The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1888-03-29

of bone breaking Juggernauts. During
the war of 1912 there was a ship set on
fire just above Niagara Falls, and then,
cut loose from its moorings, it came on
down through the night and tossed over
the falls. 1t was said to have been a
scene brilliant beyond all description.
Well, there are thousands of men on fire
of evil habit, coming down through the
rapids and through the awful night of
temptation toward the awful plunge.
Oh, how hard it is to arrest them. God
only can arrest them. Suppose a man
after five, or ten, or twenty years of evil
doing resolves to do right. Why all the
forces of darkness are allied against him.
He cannot sleep nights. He gets down
on his knees in the midnight and cries:
''God help mel" He bites his lip. He
griEds his teeth. He clenches his fist in
discrimination to keep his purpose. He
dare not look at the bottles in the win
dows of wine store. 1t is one long,
bitter, exhaustive. hand to hand fight
with indamed, tantalizing and merciless
habit. When he thinks he is entirely
free the old inclinations pounce
upon him like a pack of hounds
with their muzzles tearing away at
the fianks Of one poor reindeer. In Paris
there is a sculptured representation of
Bacchus, the god of revelry. He is riding
on panther at full leap. Oh, how sug-
gestive. Let 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
4 - L., Ick@
when shall awake?" But, seized on
by their old habits, cry: 81 will try it
once more; will seek it yet again.
Years ago there were some Princeton
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:
s'One round more!' He swept around,
and went down, and was brought out
| 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
to return from evil practices, society re-
| pulses him. Desiring to reform, he says:
.sNow / will shake off my old associates,
and will find Christian companionship."
And he appears at the church door some
Sabbath day, and the usher greets him
with look, as much as to say: "Why,
| you here? You are the last man / ever
expected to see at church.! Come, take
this seat right down by the door, In
stead of saying: "Good morning; I am
| glad you are here. Come; will give
you a first rate seat, right up by the
| pulpit" Well, the prodigal, 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 1 sup
pose 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. Per-
haps not quite fully discouraged about
reformation, he sides up by some highly
respectable man he used to know, going
down the street, and Immediately the re-
spectacle man has en- errand down some
other street. Well, the prodigal wishing
| to return takes some member of Chris
tan 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 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 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 in
Vulnerable. 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 a
thousand miles from church. Vast
deserts of indifference between them and
the house of God. The fact is we mus.
keep our responsibility, though thousands
and tens of thousands perish. Christ sat
with pablieaas and sinners, But if 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 shoclingI'
How these dainty, fastidious Christians
in all our churches are going to get into
heaven don't know, unless they have
an especial train of cars. cushioned
and upholstered, each one car tc
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 yon had been sur
rounded by the same influences, instead
of sitting today amid the cultured, anG
the refined, and the Christian you would
have been crouching wretch in stable
or ditch, covered with filth and abomina
ton. 1t is not because you are naturally
any better, but because the mercy Of
God has protected you. Who are you
that, brought up in Christian circles ant
watched by Christian parents, yor
should be so hard ON the fallen'
l think men also are often hinderet
from return by the fact that churches ar,
too anxious about their membership, ant
too anxious about their denomination
and they rush cut when they see mar
about to give up his sin and return h
God, and ask him how he is going to b,
baptized-whether by sprinkling or i'm
mersion-and what kind of church b,
is going to join. Oh! my friends, it i
poor time to talk about Presbyterian
catechisms, and Episcopal liturgies, ane
Methodist love feasts, and baptistries to
man that is coming out of the darkness
Of sin into the glorious light of the Igos
, pei. Why, it reminds me of MAJ
, drowning in the sea, and lifeboat put
out for him, and the man in the boat say
. to the man out of the boat: ssNow, if 1 ge
you ashore, are you going to live OF
J my street9" First get him ashore, ant
, then talk about the non-essentials of re
ligion. Who cares what church h,
joins, If he only joins Christ and start
, for heaven?n Oh! you ought to have
} my brother, an iliur'ined face and hearty
grip for every one t!ics to turn from
his evil way. Tate i.old of the SAM