The Iola register., 1889-08-16

money matters about the Two dsbt.
ors, and talked with the women about
the yeast that leavencd the whole lump.
and talked with he shepher about the
lost sheep. o, We might gather even the
stars Of the sky and twist them like for
get me- nots in the garland of Jesus. We
must bring every thing to Him-the wealth
Of Language, the tenderness Of sentiment,
the delicacy of morning dew. the saffron
of floating cloud, the tangled surf of the
tossing sea, the bursting thunder guns Of
the storms bombardment Yes, every
star must point down to Him, every hello.
trope must breathe His praise, every drop
in the summer shower must flash His
glory, all the tree branches Of the forest
must thrum their music in the grand
march which shall celebrate q world re.
deemed.
Now, all this being 50, what Is the com.
mon sense thing for you and for me to do?
What we do think will depend upon three
great facts. The first fact that sin has
ruined US 1t has blasted body, mind and
soul. We want no Bible to prove that we
are sinners. Any man who is not willing
to acknowledge himself as imperfect and
a sinful being is simply fool and not to
be argued with. We all feel that sin has
dsorganized our entire nature. That Is
one fact. Another fact is that Christ
came to reconstruct to restore, to revise,
to correct, to redeem. That is q second fact.
The third fact is that the only time we are
sure Christ will pardon US is the present
Now, what is the common sense thing
for US to do in view of these three factsy
You will agree with me to quit sin, take
Christ and take Him now. Suppose some
business man in whose skill you kad per-
feet confidence should tell you that to-
morrow (Monday) morning between
eleven and twelve O'Clock you could by q
certain financial transaction make S.. 900,
but that on Tuesday perhaps you might
make it. but there would not be any pos.
itiveness about it, and on Wednesday
there would not be so much, and Thurs.
dav less, and Friday less, and so on less
and less-wben would you attend
to the matter? Why your com.
mon sense would dictate: 'Immedi.
ately l will attend to that matter
between eleven and twelve O'Clock to-mor-
row (Monday) morning. for then l can
surely accomplish it. but on Tuesday I
NAV not and on Wednesday there is less
prospect. l will attend to it Tomorrow.
Now, let us bring our common sense in
this matter of religion. Here are the
hopes Of the Gospel We may get them
now. Tomorrow we may get them and
we may not. Mkt day we may and we
may not Tie prospect less and less and
less and less.
The only sure time now-now. l would
not talk TO you in this way if did not
know that Christ was able to save all the
people, and save thousands as easily as
save one. | would not go into a hospital
and tear off the bandages from the wounds
If l had no balm to apply. i would not
have the face to tell a man he is sinner
unless had at the same time the author
ity of saving he may be saved. Suppose
n Venice there is n Raphael, a faded
picture. 1t is nearly faded away. You
say: 10 what pity that so wonderful
picture by Raphael should be nearly de.
facedv After a while man comes up,
very unskilful in art, and he proposes to
retouch it. You say: stand off! would
rather have it just as it is; you will only
make it worse"
After while there comes an artist who
was the equal of Raphael. He says: ~
will retouch that picture and bring out all
its original power" You have full con.
fidence in his ability. He touches it here
md there. Feature after feature comes
forth and when he is done with the pict-
lre it is complete in all its original power.
Now God impressed His image on our
race, but that image has been defaced for
hundreds and for thousands of years,
getting fainter and fainter. Here comes
Ii,-i,, L.. s.T
restore that pc. ure." He has all power !
n Heaven and on earth. He is the equal |
If the One who made the picture, the |
mage of God in our ul. He touches this |
in and it il gone that transgression and |
t disappears and all the DETACHMENT van
shes and 'where sin abounded grace |
10th much more abound" viii you have
he defac' mant or will you have the res.
oration: l am well persuaded that if |
,ould bv touch of Heavenly pathos in
wo minutes put before you what has been
lone to save your soul there would be an
motional tide overwhelming. Mamma"
aid a little child to her mother
when she was being put to bed at
light, mamma, what makes your hand
% Scared and twisted and unlike other
peoples hands," ''Well." said the
nother, my chlId, when you were
Younger than you are now. years ago.
me night after 1 had put you TO bed 1
leard a cry, shrek, upstairs. l came
lp and found the bed was on fire and
ook hold of you and tore Off the burning
and while was tearing them of
nd trying to get you away l burned my
Iand and it has been burned and SCARED
yer since and hardly look. any more
ike a hand, but got that, my child. in
rying to save you." o man! o womani
wish to-day could show you the burned
and of Christ-burned in plucking you
ut of the fire. burned in snatching you
way from the flame. Aye, also the
urned foot and the burned brow, and
he burned heart-burned by you. by
lis stripes ye are healed"
Ao0l1hlH oHHAA