The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1888-04-12

Prodigal wishing TO return takes some mem
ber 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 q
warm grip OF the hand, offers him the tip
which is equal to striking man in the facel
phl 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 encourage
nent, and some Christian man has taken
you heartily by the hand, have you not felt
thrilling through every fber of your body,
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 innu-
merable We say Of some man, he lives block
Or two from ths church. Or half mile from
cities who live 1000 miles from church. Vast
deserts Of Indifference between them and the
house Il God. The fact is we must keep our
tespectabilty, though thousands and tens OF
thousands perish. Christ sat with publicans
and sinners But il there came to the house
Of God man with marks Of dissipation upon
him people almost threw up their hands in
horror, as much as to say: isn't it shock
ing" How these dainty, fastdious Chris.
tians In all our churches are going to set into
heaven I don't know, unless they have
special train Of cars, cushioned and. uphol-
stored, each one car to himself They can.
not 60 with the great horde Of publicans and
sinners Obi ye who curl your lip OF scorn
At the fallen, tell you plainly, II you had
stead Of sitting to-day amid the cultured.
and the refined, and the Christian, you would
have been crouching wretch In stable or
ditch, covered with filth and abominatior.
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
parenuage, you should be 50 hard on tho
fallena
think men also are often hindered from
return by the fact that churches are too anx-
ious about their membership and too anxious
about their denomination, and they rush out
when they see 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 immersion, and what kind of a church he
is going to join. Oh! my friends, it is poor
time to talk about Presbyterian cateehisms,
and Episcopal liturgies, and Methodist love
feasts, and baptistries to man that is COM
ing out Of the darkness Of sin into the glori-
GUS light Of the gospel. Why, it reminds 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: "Now, II
get you ashore, are you going to live on my
streetP' First get him ashore, and then talk
about the non essentials of religion. Who
cares what church he joins, II he only joins
Christ and starts for heaven? 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 designations shake
the book, remembering that ''he that con-
verteth sinner from the error of his ways
shall save soul from death andshide null
titude Of sins"
Now, have shown You these obstacles, ,be-
cause want you TO understand know all
the difficulties in the way; but l am now to
tell you how Hannibal may scale the Alps,
and how the shackles may be unriveted, 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
earnestly, ,and tell Him these habits you have.
resources of omnipoteut love, to give it to
you. Do not go with long rigmarole people
tall prayer made up of "ohs and ''ahs, and
forever and ever, aniens!' Go to God and cry
for help! help! help! and if you cannot cry
for help, just look and live. l remember in
ths late war, was at Antietam, and | went
into the hospitals after the battle and said to
q man: "Where are you hurts" He made no
answer but held up his arm, swollen and
splintered. ! saw where he was hurt. The
simple fact is, when a man has wounded
soul, all he has to do is to hold 1t up before a
sympathetic Lord and get 1t healed. 1t does
not take any long prayer. Just hold up the
wound. Oh it is no small thing when man
is 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. The mount
aims may depart and the hills be removed, but
l will never fail you" And then as the soul
thinks the news is too good to be true, and
cannot believe it, and looks up in Gods face.
God lifts his right hand and takes an oath.
an affidavit, saying: "As live, saith the
Lord God, have no pleasure in the death OF
him that dieth." Blessed be God for such a
gospel as this "Cut the slices thin" said tho
wife to the husband, "or there will not be
enough to go all around for the children; cut
the slices thin" Blessed be God there is q
full loaf for every one that wants it! Bread
enough and to spare. No thin slices at the
Lords table. l remember when the Master
Street Hospital, in Philadelphia, was opened
during the war, telegram came saying:
'"There will be 800 wounded men tonight; DO
ready to take care OF them;" and from my
church there went in some twenty or thirty
men and women to look after these poor
wounded fellows. Az they came, some from
one asked whether this man was from Ore
gon or from Massachusetts, or from Mime
sofa, or from New York. There was
wounded soldier, and the only question was
how to take off the rags the most gently, and
put on the bandage, and administer the
cordial And when a soul comes to God, He
does not ask where you came from Or what
wounds Pardon for all your guilt Com
fort for all your troubles
Then, also, l counsel you, II you want 10
get back, to quit all your bad associations.
One unholy intimacy will fill your soul with
moral distemper. In all the ages OF the
church there has not been an instance where
man kept one evil associate and was re-
take out letter paper, stamp and envelope,
and then write letter something like this:
My Old Companions-I start this day for
heaven. Until am persuaded you will join
| me in this, farewell"
| Then sign your name and send the letter
| by the first post. Give up your bad com.
panions or give up heaven. Il is not ten bad
| companions that destroy man, nor five bad
| companions, nor three bad companions, nor
| two bad companions, but one. What chancs
is there for that young man saw along the
i street four or five young men with him,
batting in front of grogshop, urging him q
| go in, he resisting, violently resisting, until
q sumner night and the door was let open,
and | saw the process They held him fast,
and they put the cup TO his lips, and they
forced down the strong drink. What chancs
Is there for such young mani
| counsel you, also, seek Christian advfce
Every Christian man is bound to help you
II you find no other human ear willing Il
listen to your story of struggle, come to me
and will by every sympathy OF my heart
and every prayer, and every toll Of my hand
stand beside you in the struggle for reforma
ton: and as hope to have my own sins for
given, and hope to be acquitted at the judg
ment seat Of Christ, will not betray you
First of all, seek God; theL seek Christian
council. Gather up all the energies of body
mind and soul, and, appealing to God fo
success, declare this day everlasting wal
against all drinking habits, all gaming prac
tices. all houses of sin. Half and half wori
| will amount to nothing; it must be Water
loo. Shrink back now and you are lost. Pusl
on and you are saved. A Spartan genera
fell at the very moment Of victory, but b
dipped his finger in his own blood, and wrot1
on rock near which he was dying: "Spart,
has conquered" Though your struggle I.
| get rid Of sin may seem to be almost a dealt
struggle. you can dip your finger in you
own blood. and write on the Rock Of Ages
I Al - T., Hw.cf n