West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1889-08-01

GRAND down some other street, We'll the
PIVulgai, wishing TO return, takes some MEM
s ggr .. christian association by the hand, or
WIGS 70. The Christian young man looks nj
nim, looks at the faded apparel and the marhs
81 olssipation, and instead OF giving him n
warm grip OF the hand offers him the Tin end
u the long fingers Of the left hand. which Re-
'ouai TO striking man in the faca
Oh, how few Christian people understand
how much force and Gospel there Is i'm n
good honest Handwriting Sometimes when
you nave felt the need of ENCOURAGEMENT. and
lome Christian man has taken Won beartiiv
oy the hand, have you not felt that thrilIine
through every nbro of your BODY mind and
Soui, an encouragement that was lust what
you ncededp You do not know anything at
III ABOUT this unless you know when a man
tries 70 return from owl courses of conduct.
ne runs against repulsions innumerablo We
say or some man, he lives a block or two
from the church, or half a mile from the
cnurch. There arc people in our crowded cit
,es who hvoa thousand miles from tho church.
V asst deserts of indifference between them and
the house of God. Tho fact is, we must keep
our responsibility, though Thousands and tens
OF thousands perish. Christ sat with publ
cans and sinners. But if there comes TO the
mousse OF Hod man with marks OF dissipation
upon him, people throw up their hands I'm
horror, as much as TO say: "Isn't IL shock
mgr How these dainty, fastidious Chris
tians In all our churches are going 10 get into
heaven don't know, unless they have an
especial train of cars, cushioned and IN
hoistered, each ono car TO himselfi They
cannot go with the great herd of publcans and
timers. Oh, ye. who curl your lin ~
s sco,h AT tine Ianen, 4 teli you PLAINLY, II yo'
mao oeen SURROUNDED by the same influences
instead OF sitting to-day amid the cultured
and the refined and the Christian, you woull
have been a crouching wretch In stable OF
ditch, covered with filth and abomination
IL Is not because you are naturally any bet
ter, but because the mercy OF God has pro
tected you. Who are you, that brought vi
In Christian circles, and watched by Chris
tian parentage, you should be 80 hard on thu
fallen.
1 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 a man about to give up hii
sin and return to God, and ask him how he d
going TO be baptized, whether by sprinklina
or by immersion, and what kind of a church
he Is going 20 join. oh, my friendsl 1t is O
poor time to talk about Presbyterian cate
chisms, and Episcopal liturgies, and Metho
dist love-feastS and baptisteries TO a man
that is coming out Of the darkness Of sin into
the glorious light OF tho Gospel. Why, it
reminds us of a man drowning In the sea, and
lifoboat puts out for him, and the man in
tho boat says to the man out of the
boat; Now, If get you ashore,
nro you going to live in my streetY
non-essentials of religion. Who cares what
church no joins, il he only joins Christ and
starts Tor heaven oh, you ought to have
my brother, AN illumined face, and a
from his OWL wayi Take hold OF the same
book with him, though his designations shake
the book, remembering that he that con.
verteth n sinner from the error of his ways
shall save a soul from death, and hide a
multitude of sins.
II n.
Stacles because / want you to under
stand i know oil the difficulties in the
way; but am now to tell you how
Hannibal may scale the Alps and how
tho shacltles may DO 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, and ask Him, If there is any help in all
the resources of omnipotent love- to give IL
20 you. Do not go with n long rigmarole
people call prayer, made up Of "ohs' and
'ahs' and forever and forever amensr' Go
70 God and cry for helpl helpl helpl and IL
you cannot cry for help. just look and live.
REMEMBER IN the war was at Antietam,
and L went into tho hospitals after the
battle, and said to man, s'Where
nre you hurtY He made no answer
but held up his arm swollen and splintered.
! saw where he was hurt The simple feet
IS Is w "a n man has a wounded soul, all no
Lord and get it healed. 1t does not take
any long prayer. Just hold up the wound.
On, 1t Is no small thing when a man is nerv-
Gus and weak and exhausted, coming from
nus eyll ways, to feel that God puts two om-
npotent arms around about him and saws:
Young man, l will stand by you'll The
mountains may depart and the hills be re-
moved, but will never fail youp And then.
as the soul thinks the news Is too good Co be
true, and cannot believe 1t, and looks up in
-fTxbk L.. 4
an oath, an affidavit, saying: 'iAs 1 live,
saith the Lord God, have no pleasure in fine
death of him that dieth.n
Blessed be God for such a Gospel as this
Cut the slices thin" said the wife to the
husband, "or there win not be enough To cro
all around for the children; cut tho slices
thin" Blessed be God, there Is a full lonf for
every one that wants It.; bread enough and
to spare. No thin slices at tho Lords table.
remember when the Master Street hos
pital, IN Philadelphia, was opened during the
war, a Telegram came saying: There will be
three hundred wounded mon tonight: be
ready 70 take care of them" and from my
church there went in some twenty or
tnlrty men and women TO look after
these poor wounded fellows As thev
came, some from one part of the
land, some from another, no one asked
Whether this man was from Oregon or from
Massachusetts,, or from Minnesota, or from
NeW ork. There was n wounded soldier.
49, 49, S-'AJ t'c9uiph Wuls uOW 70 ttlke OH the
hI2s most gently, and put ON the bandaoo
and administer the cordial. And when n
toul comes TO God He docs rot ask where
yon came from or what your ancestry waq
heallng Tor oil your wounds Pardon for ali
your guilt. Comfort for all your troubles.
Then, also, i counsel you. IL Won want tn
get back, to quit all your bad associations.
One unholy intimacy will I'll your soul with
moral distemper. In al tho ages of the
church there has not been an instance where
man Kept one evil associate nnd WINS 70
formed. Among tho fourteen hundred mill
ION or the race not one instance Go home
today open your desk, tolso out letter paper
stamp and envelope, and then write a letter
something like this:
dy old companions: start this day for
heaven. Until am persuaded Won wifi iofn
NO ia this, farewell i'm
Then sign your name, and send the letter
with the first post. Give up your bad com.
panions, or give up heaven II Is not ten bad
companions That destroy a man, nor five bad
companions, nor three bad companions.
but one. What chance Is there for
that young man / Jaw along the street
four or five young men with him. hating In
'front.' OF grog shop, urging him TO 20 in, he
resisting, violently resisting until after r
while they forced him TO 20 inY IL was Q
summer night and the door was left omen
and saw the process They held him fast
and they put The cup 70 his lips. and they
forced down the strong drink What chanct
Is there for such young man?
counsel you Clso Eces Christian advice
Every Christian man IS bound to help YOU
First Of all seek Col. than aook (ghrfaffoy,