The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-07-22


TANKS of one poor reindeer In Paris there
Is sculp;ured representation of Bacchus,
the god OF revelry. He is riding on "a
panther at full leap. Oh, how suggestivel
Let every one who is speeding on bad ways
understand ne is not riding a docile and
well broken steed, but he Is riding a mou-
ster, wild and bloodthirsty, going at a
death leap.
How many there are who resolve on q
better life and say: "When shall awake p
But, seized on by their old habits, crv: II
VIII try. 1t once more; | will seek it yet
againw Years ago thore were some Prince
ton 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 70 leave the place
but one young man with bravado after all
ths resi- had stopped, cried out: "One round
more" He swept around aud 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 IL a man wants to
return from evil practices society repulses
him. Desiring to reform, he says: NOW |
will shake Off my old associates, aud will
lind christian companionship.n And he ap-
p ars at the church door some Sabbath day,
and the usher Greets him with look, as
much as to say: "Why, you herel You are
the last man | ever expected TO see at
church, Come, take this seat right down
by the doorm Instead of saying: "Good
morning; l am glad you are here. Come {;
will give you first rate seat, right up
by the pulpit Well, the prodigal, not
yet discouraged, enters the prayer meeting,
and some christian man, with more zeal
than common sense, saws: "Glad to see YOU.
The dying thief was saved, and | suppose
there is mercy for you" The young man,
disgusted, chilled, throws himself back on
his dignity, resolved he never will enter tho
house of God again. Perhaps not quite
fully discouraged about reformation,
he sides up by some highly ro-
spectacle man he used to know going
down the street, and immediately the
respectable man has an errand down some
other street! Well, the prodigal wishing
TO re5urr, takes some member of a christian
association by the hand, or tries TO. The
christian young man looks at him, looks a.
the faded apparel and the marks Of dissipa-
tion, I'd instead of giving him warm
grip of the hand offers him the tip end
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 "a
good, honest handshaking Sometimes
when you have felt the need of encourage
ment, and some christian man has taken
you heartily by tne hand, have you not felt
tnat thrilling through every fiber OF your
body, mind and soul, an announcement
that was just what you needed You do
not know anythiug at all about this unless
you know when a man tries TO return from
evil courses of conduct he runs against re-
pulsions innumerable. 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 q
thousand miles from the church. Vast
deserts Of indifference between them and
the house Of God. The fact is, we must
keep our responsibility though thousands
aud tens of thousands perish. Christ sat
with publicans and sinners. But if there
comes to the house Of God man with
marks Of dissipation upon him people
throw up their hands in horror, as much
as to say, Isn't it snockingP 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 to hlmselfl
They cannot 60 with the great herd Of
publicans and SINNERS. Oh, ye, who curl
your lip of scOrn AZ the fallen, | tell you
plainly, If you had been surrounded by the
amid the cultured and the refined and the
christian, you would have been crouching
wretch in stable or ditch, covered with
filth and aboninationl 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 cir
cles, and watched by christian parentage,
you should be so hard on the fallen1
/ think men also are often hindered from
return by the fact that churches are too
anxious about their membership and too
anxious about their denomination, ami they
rush out wnen they see maa about to give
up his sin and return to God, and ask him
how he is going to be baptized, whether by
sprinkling or by immersion, and what kind
of church he is going TO join. Ga, my
frendsl II IS poor time to talk about
Presbyterian catechisms, and Episcopal
liturgies. and Methodist love feasts, and
baptlsteries to a man that is coming out of
the darkness of sin into the glorious light
Of the gospel. Why, it reminds us Of G
man drowning in the sea, and a life boat
put out for him, and the man in the boat
says to the man out of the boat: NOW, il
| get you ashore are you going to live in
my streetw First get him ashore, and then
talk about the non-essen5ials Of religion.
Who cares what churc he joins, if he only
Joins Christ and starts for heavens Oh,
you ought to have, my brother, an illumined
face and hearty grip for every one that
tiles to turn from his evil way. Take hold
Of the same book with him, thoug his dis
sipations shake the book, remembering that
no that converteth a sinner from the error
Of his ways shall save a soul from death
and hide multitude Of SINS
Now, | have shown you these obstacles
because | want you to understand ] know
sill the difficulties in the way; but am now
to toll you how Hannibal may scale the
Alps and how the shacKles may be unriv-
eted aud how the paths of virtue forsasen
may be regained. 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 omuipote It love, to
give it to you. Do not go with long rig
marole people call prayer, made up Of
IONS" and "ahs' and forever and forever
amensln Go to God and cry for helpl
help help and if you cannot cry for help
lust look and live. J remember i'll the
war was at Antietam, and l went in 0 the
hospitals after the Oattl5, aud [ said to u
man, "Where are you hurtp He made
no answer, but held up his arm swollen and
splintered. | saw where ne was hurt. TIE
simple fact is, when man has a wounded
soul, all he has to do is to hold it before a
sympathetic Lord and get it healed. 1t
does not take auy long prayer just hold
up the wound. Oh, 1t is no small thing when
a man is nervous and weak and exhausted,
coming from his evil ways, to feel that
God puts two omnpotent arms around
about him and says, young man, l will
stand by you'll Tue mountains may depart
and the hills be removed, but | will never
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