Milford chronicle., 1888-07-06
MILFORD, DEL, FRIDAY, JULY 6, 1888.
NC - of aotIereIcn rriice arlsa.

which l committed when was about twenty
years Of age that 1 never forgave myself for,
and can't feel happy when I think Of it. y
He said that one sin sometimes came over his
heart, and blotted out all his hope Of heaven.
Why, he lacked In faith. The grace that can
forgive a small sin can forgive a large sin
Mighty to save Mighty to save. Who is
tho God like unto our God, that pardoneth
iniouityl o, what Jesus is to the soul that
believes in himi The soul looks up into
Christs face and says; ITO what egtent
wilt thou forgive meq' And Jesus looks back
into his face alel says; ITO the utter1nost." ="
The soul says; "yVill it never be brought up
againgn Never says Christ. "Won't it
be brought up again in Judgment DayP
''Nc,n says Christ, "never in the judgment
Day. What bread is TO the hungry, what
harbor is tothe bestormed, what light is to
the blind, what liberty is to tho captive,
that, and more than that, is Christ TO the man
who trusts him.
Just try to get Christ away from that
Christian. Put on that man tho thumb
screw Twist it until the bQnes crack. Put
that foot into the iron boot Of persecution until
it is mashed to pulp. Stretch that man on
the rack Of the Inquisition, and louder than
all the uproar Of the prosecutors, you viii
hear his voice like the voice of Alexander Le
Croix, above the cracking fagots as he cried
out: 80 Jesusl o, my blessed Jesusl o,
divine Jesusl who would not die for theer
Again: l remark that Christ is precious to
the believer, as a friend. You have CONNER
cial friends and you have family friends. To
the commercial friend you go when you have
business troubles. You can look back to
some day-it may have been ten or twenty
years ago-when. if YOU had not had that
friend, you would have been entirely over
thrown in business. But want to tell you
this morning Of Jesus, the best business
friend a man ever had. He can pull you
out OF the worst perplexities. There are
people in this audience who have got in
the habit Of putting down all their
worldly troubles at the feet of Jesus. Why,
Christ meets the business alan on tbs st1set
and says: 80, business man, know oil thy
troubles 1 will be with thee. Twill see thee
through" Look out how you try 70 corner
or trample on a man who is backed up by the
Lord God Almighty. Look out how you
trample on him. o, there is a flnancier that
many of our business men have not found
out Christ owns all the boards Of trade, all
tho insurance companies and all the banking
houses. They say that the Vanderbilts own
the railroads; but Christ owns the Wander
bilts and the railroads, and all the plottings
Of stock gamblers shall be put TO confusion,
and God with his little finger shall wipe out
their infamous projects. How often it has
been that we have seen men gather up riches
by fraud, in a pyramid Of strength and
beauty, and the Lord came and blew on it
and it was gone; while there are those here
today who, if they could speak out in this as
semblage, or dared to speak out, would say;
"The best friend had in 1887; the best friend
I had in 1857; tho best friend l had at the
opening of the war; tho best friend I ever
had has been the Lord Jesus Christ. Iwould
rather give up all other friends than this
one"
But we have also family friends. They
come in when We have sickness in the house
hold. Perhaps they say nothing, but they
sit down and they weep as the light goes out
from the bright eyes and the white petals of
the lily are scattered in the blast Of death.
They watch through the long night by the
dying couch, and then, when the spirit has
gone, soOth you with great comfort They
say: Don't cry. Jesus pities you. All is
well. You will meet the lost ono again"
Then, when your son went off, breaking your
heart, did they not come and put the story in
tho very best shape and prophecy the return
of the prodigall Were they not i'll your
house when the birth angel tapped its wings
over your dwelling2 And they havo been
there at the baptisms and at the weddings
Family friendsl But have to tell you thai
Christ is the best family friend. Oh,
blessed is that cradle over which Jesua
bends. Blessed is that nursery where Jesua
walks Blessed is that sick brow from which
Jesus wipes the dampness. Blessed is that
table where Jesus breaks the bread. Blessed
is that grave where Jesus stands with his
SCARED feet on the upturned sod, saying: II
am the resurrection and the life; he that be-
lieveth in me, though he were dead, yet shall
he live" Have you a babe in the housei
Put it into the arms of the great Child
Lover. Is there sick enc in the housei
Think Of him who said: "Damsel, arise"
Are you afraid you will come to wanti Think
of him who fed the five thousand Is there
a little one in your house that you are afraid
will be blind or deaf or lame2 Think of
him who touched the blinded eye and
snatched back the boy from epileptic con-
vulsion. Oh, he is the best friend. Look
over your family friends today and find an
other that can be compared to him. When
we want our friends they are sometimes
Oub OF LoWu. AlIiSb IS always III LuMAls
We find that some will stick TO us in
prosperity who will not in adversely.
But Christ comes through darkest night,
and amid ghastly sorrow, and across
toughest sea, to comfort you. There are
men and women here who would have been
dead twenty years ago but for Jesus. They
have gone through trial enough to exhaust
ten times their physical strength. Their
lies were scattered. God only knows what
they suffered. They are an alnGzenent to
themselves that they have been able to stand
it. They look at their once happy home,
surrounded by all comfort. Gonel They
think Of tho time when they used to risa
strong in the morning and walk vigorously
down the street, and had experienced
health they thought inexhaustible Conel
Everything gone but Jesus He has piticd
them. His eve has watched them. His ON
impotence has defended them. Yes, he has
been with them. They have gone through
disaster and he was pillar Of fire 10y night.
They have gone across stormy Galilec, but
Christ had his foot ON the neck Of the storm.
They felt the waves Of trouble coming VI
around them gradually, and they began to
climb into the strong rock of Gods de
fense, and then they sang, as they looked
over the waters: "God is our refuge and
strength, an ever present help in time Of
trouble; therefore We will not fear though
the earth be removed, though the mountains
be carried into the midst Of the sea, though
the waters thereof roar and be troubled
though the mountains shake with tho swell.
ing thereof. Selah." The other day there
was a sailor who came into the Bethel in New
York, and said: my lads Che was standing
among sailcre), don't know what's tho
matter with me used 10 hear a good deal
about religion and about Jesus Christ.
don't know that l have any religion, or that
I know anything much about Christ; but
when was in mid-Atlantic l looked up one
day through the rigging, and there seemed tc
come light through my soul 1 have felt diff
ferent ever since, and love those / onci
hated, and feel joy l can't tell you. ]
really don't know what is the matter Of me-
A rough sailor got up and said; ''My lad, ]
know what's the matter of you. You have
found Jesus. 1t is enough to make any man
happy"