Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1888-03-26


l lave also 10 "a. that if a man wants to
return from evil p actices society repulses
him. Desiring to reform. he says: Now,
will shake off my old associates, and will
find Christian companionship." And he ap-
pears 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 ever expected 10 see at church!
Come, take this scat right down by the
door" Instead of saying, Good morning
l am glad you are here. Come, will give
you first rate seat, right up by the pulpit. ="
Well, the prodigal, lot yet discouraged, en-
tiers a prayer meeting, and some Christian
man, with more zeal than common sense,
says: Glad TO see you; tine dying thief was
saved, and suppose there is mercy for you
The young man, dt'gnsted, chilled, throws
himself on his DIGNITY, resolved he will never
enter into the house of God again Perhaps
not quite fully discouraged about reforma-
ton, 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 mem-
Der OF Christian ASSOCIATION by the hand,
or tries to. The Christian young man looks
at him, looks at the faded apparel and the
marks of dissipation, instead of giving him
warm grip of the hand, offers him the tip
ends Of the long fingers of the left hand,
which Is equal to strikiI a man In the face,
Oh, how few Christian paople understand
how much force and gospel there is in a
good, honest hand shaking. Sometimes,
when vou have felt the need of encourage
ment, and some Christian man has taken
you heartily by the hand, have you not felt
thrilling through every fiber 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 a man tries TO return from evil courses
of conduct he runs against repulsions innu-
merable We say of some Ran, he lives a block
or two from the church, o. half mix. from
the church. There are people in our crowded
cities who live 900 miles from church Vast
deserts OF indifference between them and the
house of God. The fact is we must keep our
respectability, though thousands and tens of
thousands perish. Christ sat with publicans
and sinners. But if there came To the house
OF God man with r.arks of dissipation upon
him people almost threw mp their hands in
horror as much as to say: Isn't il shock
mgr How thess dainty, fastidious Chris
tians in all our churches are going to get into
heaven don't know. unless they have an es-
pecial train Of cars, cushioned and uphol-
stored. each one car TO himself. They can
not 60 with the great horde Of publcans and
sinners Oh! ye who curl your lip Of scorn
at the fallen, I tell you plainly, if you had
been surrounded by the same influences, in
stead of sitting today amid the cultured,
a,,l .hr,-
have been a crouching wretch in stable or
ditch, covered with filth and illumination.
It is not because you are naturally any bet
ter, but because the mercy of God has pro-
tected YOU Who are you, thst, brought up
in Christian circles and watched by Christian
parentage, You should be 50 hard on the
TALENT
think men also are often hindered from
return by the fact that churches are too aux
ious 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 sprinkliug
or immersion, and what kind of church he
Is going to join. Oh, my friends, it is q poor
time TO talk about Presbyterian cathechisms,
and Episcopal liturgies, and Methodist love
feasts, and baptistries to a man that is COM
ing out of the darkness of sin into the glori-
Gus light of the gospel. Why, it reminds me
of a man drowning i'll the sea, and life boat
puts out for him, and the man In the boat
says TO the man out Of the boat: Now, if l
get You ashore, are you going to live on my
streetF First get him ashore, and then talk
about the non-essentials of religion. VINO
cares what church he joins, if he only joins
Christ and starts Tor heaveni OH you ought
TO have, my brother, an illumined 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 dissipaticns shake
the book, remembering that ''he that CON
vegteth a sinner from the error of his ways
shall save soul from death and hide n mul-
titude of sins"
Now, have shown you these obstacles be-
cause 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 shaclles may be unriyeted, and
how the paths of virtue forsaken may be re-
gained. First of all, my brother, throw
yourself ON God. Go to him frankly, and
and tell Him these habits you have,
and ask him if there is any help in all tre
resources of onlnipotent love, to give it to
you. Do not go with long ri2marole people
,all prayer made up of ''ohs,' and ''ahs,n y and
forever and ever, aInens." GO to God and cry
'or help! help. helpI and if you cannot cry
'or help, just look and live. remember in
he late war, was at Antietam, and went
nto the hospitals after the battle and said to
man: Where are you hurt.' He made no
answer but held up his arm, swollen ami
plintored I saw where he was burt. The
imple fact is, when a man has wounded
oul, all be has to do is to hold il up before a
Lord and get it healed 1t does
rot take any long prayer. Just hold up the
wound. Oh, il is no small thing when man
$ nervous and weak and exhausted, coming
rom his evil ways, to feel thn, God puts two
'mDipotent arms around him, and says:
Young man will stand by YOU The mount
Iins may depart, and the hills be removed, but
will never fail YOU" And then as the soul
kinks the news is too good to be true, and
annot believe il, and looks up in Gods face,
ind lifts His right hand and takes an oath,
II affidavit, saving: AS | live, saith the |
ord God. have no pleasure in the death of |
im that dieth.- blessed be God for such |
7ospel as this. Cut 1he slices thin said the
'ife to the husband, ''or there will not De |
nOugh TO go all around tor iI.e children; CIT |
he slices thin" Blessed be God there is |
ull loaf for every one that wants it, Breed |
nougi and TO spare. No thin slices at the |
1ordS table. | remember when the Master |
'tTeet hospital, in Philadelphia, was opened
iurins the war, a telegram came, saying:
There will be 800 wounded men tonight; be
ready to take care OF them;r and from my
'hurch there went in some twenty or thirty
men and women TO look after these poor
fellows. As they came, some from
'ne part of the land, some from another, no
'ne asked whether this man WAS from Ore
son, or from Massachusetts, or from Mime
'ota, or from New York. There was q
soldier, and the only question was
low to Ike off the rags the most gently, and
vi, on the bandase, and administer the
,ordial- And when soul comes to God, He
ns1- H.. -