The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1888-03-30


Jet every one who is speeding on bad ways
understand he is not riding a docile and
well broken steed, but he is riding monster
wild and bloodthirsty, going at death leap
How many there are who resolve 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
againI" Years ago, there were some Prince
ton 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 entirely to leave
the place. But one young man with bravado,
after all the rest had stopped, cried out:
"One round moreF' 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. It is the one round more.
have also to say that if man wants to
return from evil practices society repulses
him. Desiring to reform, he says: "Now,
win shake off my old associates, and / viii
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 here7 You are the
last man ever expected to see at church,
Come, take this seat right down by the
door" Instead of saying, 'Good morning;
/ am glad you are here. Come, I will give
you a first rate seat, right up by the pulpit"
Well, the prodigal, not yet discouraged, en-
tiers a 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, 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 a 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 a
warm grip of the hand, offers him the tip
ends of the long fingers of the left hand,
which is equal to striking man in the facet
Oil how few Christian people understand
how much force and gospel there is in a
good, honest hand shaking. Sometimes,
when you 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 man, he lives block
or two from the church, or half mile 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
Responsibility, though thousands and tens Of
thousands perish. Christ sat with publicans
and sinners. But if there came to the house
of God q man with rIarks of dissipation upon
him people almost threw up their hands in
horror, as much as to say: Isn't it shock
mgr How these 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 go with the great horde of publicans and
sinners. Obi yc who curl your lip of scorn
at the fallen, / tell you plainly, if you had
been surrounded by the same influences, in
stead of sitting today amid the cultured,
and the refined, and the Christian, you would
have been a crouching wretch in stable or
ditch, covered with filth and abonination.
It is not because you are naturally any bet
ter, but because the mercy of God has pro-
tected you. Who are you, that, brought up
in Christian circles and watched by Christian
parentage, you should be 30 hard ON the
fallen?
/ think men also are often hindered from
return by the fact that churches arc too anx-
ious about their membership and too anxious
about their denomination, and they rush out
when they sec q man about to give up his sin
and return to God, and nSk him how he is
going to be baptized, whether by E?rinkling
or immersion, and what kind of q church he
is going to join. Obi my friends, it is poor
time to talk about Presbyterian cathecnisms,
and Episcopal liturG;es, and Methodist love
fcasts, and baptistIies to a Ill:I that is COM
ing out of tho darkness of sin inso tho glori-
Gus light of the gospel. Why, it rcm;Ids me
of man drowning in the sea, and Life boat
puts out for him, and the man in the boat
says TO the man out of the boat: Snow, if
get you ashore, are you going to live on my
streetg' First get him ashore, and then talk
about the non-essentials Of religion. Who
cares what church he joins, if he. only joins
Christ and starts for heavenl Obi you ought
to have, my brother, an illumined faco and
hearty grip for every one that tries to turn
from his evil way Take hold of the same
book with him though his designations shake
the book, remembering that 'ho that con-
verteth sinner from the error of his ways
shall save a soul from death and hide null
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 shackles may be uIlrive5ed, AMI
how the paths of virtue forsal1on may be re-
gained 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 tire
resources of omnipotent love, to give it 10
you. Do not 60 with long rigrnarolc people
call prayer made up of "ohs,n and ''ahs," and
'tforever and ever, amensln Go to God and cry
for helpl helpI helpl and if you cannot cry
for help, Just look and live. l remember in
the late war, i was at Antietam, and l went
into the hospitals after the battle and said to
a man: Where are you hurti" 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 a
sympathetic Lord and get it healed 1t does
not take any long prayer. Just hold up the
wound. Oh, it Is no small thing when man
Il nervous and weak and exhausted, coming
from his evil ways, to feel that God puts two
omnipotent arms around him, and says:
"Young man will stand by you. Themount-
aims may depart, and the hills be removed, but
r e,il tbou