The Red Cloud chief., 1889-03-22

because they did not first explore the ruins
OF their own heart. The reason that there
are 50 many professed Christians who in
this day lie and forge and steal and COM.
init adultery and 60 to the penitentiary Is
because they do not learn the ruins
of their own heart They have not found
out that ''the heart is deceitful above all
things aud desperately wicked" They
had an idea that they were almost right
and they built religion rs a sort Of extern.
sion, q, an ornamental cupola. There was
q superstructure Of religion built on a SUBJ
stratum Of u~nrepented sins. The trouble
with a good deal of modern theology is
that instead Of building on the right
foundation it builds ON the debris of an
unregenerated nature. They attempt TO
rebuild Jerusalem before, in the midnight
OF conviction, they have seen the ghastli-
ness Of The ruin. They have such . poor
foundation for their religion that the first
northern storm Of temptation blows them
down. ] have no faith in q mans CONVEX
sion IL he is not converted in the old.
fashioned ~way-John Bunyan's way. John
Wesley's way. John Calvin's way, Pauls
way. Christ's way, Gods way. A dentist
once said to me: Does that hurt!" Said
l: U course It hurts. 1t 10 in your bust.
ness as in my profession. We nave to
hurt before we can help"
You will never understand redemption
until You understand ruin. A m1n tells
me that some one is q member Of the
Church. II makes no impression on my
mind at all. I simply want to know
whether he was converted in the old fash.
iOne1 way. or whether he was converted
in the new fashioned way. IL he was con.
verted in the old fashioned way he will
stand. IL he was converted in the new
fashioned way he will not stand. That is
all there is about il. A man comes to me
to talk about religion. The first question
| ask him is: ''DoyOu feel yourself to be n
sinner" IL he says: SWELL, YES"
the he-itancy makes me feel that that
mar wants a ride Oh Nehemiah's horse by
midnight through the ruins-in by the
gate of his affections, out by the gate Of
his will, and before he mas got through
with that midnight ride he will drop the
reins on the horses neck, and will take
his right hand and smits on his
heart and say: 'tiod lie merciful
to me a sinner" and before he has
stabbed his horse he will take his feet
out of the stirrups, and will slide down on
the ground. and he will kneel. crying,
Have mercy ON me, U God, according
unto Thy loving kindness, according unto
them multitude Of Thy tender mercies; blot
out my transgressiOns, for a acknowledge
my transgressiOns and my sins are ever
before Thee" All, my friends. you see
this is not a complimentary gosuel That
is what makes some people SO mad. 1t
comes to a man of a million dollars and
impenitent in his sins and says, "YOu're q
pauper." 1t comes to a woman Of fairest
cheek, who has never repented, and says,
"You're a sinner" 1t comes to q man
priding himself on his Independence and
says, "You are bound hand and foot to
the devil" 1t comes to our entire
race and says, "You're . ruin, .
CHASTITY ruin, an illimitable ruin"
Satan sometimes says to me. "Why
do you preach that truth! Why don't
you preach q gospel with no repentance in
itl Why don't you fiatter mems hearts SO
that you mako them feel all rightf Why
don't you preach humanitarian gospel
with no repentance In it, saying nothing
about the RUIN. talking all the time about
redemption:" say, Get thee behind me,
Satan" I would rather lead i've souls
tho right way than twenty thousand the
wrong way. The redemption Of the gospel
il . perfect farce il there is no ruin. The
whole need not a physician. but they hat
are sick" III any one. though he be m
angel from Heaven, preach any other than
this" says In apostle, ''let him be &C.
cursed" There must be tn > midnight ride
over the ruins before Jerusalem can b
built. There must be the clicking OF the
hOofs before there can be the ringing Of
trowels.
Again. Ny subject gives me a specimen
Of busy, triumphant, sadness IL there was
any man in the world who had q right TO
NOPE and give up every thing as lost it
was Nehemiah. You say. II was . cup.
bearer in the palace OF Shushan and Il
was a grand place" SO it was. The hall
Ut that palace was 200 feet square and the
roof covered over thirty six marble
pillars, each pillar sixty-eight feet high;
and the intense blue OF the sky and the
deep green of the forest foliage and the
white of the driven snow all hung tremb-
ling in the upholstery. Bat, my friend.
YOU know very well that fine architecture
Will not put down inconsistencies Yet
Nehemiah did not give up Then whea
you see him going among those desolate
streets and by these disman;lad towers
and 10y the torn up grave Of his father you
would suppose that he would have been
di.heariened. and that he would have dis.
mounted from his horse aud gone to his
room and said: Nv e is me. Nv fathers
grave is torn up. The temple IL dis
honored. The walls are broken down. I
have no money with which TO rebuild. l
wish 1 had never been born. l wish
l were dead" Not 50 says Nehemiah.
Although he had a great grief
Al
commentary Of his King. vet that penni.
less. expatriatei Nemehiah rouses himself
10 rebuild the city. He gets his permission
OF absence. He gets his passports. He
hast, ms away to Jerusalem. By night on
horseback he rides through the ruins He
overcomes the most ferocious opposition.
He arouses the p:e'y aud patriotism OF the
people. and in less han two months.
namely. in fifty-two days. Jerusalem WAS
rebuilt. That's what I call busy and tri-
umphant sadness. Nv friends, tn. whole
temptation is with YOU, when You have
trouble. to do just the opposite to the b..
havior of Nehemiah. aud that is, to give
UP You saw. Il have lost my child and
can never smile again" You say. Il have
lost my property aud I never can repair
nv fortunes" You saw. Il have fallen
into sin and l never can start again for .
new life" IL Satan q make you form
that resolution. and make YOU keep il, he
has ruined you. Trouble is not sent to
crush you. but to rouse you. to animate
YOU. 10 propel YOU. The blacksmith dos
no; thrust the iron into the forge and then
blow away with the bellowa and then
bring the hot iron out on the anvil and
heat with stroke after stroke to ruin the
iron. hut TO prepare it Tor better use.