cannot use it all. 1t
will wither away like a hand that
has not been used for years. So
then it is just As needful to learn To
be religious as to learn to talk OF to
walk or to do anything that is right
and proper TO be done.
A few years ago in the State of
Alabama there ~as a campmeeting,
al which there we're many preachers.
Among the number was the Rev. A.
+. He was a man OF God. He was
richly gifted with the highest quail
tiles Of mind. He was appointed to
preach at a certain hour, aud he did
preach, not colGly. but with great
wamth and zeal. He appealed to
sinners to turn to God and live. He
presented Christ as their only hope.
He stood behind the Cross and
showed 1t, all stained with blood.
He pointed to the last judgment,
and called upon the vast cungrega
ton, "Prepare to meet your God y
He called them to repentance with
all the zeal of an apostle. But no
one came. He sat down, while the
most solemn awe rested upon the
congregation. just at this time an
old man from a distant part of the
large congregation was seen APP
preaching the altar. His hair was
white, and hung uncombed and dis
ordered down over his neck. His
face was withered with age. His
Jaws were hollow and sunken. His
steps were feeble and slow. His
form, once erect and tall. was now
low and bent, and he leaned upon a
staff. Trembling from head to foot
he turned to the congregation and
said: Look at me and take warn
ing. cannot repent now; it Is too
late. am too old, too hard, too
near the grave. l am lost. There
is no mercy for me. Once could
have been saved. Once / could
have repented. Once l felt as
you now feel. But now have
only one feeling. 1t is despair
Young people, take warning by me,
and repent while you can" There
Bas no tear in his eye, no tender
ness in his heart, no faith, no hope!
He had refused when God had cohn-
seled, and now it was too late! too
lateii The door was sbutl He
could not enter now! beg you,
then, remeln Der your Creator in the
days of your youth. Before the
evil days come, when you shall say,
! have no pleasure in them, DC.
Some children are afraid 10 be re-
Iigious. They think that all good
children die young. In some sab
bath school story books pious chill
dren are sent to early graves. These
stories make an impression upon
you and you say, well, 1 will wait
awhile" Children, let me assure
you that early piety never killed
nybody YET 1t never will. Reli-
eion is not like arsenic. 1t is sin
that is the poison. Sin kills. II
there had been no sin there could
have been no death. Among the
preachers in the Tennessee Confer
ence is the Rev. j. B. | have known
him more than forty years. He
was preacher when / was q little
boy He Joined the church when
lie was ten years old, at the same
time he plofessed religion He was
the best of boys. he became the
best of men He is now seventy
years old, and his life has been
spent in the service of God. He
has preached more than fifty years.
Religion has not shortened his life,
nor does it shorten the life of any
one. The tales that kill off all Chi
dren are false, and ought TO be
burned. Nc, boys, you must not
he afraid 70 be religious. Old Bro.
b. is still a sound man, and he may
1--we many years. He has a good !
If he looks at the past,
it Is bright and beautiful If he
looks at the future, all is well
The children love him; the young
preachers look up 70 him as wise
and good; the old regard him with |
holy reverence. His morning life /
frightened by the light Of early |
piety; his noon shone with the /
of pure life, and now
bis evening is calm and serene, with 1
no cloud on his sky and no fear of
he night, for he knows there is no |
night where he is going.
About forty years ago, at camp
meeting in the South, there were
many souls converted to God, and
among them was little brown-eyed
girl just seven years of age. She
vas very small and very beautiful.