The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1889-08-01

Instead Of saying: GOOD morning; am glad
you are here. Come; I will give you n
trst rate seat right up by the pulpit" We'll,
the prodigal, not yet discouraged, entors
With more zeal than common sense saws:
"Glad 10 see you. The dying thief wns
saved, and l suppose there Is morcy for YOU r'
The young man, disguised, chilled. throws
himself back on his dignity, resolved he never
VIII ontor the house Of God again. Perhaps
not quito fully discouraged about reforma-
lion, he sides up by some highly respectable
man be used TO know going down the street
md Immediately the respectable man has an
errand down some other street, Well, the
prodigal, wishing 20 return, takes some NOM
Der OF Christian association by the hand. or
sries 20. The Christian young man looks at
him, looks at the faded apparel and the marks
of dissipation, and instead OF giving him n
warm grip Of the hnnd offers him the tip end
'f the long fingers Of the left hand, which Is
sdunl to striking man In the fan~
Oh, now Few Christian people understand
how much forco and Gospel there is in n
good, honest han,ishakingl Sometimes. whom
You havc felt the need Of announcement nnd
ZONE Christian man has taken you heartily
by tho hand, have you not fclt that thrilling
through evcry ilb1p OF your body, mind and
soul, an encouragement that was Just what
Fou nocdod' You do not know anything mt
I'll about this unless you know when n man
hitS W TttuTn ITOln cNn CDuTStS OI COuuutl,
he runs against repulsions innumerable. Wc
say OF some man, he lives n block or two
from the church, or half n mile from the
church. Thorc are people in our crowded cit
ios who livea thousand miles from the church..
Vast deserts OF Indifference between them nud
the house Of God. The fact is, we must keep
our respcctability, though thousands and tens
Of thousands perish. Christ sat with publi-
cans and sinners. But IL thcro comes to tho
house Of God man with marks Of dissipation
upon him, people throw up their hands IN
horror, rs much as 10 say: Isn't IL shock.
ingg How these dainty, fastidious Chris
lians in all our churches are going 10 get into
heaven don't know, unless they have nii
especial train of cars cushioned and uu-
holstcrcd, each one car 10 himself Thov
eauuot go with the great herd ofpublicans and
,iruers. oh, yo who curl your lin -.
scorn at tne runen, tell you plainly, II yo'
had been surrounded by the same influences
instead OF sitting to-day amid the culturet
and the refined and the Christian, you wout
have been n crouching wretch in stable OF
ditch, covered with filth and abomination
10 Is not because you are naturally any bot
ter. but because the mercy of God has pro
tected you. Who are YOU, that brought uy
In Christian circles, and watched by Chris
tian parentage, you should be 10 hard on thu
fallen.
I think men also are often hindorod from
return by the fact that churches ore too anN
ious about their membership and TOO anxioui
about their denomination, and they rush out
when they see a man about to give up hi
sin and return 20 God, and ask him how he b
going 20 be baptized, whether by sprlnklina
or by immersion and what kind OF a church
hs il going 20 join oh, my friends IL IL o
poor time 30 talk about Presbyterian cate
chisms, and Episcopal liturgies, and Motho
dist love-feasts, and baptisteries TO man
that Il coming out OF the darkness OF sin into
The glorious light OF the Gospel. why, ~
ro,uinds us Of man drowning in the sca, and
lifebost puts out for him, nns the man in
tho boat says to the man out OF the
boat: NOW, il got you ashore
arc You going to live In my strcetY'
First get him ashore, and then talk about the
non-essentials of religion. Who cares what
church he joins, il no only joins Christ and
starts for heavenS Oh, you ought 10 have,
my brother, an illuminod face, and a
hearty grip for every ono that tries To turn
from his OWL wayi Tako hold of the same
book with him, though his designations shake
the book, remembering that he that con.
yerteth a sinner from the crror OF his waya
shall save soul from death, and hide a
multitude OF sins.
Now, | have shown you these OBJ
staclss because want you TO under.
stand / know all the difficulties In tho
Hannibal may scale the Alps and how
tho shacklcs may bo unriveted and
how the paths Of virtuo forsakcn may be re-
gaincl 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, II there is any help in all
the resources Of omnipotent love, 10 give il
TO you. Do not go with long riagrnarole
people call prayer, made up OF ''ohs" and
'ahs' and forever AMI forever amensW Go
10 God and cry for help! helpl help! and IL
you cannot cry for help, just look and live.
I i. -.
and | went into the hospitals after the
battle, and l said TO a man, "Whero
are you hurty Ho mado no answer,
but hold up his arm swollen and splintered
saw where he was hurt The simple fact
Is when man hns n wounded soul, all he
has to do is TO hold sup before u sympathetic
| Lord and get il healed. 10 does not take
any long prayer. Just hold up the wound
oh, it is no small thing when man is ncrv,
Gus and weak and exhausted, coming from
his evil ways 10 feel that God puts two ON
npotent arms around about him and says
Young man, / will stand by you! The
mountains may depart and tho hills be re
! moved, but will never fail you.n And then
as the soul thinks the news il too good 10 bC
true and cannot believe It, and looks up IL
Gods face, God lifts His right hand and takes
an oath an affidavit, saying: "As | live
saith tho Lord God, have NO pleasure in the
| death OF him that dieth.n
| ipltS~sSl bt buCl n ttNDGl ilS Iillh
"Cut the slices thin" said the wife 10 the
husband, ''or thero will not be enough TO &C
all around for the children; cut the slices
thin Blessed DO God. there is full loaf for
every one that wants it, bread enough and
TO spare. No thin slices mt tho Lords table
i remember when the Master Street hos.
pital, in Philadelphia, was opened during the
war, a telegram came saying: There will be
three hundred wounded men tonight; be
ready to take caro- OF them" and from my
| church there went in some twenty or
thirty men and women 10 look after
these poor wounded fellows. As they
came, some from ono part of the
land, some from another, no one asked
whether this man was from Oregon, or from
Massachusetts, or from Minnesota, or from
Now York. There was q wounded soldier,
and the only question was how to take Off the
rags most gently, and put on the ban 20,
and administer tho cordial. And when a
| soul comes to God He does not ask where
| yon came from or what your ancestry was.
Healing for all your wounds. Pardon for all
| your guilt. Comfort for all your troubles.
Then, also, counsel you, II you want 10
| got back, 10 quit all your bad associations.
One unholy intimacy will fill your soul with
moral distemper. In all tho ages Of tho
church there has not beon an instance whore
| n man kept one OWL associate and was re-
| formed. Among tho fourteen hundred mill
| ION OF the race not one instance. Go homo
| to-day, open your desk, take out lotter paper,
| Stamp and envelope and then .Srite a lottor