The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1888-06-14

NV brother. you are the one ! want to
preach to this morning. have been
looking for you. / will tell you how YOU
got astray 1t was not maliciousness on
your part IT was perhaps through the
geniality and sociality of your nature
that you fell into SIM You wandered
away from your duty, you unconsclously
left the house of God; you admit the Gospel
to be true, and yet you have so grievously
and so prolongealy wandered, you say rescue
is impossible.
1t would take week to count up the names
of those In heaven who were on earth worse
than you tell me you are, They went the whole
round or iniquity they disgraced themselves
they disgracel their household, they descaired
of return because their reputation was gone,
their property was gone, everything was gone:
but in some hour like this they heard the voice
of God, and threw themselves OH the divine
compassion, and rose up more than con-
ouerors And tell you there is the same
chance for YOU. That is one reason why
like to preach this Gospel, so free Goseel,
SO tremendous a Gospel 1t takes man all
wrong, and makes him all right:
In former settlement where preached,
member of my congregation quit the house OF
God, quit respectable circles, went into all
styles OF sin, and was slain of his iniquity. The
day for his burial came, and his body was
brought to the house of God. Some OF his COM
rades who had destroyed him were overheard
along tho street, on the way to the burial,
saying: Come let us go and bear Talmage
damn this old sinner!" Oh! had nothing
but tears for the dead, and had nothing
but invitations for the living You see
could not do otherwise. "Christ Jesus
came to seek and save that which was lost. )"
Christ in his dying prayer said; Rather:
forgive them,n and that was prayer for yot
| and for me. Oh! start on the road to heaven
| to-day. You are not happy. The thirst OF youi
l,,e lnl-, nfoin Of
sin. You turn everywhere but to God for
help. Right where you are, call on Him. He
knows you, He knows ali about you, He
knows all the odds against which you have
been contending in life. Do not go to Him
with long rigmarole of prayer, but just
look up and say Help! Hepm
But you say: "My hand trembles so from
nv dissipations can't even take hold Of
hymn book to sing" Do not worry about
that. nv brother: 7 will give ont a
nymn at the close so familiar you
can sing it without a book. But you
say: 81 have such terrible habits on me
l can't get rid of them" My answer is;
Almighty grace can break up that haolt, ana
will break it up. But you say: 1.-The wrong
did was to one dead and in heaven now, and
can't correct that wrong" You can correct
it. By the grace of God, go into the presence
of that one, and the apologies you ought to
have made on earth make in heaven
"oh" says some man, IF / should Isa,,
from my evil doing unto the Lord,
would be jostled, ! would be driven
back; nobody would have any sympathy
for me-" You are mistaken. Here, in
the presence of the church on earth and
in heaven, | give you to-day the right hand
OF Christian fellowship. Gol sent me here
to-day to preach this, and he sent you here
to hear this: "Let the wicked forsake his
| on1 tba ,,priOhtoOus ms his tnOupht.
and let him return unto the Lord, who
will have mercy, and unto our God,
who will abundsntly pardon" Though
you may have been the worst sinner,
you may become the best saint. and in
the great day. Of judgement it vii
be found that "where, sin aboundei !,
grace does much more abound, AMI while
the spoils of an everlasting kingdom arc
being awarded for your pursuit, it will be
found that the lame took the prey. Blessed
be God that we are, this Sabbath one week
nearer the oblteration Of all the inequalitie:
of this life and all its disquetudes.
Years ago, on boat on the Mort!
river, the pilot gave a very sharp ring tt
the bell for the boat to slow up. The
engineer attended to the machinery, and
then he came up with some alarm on
deck to see what was the matter. He
saw it was moonlight night, and there
were no obstacles in the way He wen
ring the bell in that ways Why dt
you want to stop, there's nothing
the matter" and the pilot said Il
him "There is mist gathering
on the river; don't you see that? and there !!
night gathering darker and darker, and
can't see the way" Then the ngneer, look
ing around and seeing it was a bright moon
light, looked into the face of the pilot anc
saw that he s~as dying, and then that he was
dead.
God grant that when our last moment
comes we may be found at our post doins
our whole duty; ard when the mists of tn,
river of death gather on our eyelids. may th'
good Pilot take the wheel from our hand
and guide us into the calm harbor of eterna
rest!
Drop the anchor, furl the sail;
am safe within the vale.