Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1888-02-20
3eligipns department.
How he Got Religion.

Uncle Zenas was converted late in
life, and always took his religion a
little hard; and he had SO long tus-
sic with his former self, and So much
turning square about in his old tracks
to do, that he never found himself
quite able to understand how anybody
else could slip suddenly and quietly,
and at the same time genuinely, into
the kingdom. Hence he always felt
a little nervous and troubled when an
evangelist came along who told the
people that it is 1.-THE easiest thing in
the world" to become Christian !;
that "all one need do is to feel sorry
for past sin, aud believe that he is
forgiven of God for Christ's sake,
and the work is DONE" He said 1t
made him think of Jer. 6 IA.
sit warn't done in my case," the
old man insisted, ''in that ere easy
and kind O. patent way. [ had to
sweat under conviction. | had to
groan under the wrath of an angry
God. | had to feel that | was in
danger of an eternal hell fire s; in fact
for the matter of that, for about a
week l don't expect | could have felt
much worse if I'd actually been
among the damned. couldn't sleep,
nor L couldn't read anything in the
Bible but some of them awful first
chapters in Romans, which, if they
ar'n't inspired, should like to have
somebody explain how any human
soul ever knew what was in other
human souls like that.
ssAnd when | did come out O that
tell you. It's nine and forty years
ago come the 30th of November next,
and yet remember it as distinct as
if it was yesterday. The full hunters
moon was a-shining on a light snow
that had fell-the first of the season
and, as [ was walkin' up to the
prayer-meetin' (fOr, bad as | was,
and bad as felt, it kind O comfort
ed me to go to prayer-meetin' just
as a starving chap might hang around
q hotel, within smell of food, think
ing somehow he might get a chance
for bite), it come to my mind what
my good old father once said, when
was a boy, on just such a night.
Says he, Genus, my son : and says
l, Yes, sir Says he, DO you see
that ere glorious moon? Says l,
In course | do, father WELL says
be, don't you never forget, not if you
| live to be as old as Methusalem, what
that full moon is there for well,
| | said, father, | dunno as | know
what you mean WELL he said,
when you go home, before you set
down to any apples and cider, do you
get out the great Bible, and look up
the 99th Psalm and the 37th verse
thereof, and there you'll find that
| God has sot the full moon up in heav-
as a faithful witness that He is faith
ful. So whenever you see the full
moon, you just believe that God will
do exactly what He says He will. II
He says He'll bless a man, He will
bless him if He says He'll cuss him
He will cuss him, and no mistake
about it.
"Well, L walked along, thinking oil
my dead father and wishing | haC
always done what he told me to; and
oh, how l did wish | could feel as he
felt that night ever SO many years
before, when he sot me on the track
of this full moon business All of {
sudden | turned corner of the roaC
that brought the shine of that full
moon square into my face, and, in the
glare of the white earth, it cen Almost
blinded me; and / said well, any
way, I'm glad God can be depended
upon even if He damns me (whC
richly deserve it). I'm glad there's
somebody that can be trusted and
wouldn't have it anybody else bu
Him, not if | had the arranging Of
the whole of it, Just at this minute
4 cutter passed me going up to meet
in, full of people, who, with a louC
and cheerful voice, were setting of
into a hymn that used to be sung il
them days =
| '' And is salvation brought near,
Wh-re sinful men expiring lie?
| Triumph, soul, the sound to hear,
And shout joyous to the sky!
II tell you [ never heard such mus
ic as that before. Why, with God''
witness in the Sky shining on it, al