Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1886-12-16

mercy Tor YOUR The young man disguised,
chilled, throws himself back on his dignity,
resolved he never will enter the house Of God
again. Perhaps not quite fully discouraged
about reformation he sides up by come highly
respectable man he used to know, going down
the street, and Immediately the respectable
man has an errand down some other street.
REFUSED THE CHRISTIAN HAND.
Wen the prodigal wishing to return, takes
the hand, or tries to. The Christian young
man looks at him, looks at the faded apparel
and the marks OF dissipation, and instead Of
giving MIN warm grip Of the bssN offers him
the TIP end OF the long fingers ofS Y left hand,
which is equal to striking man inahe face.
o, how few Christian people understand
how much force and gospel there is In good,
honest Misunderstanding Sometimes, when you
nave felt the need OF encouragement and some
Christian man has taken you heartily By the
hand, have you not felt that thrilling through
every fiber Of your body, mind and soul, an
| encouragement that was just what you need
| edf You do not know anything at all about
| this unless you know when a man tries TO re-
turn from evil courses OF conduct he runs
against repulsions innumerablc. We say of
some man he lives a block or two from the
church or half mile from the church. There
are people in our crowded cities who live a
thousand miles from church. Vast deserts of
indifference between them and the house of
uoi The fact Is. We must keep our respect
ability, though thousands and tens Of thou
sands perish. Christ sat with publicans and
sinners. But If there came to the house OF
TOD man with marks OF dissipation upon
MIN, people almost threw up their hands in
horror, as much as to say. .'isn'tit shocking i,
How these dainty fastidious Christians in all
our churches are going to get into heaven /
don't know, unless they have an especial
train of cars, cushioned and upholstered,
each one car to himself. They can not 60
with the great herd OF pubcans and sinners.
HOW NOT TO WIN SINNERS.
Dye. who curl your lip of scorn at the
fallen, tell you plainly. If you had been sur
rounded by the same influences, instead Of sit
ting to-day amid the cultured and the refined
and the Christians you would have been
crouching wretch In stable or ditch, covered
with filth and abomination! 1t Is not because
you are naturally any better, but because the
mercy OF God has protected you. Who are
you that, brought up in Christian circles and
watched by Christian parentage, that you
should be so hard on the falens
think men also are often hindered from re-
turn by the fact that churches are too anxious
about their membership and too an xious about
their denomination, and they rush cut when
they see man about to give up his sin
and return to God and ask him how he is
going TO be haptised, whether by sprinkling or
immersion, and what kind of church he is go.
ing to join, o, my friends! it is poor time
to talk about Presbyterian catechsms and
Episcopal liturgies and Methodists love feasts
and baptsteries to man that is coming out of
the darkness OF sin into the glorious light OF
the gospel Why, it reminds me of man
drowning in the sea and life-boat puts out
for him and the man In the boat saws to the
man out Of the boat: Nov, IL get you
a ashore are you going to live in my streetr
First get him ashore and then then talk about
the non-esscntials of religion. Who cafes
what church he joins, If he only Joins Christ
aud starts for heaven! o, YOU ought to have,
my brother! an illumined face aud hearty
grip for every one that tries to turn from his
evil way. Take hold of the same book with
him, though his d ssipations shake the book,
remembering that he that couverteth sinner
from the error of his ways shall save soul
from death and hide multitude of sins
now TO REGAIN THE LIGHT.
NOW, have shown you these obstacles be-
cause want you to understand l know all
the difficulties in the way; but am now to
tell you how Hannibal may scale the Alps,
and how the shackles may be unriveted, and
how the paths of virtue forsaken may be re-
gained.
First of all, my brother throw yourself on
God. Go to Him frankl, and earnestly, and
tell Him these habits you have, and ask Him
If there is any help in all the resources of ON
nipotent love, to give it to you. Do not go
made up of ''Ohsg' and "AhsW and Forever
and forever amensr Go to God and cry for
help! helpl helpl and if you can not cry for
help just look and live. | remember In the
late war was at Antietam. and | went into
the hospitals after the battle, and / said to a
man: where are you hurt!" He made no an
swer, but held up his arm, swollen and splint-
cred. / saw where he was hurt The simple
fact is, when man has wounded soul, all
he has to do is to hold it up before a sympa-
thetic Lord and get it healed. II does not
tai I,,ct h.ll he
wound. o! 1t is no small thing when a man
is nervous, and weak and exhausted coming
from his evil ways, to feel that God puts two
Omnipotent arms around about him and saws;
Young man, will stand by you. The noun
tains may depart and the hills be removed,
but will never fail you" And then, as the
soul thinks the news is too good to be true,
and can not believe it, and looks NJ In Gods
face God lifts His right land and takes an
oath, an affidavit, saying: "As live, saith the
Lord God, have no pleasure In the death Of
him that dicth."
PARDON FOR ALL GUILT.
Blessed be God for such a gospel as this !
"Cut the slices thin,'' said the wife to the hus-
band, ,'or there will not be enough to GO, all
around for the children; cut the slices thin"
Blessed be God there is full loaf for every
one that wants 1t; bread enough and to spare.
No thin slices at the Lords table. renem-
Der when the Master street hospital, in Phila-
delphia, was opened during the war, a tee-
ed men tonight; be ready to take care of
Them" and from my church there went in some
twenty or thirty men and women to look after
these poor wounded fellows. As they came,
some from one part of the land, some from
another no one asked whether this man was
from Oregon, or from Massachusetts, or from
Minnesota, or from New York. There was
wounded soldier, and the only question was
how to take off the rags most gently, and put
on the bandage, and administer the cordial.
A 1,,Elh.. sN,.l. tS,( l.N1
ask where you came from or what your an
cestry was. Healing for all your wounds.
Pardon for all your guilt. Comfort for al,
your troubles,
Then also counsel you, if you want to get
back, to quit all your bad associations. One
unholy intimacy will fill your soul with moral
distemper. In all ages of the church there
has not been an instance where man kept
one evil associate and was reformed. Among
the l. 400, 000, 600 Of the race not one instance.
Go home to-day, open your DESK take out
letter paper, stamp and envelope, and then
write letter something like this:
M, Ny cid eompanions: / start this day for heaven
SEEKING CHRISTIAN ADVICE.
Then sign your name, and send the letter
with the first post Give up YOUR bad COM
panions, or give up heaven. 1t is not ten bad
companions that destroy man, nor five bad
companions, nor three bad companions, but
one. What chance is there for that young
man l saw along the street, four or five young
men with him. hating in front of grogshop,
urging him to go in, he resisting, violently re-
sisting, until after while they forced him to
go in! 1t was summer night, and the door
was left open, and saw the process. They
held him fast, and they put the cup to his
lips, and they forced down the strong drink.
What chance is there for such a Young man.
counsel you also, seek Christian advice.
Every Christian man is bound to help you. II
you find no other human ear willing to listen
to your story Of struggle, come to me and /
will, by every sympathy of my heart, and
every prayer, and every toll Of my hand, stand
beside you in the struggle for reformation;
and as / hope to have my own sins forgiven
and hope TO be acquitted at the judgment seat
Of Chiist, will not betray you. First Of all
seek God; then seek Christian counsel. Gather
up all the energies of body, mind and soul,
and, appealing to God for success, declare this
day everlasting war against all drinking
habits all gaming practices, all houses of sin.
Half-and-half work will amount to nothing 1t
must be q Waterloo. Shrink back now and
you are lost Push on and YOU are saved. A