Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1886-12-06


is a sculptured representation of Bachcus,
the god of revelry. He is riding on a
panther at full leap. Oh, how suggestive!
Let everyone who is speeding on bad ways
understand he is not riding docile and
well-broken steed, but he is riding a mon
ster, wild and blood-thirsty, going at a
death leap. How many there are who re-
solve on better life and say: when
shall awaken but, seized on by their
old habits, cry: 81 will try it once more;
will seek it yet againr Years ago there
were from Princeton students who were
skating, and the ice was very thin, and
some one warned the company back from
the air-hole, and finally warned them en-
tirely to leave the place. But young man
with bravado, after all the rest had stopped,
cried out lone round morem He swept
around and went down, and was brought
out corpse. My friends, there are thous-
ands and tens of thousands of men losing
their souls in that way. 1t is the one
round more
have also to say that if man wants to
return from evil practices
SOCIETY REFUSES HIM.
Desiring to reform, he says: "Now, l
will shake of my old associates, and will
find Christian companionship." And he
appears at the church door some Sabbath
day, and the usher greets him with look,
as much as to say: why, you here?
You are the last man l ever expected to see
at church! Come, take this seat right
down by the dOorr' instead of saying:
I oil har
Come; l will give you first-rate seat,
right up by the pulpit" Well, the prod
igal, not yet discouraged, enters a
prayer meeting, and some Christian man,
with more zeal than common
sense, says: "Glad to see you. The dying
thief was saved, and l suppose there is
mercy for you" The young man, dis
gusted, 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 some highly respectable man
he used to know, going down the street,
and Immediately the respectable man has
an errand down some other street! Well,
the prodigal, wishing to return, takes some
member of Christian association by the
hand. or tries to. The Christian young
man looks at him, looks at the faded ap-
parel and the marks of dissipation. and in
stead of giving him warm grip of the
hand, offers him the tip end of the long
fingers of the lett hand, which is equal to
striking man in the face.
oh, how few Christian people understand
how much force and gospel there is in
GOOD, HONEST HANDsHAKING!
Sometimes, when you have felt the need
of encouragement, and some Christian
man has taken you heartily by the hand,
have you not felt that thrilling through
every fibre of your body, mind and soul,
an encouragement that was just what you
needed? You do not know anything at
all about this unless you know when
man tries to return from evil courses OF
conduct he runs against repulsohs innum-
erable. We say of some man he lives
block or two from the church or half a
mile from the church. There are people
in our crowded cities who live thousand
miles from church. Vast deserts ofin-
difference between them and the house OF
God The fact is, we must keep our re-
spectability, though thousands and tens
of thousands perish. Christ sat with pub
licans and sinners. But If there came to
the house of God man with marks OF dis
sipation upon him, people almost threw
up their hands in horror, rs
much rs to say: Isn't it shock
ing?" 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 q car TO himselfl
They cannot 90 with the great herd of
publicans aud sinners. o We, who curl
your lip of scorn at the fallen, tell you
plainly, if you had been surrounded by
the same influences, instead of sitting to-
day amid the cultured, and the refined,
and the Christian, you would have been a
cr0uching wretch in stable or ditch, COW
cred with filth and abomination! 1t is
not because you are naturally any better
but because the mercy of God has protect
ed you. Who are you that, brought up in
Christian circles, and watched by Chris
tian parentage. you should be so hard on
the fallen?
think men are often hindered from return
by the fact that
CHURCHES ARE TOO ANXIOUS
about their membership, and too anxious
about their denomination, and they rush
out when they see a man about TO give up
his sin and return to God, and ask him
how he is going to be baptized, whether
by sprinkling or immersion, and what
kind of church he is going to join. o
Ii -, 4, tn fo1l oh
Presbyterian catechisms, and Episcopal
liturgies, and Methodist love feasts, and
baptistries, to a man that is coming out of
the darkness of sin into the glorious light
of the Gospel Why, it reminds me Of a
man drowning in the sea, and life boat
puts out for him, and the man i'll the
boat says to the man out OF the boat:
Now, if get you ashore are you going
to live in nv street," First get him
ashore and then talk about the non-essen-
tials of religion. Who cares what church
he joins, if he only joins Christ and starts
for Heaven? o, you ought to have, my
brother, an illumed face and hearty grip
for every one that tries to turn
from his evil way. Take hold Of the same
book with him, though his dissipations
shake the book, remembering that he that
converteth sinner from the error of his
ways shall save a soul from death, and hide
q multitude of sins.
Now, have shown you these obstacles
because / want you to understand / 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 for
saken may be regained.
First of all, my brother,
THROW YOURSELF on GOD.
Go to Him frankly and earnestly, and tell
Him these habits you have, and ask Him
if there is any help in all the resources OF
omuipotent love, to give it to you. Do
not 90 with long rigmarole people call
prayer, made up of ''ohs" and "ahs'' aud
forever and forever amens" Go to
God and cry for help! help! help! and
if you cannot cry for help just
look and live. l remember in the late
war was at Antietam, and | went into
the hospitals after the battle, and | said