The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1879-11-20

ferry, while other passengers were passing tn the
front OF the boat, did you not get over the chain
IN the back part Of the boar aud look off into the
water aud think how calm aud restful IL must be
under thoce waterA2 But something touched
you on the shoulder aud said Don't Jump"
Tn 'Ough all that maddening process Gods spirit
was talking to you. On, business men, by every
0ank protest, by every insulting dun, by every
snap inlJudgment, by every fbreolOsed mortgage
God was telling you TO look beyond the store
beyond this scene OF grab and go ge and threat
and loss and gain. What did yOn dU1 You went
to the bank TO get discount You went 10 the
brokers' to get note shaved. You went to the
creditor to get an extension Of time. You went
10 this friend to get his name on your papers you
borrowed money here to pay money there aud
you went everywhere but to God-the best friend
a man ever had, and The first one to whom You
ought to have gone, and TO. morrow morning, al
or O'Clock you will go over 10 business, and
what will become Of you in the great whirl Of
New York life before Saturday nighl7 cannot
say. Ever and anon men are going overheard IN
business, overheard ia morals. 1t seems to make
no imprt tsSiOn on you. You pBss and, Il is only
man What is man2" He IL the battle ground
for three worlds. with his hauds taking hold Of
the destinies of light or darkness, A man No
llne can measure him. No bounds can COnfne
him. No archangei outline him. A man Stars
shall go out, but he will watch their extingnish.
ment The world will burn, but he Will gaze on
The eonhdgration. Endless ages will pass by, but
he will count the ce8seless Tramp of the pr6reg.
sion. mar The masterpiece of the Lord God
Almighty. Yet these men are going overheard.
Ii you see man failing in business, gong over
board, get over the SIDE OF the vessel cling fast
with one arm, with the other clutch for his soul
and God give grip to thy fingers aud strength 10
to thy arm unul you fetch him clear over the
guuwses Through all these business adyersi
ties and trials and perpIeXitles and losses and
disappolntmenls, Gods spirit has been talking to
you, oh business men. ."
l remark again that God has been speaking to
of thTOuph homa %
your family now Some Ofthem gone Who has
rot staggered under bereavement? d to lose
property, sad to lose social position sad to lose
good name; but added to that bereavement puts
lis hery hngeB around the IOOts OF the heart and
pulled until the teHdTis snapped Oh 1t seems
that II can help my loved ones l can endure
anything, II the world abuses me 90 home,
and there everything is forgiven.
II The world misinterpIes me go home, and
there am understood; but II the home itselt per.
lsh what refuge on earth Is there fol- the soul /?
And yet God knows best. Often, through be-
Ieavement, He has spoken to your soul On that
dark day, after the Ohst quies were over and you
were LETT alone old friends all gone, was here
any voice breathing into your heart, saying
Poor brother, worn out soul, Christ is thy com.
fort. 60 TO Him. Not in wrath. but in mercy
cometh this stroke7' Has not God spoken thro'
your trOuble2 A poor wOmau III the parish
came to me saying: "Oh, l wish You would
show me the way 10 heaven. l have,bAried my
littlc Ohe Cdl uill no peace. ibis world Is
nothing TO me- have only one desire and that
Is TO get up where my child IT," Jesus, BY HIS
spirit through that source was calling her uD to
higher life In a Western cabin daughter
lay oying She said: Father lie down beside
me; II is so cold" and he said: my child ia
the food strOng?' "Yes sir It is strong: but I
lee angels on the other bank But father, it IL
80 cold. There is a mist In the room, You will
be lonely, father; 1t is 80 cold. Is this death
father2 "Yes, Mary, this is death" "Thank
| God " Rhp said & hnr nd
! how many Christian death beds your soul has
| been called to Christ and heavenI Have YOU
yielded2 Are your wounds bound up, or must
| God speak againH Must another trial come Z?
muet another voice be huShedin thy home before
thsu hear the Lord Back with thee oh thou
black archers OF death Do not point those ar
rows this way See all these wounds. Il is
enough, Through these years, through these
days and nights, through sickness that almost
took you OF, through loses that put their foam,
ing mouth into The fountain of your strength aud
drank II dry, Gods hpiriL has been with you
But my text says he will net always strive
What Is the meaning Of thatH II Ia this! There
Is lire, a fatal line, beyond which a man NAV
not go, and YET find pardon. one inch this side
the iue there Is pardon, peace, hope and pleas.
ure. Que inch beyond that liue, no parduIi no
peace, no pleasure. That is the teaching of this
Blole, 1t was so with Jerusalem. jerusalem
stood forty years after its fate was sealed What
did Christ say2 "Oh, Jeru,alem Jerusalem
thou that killeth prophets aud StOutth them that
are sent unto thee how often would have gath.
cred thee as hen gathers her chickens under
her wing Behold, your house IL left deSolate'
The doom OF Jerusalem sealed, though IL stood
! for forty years atter"ard, l nave Aeen men who
seem to have given away the holy spirit of God
Teachabe on all other subjects, they could not
be taught on the great theme Of light minis
ter Of the Gospel came ~ man eighty years of
age aud presented him Christ "Oh," he said II
l. too late" What do you meau7" Why"
said he, when was twenty years Of age the
spirit OF God called to my heart. ! resisted him,
resisted him, and that spirit never called
agaiu" We'll said the minister, at certainly
IL not TOO late; shall pray with you7' Well"
he said, "it will DO 10 good ana nOtwthstand.
lug all the counsel given and all the prayers
offered in his behalf, his last words were |
know shall be Lost" Just as their may be
time between the sentence and day Of execution,
so suppose some men give away the Holy Spir,
II aud the doom is sealed though the day OF exc
CutiOn Is lOug after. You 20 through the forest
and you hnd that some trees are marked with
the ak. Tney are girded; they are TO be cut
down afIer awhile. They never grow any more
after they are girdlea. So there are some men
who are marked for death Their opportunities
for spiritual growth and life has passed. they are
girdled But" says some one III The house To.
day, do you suppose there is any one in this
building VINO has siuned away the day NJ grace,
and for whom there IL no m TCyf / do nSl
know; | think not for this reason, that az long
as man has any interest in religious thngs, any
anxiety for his SOUL the Holy spirit Is strong with
him, take II for granted that your coming here
to-day shows you have some belief In this Ttlig
ion, and some desire in the soul for It. aud 80
hOue that 1t ~ not the case with auy one IN this
building Bat know tn s.: That the liHe of the
grave is the line beyond which no i'm mpenitent
man can go and hnd mercy. There IL 10 place
IN the grave where you eau kueel down and Ray
your prayers, aud your II e cannot break the al.
eDce iu crying for mercy, Your friends may call
you; you cannot hear Their voices. The day OF
grace passed, the doom sealed; the door shut! l
COlne OelOre you, my dying yet i'm mortal friends
why dld you come III ee3 Was 1t merely ~
hear wnat odd Thugs the preacher would FAY
Mas II becauSeyOu W Te tired VI stay ing NJ homer
Was II because yOulwauttd To nee people IL may
seem to DO An accidental thing that Uu are hele
aud yet you know very we'll that in worldly
things that which is accidental sometim ls very
Important call that you once made decided
all your fUaDCal httIy; and now | am to tell
you that your coming in here 10 day, though II
may nave seemed 10 be accidental, IL to decide
your eternity God rays this moment IN his i'm.
mortal spirit go, speak 10 that man Kuocz at
the gates Ot his Soul, say ~ him, 4 come with
pardon for thy sin, with COmfurt fur thy trouble,
with deliVeTance for Thy bOndage'" You know
that Jesus Christ died Ia save YOU YOu know
that yOn are dying man. You know that there
Is no pillow soft In the laht hour, but he bosom
OF Jesus. You know that there are no hands that
can help you up the sleep Of heaven but the
hands OF Christ. You are Il captive. You want
w No'iSV AVu uhon against tiltA uOOF OF your
prison house; the door partially Wbens You al.
most get out but tie door slams shut agHlnsl
you, aud GTushes you against the door post On,
when viii the day OF dplivprSnce come wish
1t might come now. But AIN pOwerless. ON.
ntp0lent spirit OF God, seize that mau aud pull
him back from ruin. PAuI HIS feet ON the etes
nal rock. was reading Of two men who ware
amid the Alps, and one raid: "lhiS Is a veIy
dangerous place alOug her, r. On, no." said
the other, there " no peril NJ all" Aud while
they were standing there the ground began to
crumble aud the rocks 10 fall, Que man plunged
and petithed, aud the other, Just III time W save
himself threw his arm around tree and was
kept from falling over. 50 today the z Ouud
seems TO be slipping away from under us-Oue
opportunity Of salvation ls falling away from MS
On, throw thine arm around the cross That is
the only safety, tiny only dellveranCe thy only
hope, Cross that fatal line without thy sius being
tOr5lven, aud all ls lost, wish that the spirlt Ot
God wOult, Just ~ you take your little child up
IN your arms today, take this audience up into
the arms OF Chrlsts love aud compassion Aud
mercy. Forward into tue light, by COMPANIES