The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1880-05-13

home no more a matter OF choice than
whether by the grace of the Eternal
God you shall accept Christ as your per-
sonal savior, or reject him, | want yon,
dear friends, to understand that in all
the army of bann RS there il not one
Conscript No man is ever dragooned
into heaven, and all the hosts OF The
elect, whose weapons ring against the
shields of sin, and all the baitering rams
that are hurled against the fortresses OF
darkness, there is not one soldier VINO
will not say to you Il chose Christ as
my captain; | wanted TO be under His
banner; wanted to join in Hi, great
victory" So that | throw over on you
my hearers. the whole responsibility Of
your eternal salvation. You are this
moment invited; but remember you
must have the same concentration of en-
thusissm which you employ in worldly
business, if you are to secure the saliva
ton of your immortal soul Further, we
want more common sense in the promo
tion of our religious hope. if the faith Of
God has really been implanted within
us. There are people in This house who
have been running the Christian forty
years, but they have not run qnarter u
a mile. There is not man in this house
engaged in business who would be sd is
fed to leave his property unAcrumulat.
eH. If you put one dollar in an invest
ment, you expect that dollar to come
home, bringing another dollar with it.
You read the morning papers, and see
at glance whether your investment is
rising or falling But, OIL how many OF
US Christians make the eternal invest
ment, and seem to be entirely indiffer-
ent as to whether it has accumulated.
You are like man who should invest
$4,000 in monetary institution, and
should go off five years, never asking a
question concerning the investment;then
at the end of FIVE years come up and say
to the cashier of the institution: Have
you kept safely the $4,000 l gave you
five years ago2" making no inquiry as to
dividend or interest. "Oh, that would
be Jack of common sense" you say.
Yet that is what we are all doing-in re
gard TO spiritual investments. We don't
know whether we are going ahead or fall
ing back. We seem to be satisfied with
what little we get; but as to the magnif
cent dividends God declares, how few of
US 60 up to get them? Oh, how little
common sense we use in Bible research,
without which exercise Of duty we can
not advance in the Christian life. How
few of US Christians take up our Bible
and say: "What does this book mean to
teach me2" Why, it was written to get
the world converted and get us all into
heaven. / suppose there are scores of
people in this house who only believe in
part Of the Bible. Here is man 90.
ing over a mountain. Night falls and he
is lost. He sees light in a cabin window
and hastens to it. The mountalneer
comes out and says, Il will furnish you
lantern" The man don't say: 81 don't
like the handle, and l don't like the
shape of this lantern; it is octangular; it
ought to be round; if you can't give me
better one won't take any" Oh, mol
He starts on with il; he wants to get on
nome. That lantern shines on the path
all the way through the mountain. Now,
what is the Bible2 Have we any right
to say we do not like this or that in it.
when God intended 1t 'as light to our
feet and lamp for our pathway" thro'
our wilderness march and bring us at
last to our Fathers house on high? How
do we treat our Bibles then? When do
we read them? If we get hold Of any
powerful literary or secular subject, we
want to be wide awake; we take in the
best hour of the day. We take up cur
Bible, and hardly know whether it is
right side up, and our drowsy eyes per-
haps fall on the story Of Samson and the
foxes, or the genealogical table, which
/, good in its place, but will never kim
die devotion If the Bible is worth read
ing at all, it is worth reading at the best
hour of the day, and when we are wild.
est awake. On, that We had as much |
sense in the reading of the BIZ |
BILE as in other books And how little |
sense we employ in regard to |
prayer. We stand before God and say:
20, Lord, give US this; or give US that"
and three fOurths of the time we do not
get it, and we are not surprised. Call |
that prayerl 1t is an insult 10 the Lord |
Almighty. If merchant writes or tel.
egraphs for goods to a foreign city, ask.
ing to have them sent on certain day,
and by express; when that day comes
be sends his wagon to the depot. The
man, coming back, says the package has
not arrived. You are surprised, con.
You telegraph to the city say.
ing, What does it mean2 Those goods
haven't come. l want them; and want
hem now, and you keep going to the
express office, and telegrsphing till you
ind out" But here we send every day
Up to God for some great blessing. We
10 not get it. We do not know whether
t has come or not. We seem to be in.
litferent. In other words we have more
off ience in wholesale dealer in an
earthly city than we have in the oath of
he eternal God, who has promised to
'nswer all the prayers of His dear child
EN-. Oh, if we had more common sense
II the matter of prayer, as we'll as Bible
esearCh, and in the discharge of our
christian duties, we would be a great
ieaI further on toward the gate of heav-
IN than we are, any of us. And we want
more common sense in our attempts at
iOlhB 6OOu' A4OW luduy uu6u Ju6T6 are
Who are straining all their energies to
10 good! They are praying and exhort-
ng, and singing and preaching, but,
omehow, people are not converted and
70 good accomplished, while some man
With tenth part of the intellect comas
p and does great things for the Lord.
What is the CauseP Perhaps the one
nan IL arrogant in his manner, whether
# not he is at heart. Perhaps he is pat.
Perhaps he does not exercise
ommon sense in his approache: to men.
lie may seem by his manner to say to
he impenitent: Don't you wish YOU
7ere as good as | am? Why, l have to
ook clear down before l can see where
ou are!" A patronzing spirit always
isgusts men and drives them away from
he Gospel. Oh, for more common sense
. approaching men on the great themes
+ religion! Why is it that you are re,
ufeoP Why is it that sometimes men
ominO IN talk nf tho kinOdono IF Ia.us |