Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1888-04-06

ing docile and well-broken steed, but he
is riding a monster, wild and bloodthirsty,
going at n death leap. How many there
are who resolve on better life, and say
when shall / awake:" But. seized or
by their old habits, cry: Il will try il
once more; / will seek it yet again.
Years ago there were some Princeton
students who we're skating, and the ice
was very thin, and some one warned the
finally warned them entirely to leave the
place. But one young man with bravado,
after all the rest had stopped, cried out
"One round more!" He swept around,
and went down, and was brought out a
corpse. My friends. there are thousands
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 te
return from evil practices, society repulses
him. Desiring to reform, he says: "Now
will shake OFF my old associates, and l
will find Christian companionship." And
he appears at the church door some Sab
| bath day, and the usher greets him with a
look, as much as to say: 'Whv. You here?
Yon are the last man ] ever expected to
see at church. Come, take that seat right
down by the door" Instead of saying:
Good morning: j am glad you are here.
Come: will give you first rate seat,
right up by the pulpit" Well, the prodi-
gal, not yet discouraged, enters prayer
meeting, and some Christian man, with
more zeal than common sense, says:
"Glad to see you; the dying thief was
saved, and suppose there is mercy for
YOU" The young man, disguised, chilled,
will never enter into the house of God
again. Perhaps not quite fully discour-
| aged about reformation, he sides up by
some highly respectable man he used to
! know, going down the street, and immedi-
ately the respectable man has an errand
down some other street. Well, the prod-
gal 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 apparel and the
marks of dissipation, instead of giving
the tip ends of the long fingers of the left
hand, which is equal to striking man i'll
the face. OH how few Christian people
understand how much force and gospel
there is in good, honest hand shaking.
Sometimes, when you have felt the need
of encouragement, 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 en-
couragement 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 repulsions innumerable.
We say of some man, he lives block or
two from the church, or half Il mile from
the church. There are people in our
crowded cities who live thousand miles
from church. Vast deserts of indifference
between them and the house of God. The
fact is we must keep our responsibility,
though thousands and tens of Thousands
perish. Christ sat with publicans and sin
ners. But if there came to the house of
God a man with marks of dissipation upon
him, people almost threw up their hands
in horror. as much as to say: "Isn't it
shocking?" How these dainty, fastidious
Christians in oil our churches are going to
get into Heaven l don't know, unless they
have an especial train of cars, cushioned and
upholstered. each one a car to himself.
They cannot go with the great horde of
publicans and sinners. Oh! ye who curl
your lips and 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
crouching wretch in stable or ditch, covered
with filth and abomination. 1t is not be-
cause you are naturally any better, but be-
cause the mercy of God has protected you.
Who are You that, brought up in Christian
circles and watched by Christian parents,
you should be 80 hard ON the fallen?
1 think men also are often hindered
from return by the fact that churches are
too anxious about their membership, and
! too anxious about their donations, and
rush out when they see q 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 immereion-and
what kind of church he is going to join.
Oh! my friends, it is poor time to talk
about Presbyterian catachisms, and
Episcopal liturgies, and Methodist love
feasts, and baptistries to man that is
coming out of the darkness Of sin into the
glorious light of the gospel. Why, it re.
minds me of man drowning in the sea,
| and lifeboat puts out for him, and the
man in the boat says to the man out of the
boat: Nov, ii get you ashore, are you
going to live on my street," First get him
ashore, and then talk about the non. es-
sentials of religion. Who cares what
church he joins, if he only joins Christ
and starts for Heaven? Oh! you ought to
have, my brother, an illuminated face and
hearty grip for every one that tries to turn
from his evil way. Take hold Of the same
oooh Will ulu tuouSu us ulSSlpuI1OQS
shake the book, remember that che that
converteth sinner from the error of his
ways shall save soul from death and hide
a 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 I'M
rlveted, 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 the resources o. om-
| nipotent love, to give it to you. Do not go
with long rigmarole people call prayer,
made up of "ohs," and "ahs," and "forever
, and forever, amens!" Go to God aud cry
Tor help! help! help! and, il you cannot
Cry for help, Just look and live. / re-
member, in the late war, l was at Antietam.
and L went into the hospitals after the
battle and said to man: where are YOU
hurt" He made no answer but held up
his arm, swollen and splintered. saw
where he was hurt. The simple fact is.
when man has a wounded soul, all he
has TO do is to hold it up before sympa-
tnetlc Lord and get it healed. 1t does not
lake any long prayer. just hold up the
wound Oh, it is no small thing when a