The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1889-07-24

the god Of revelry. He is riding on pan
ther at full leap. Oh how suggestivei Let
every one who Is speeding on bad ways un-
derstand he Is not riding docile and well
broken steed, but he Is riding monster,
wild and bloodthirsty, going at death leap.
How many there are who resolve on bet
ter life and say: when shall awakel'
But, seized on by their old habits, cry: II
will try It once more; will seek it yet
again" Years ago there 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 to leave the place.
But one young man with bravado, after all
the rest had stopped, cried out: "One round
more" He swept around and 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
Ihaye also 10 say that II man wants to
return from evil practices society repulses
him. Desiring to reform, he says: ''Now I
will shake of my. old associates and will
find Christian companionship." And he ap
pears at the church door some Sabbath day,
and the usher greets him with look, as
much as to say: "Why, you herei You
are the last man / ever expected to see at
church, Come, take this seat right down
by the doorp' Instead Of saying: "Good
morning; am glad you are here. Come,
! will give you first rate seat, right up
by the pulpit.n Well, the prodigal,
not yet discouraged, enters the prayer
meeting, and some Christian man,
with more zeal than common sense, says:
"Glad to see you, the dying thief was saved,
and suppose there Is mercy for youp The
young man, disguised, chilled, throws him
self back on his dignity, resolved he will
never enter the house Of God again. Per-
haps not quite fully discouraged about ref
ormation he sides up by some highly re-
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 return, takes
some member OF Christian association by
the hand, or tries TO. The Christian young
man looks at him, looks at the faded ap-
parel and the marks of dissipation, and in.
stead Of giving him warm grip Of the
hand offers him the tip end of the long fin
gers Of the left hand, which Is equal TO
striking man in the face. -f
o. how few Christian people understand
how much force and gospel there is In a
good, honest handshalxingl Sometimes
when you have felt the need Of encourage
ment, and some Christian man has taken
you heartily by the hand, have you not felt
that thrilling through every fiber Of your
body, mind and soul, an encouragement that
was Just what you neededi You do not
know any thing at all about this unless you
know when a man tries TO return from evil
courses Of conduct, he runs against repul-
sions innumerable. We say Of some man,
he lives a block or two from the church, or
half a mile from the church. There are peo-
pie In our crowded cities who live thou
sand miles from the, church Vast deserts
Of indffference between them and the house
Of God. The fact Is, we must keep our re-
spectability, though thousands and tens Of
thousands perish. Christ sat with publicans
aud sinners. But II there comes 70 the house
OF God O man with marks Of dissipation
about him, people throw up their hands in
horror, as much as TO say, "1sn't II shock
ingp How these dainty, fastidious Chris
tians In all our churches are going TO get
into Heaven / don't know, unless they have
an especial train Of cars, cushioned and up
holstered, each one car TO himself They
can not go with the great herd Of publicans
and sinners o, ye, who curl your lip of
scorn at the fallen, tell you plainly, II you
instead Of sitting to-day amid the cultured,
and the refined and the Christian, you would
have been crouching wretch In stable or
ditch, covered with filth and abominationi
II isnot because you are naturally any bet
ter, but because the mercy Of God has pro-
tected you. Who are you, that brought up
in Christian circles, and watched by Chris
tian parentage, yoi should be so hard on the
fallenl
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 man about TO give up his sin
and return 10 God, and ask him how he is
going TO be baptized, whether by sprinltling
or by immersion, and what kind Of church
he is going TO Join. o, my friends II is a
poor time 10 talk about Presbyterian cate
chisms, and Episcopal iturgies and Metho-
dist love feasts, and baptisteries TO man
that Is coming out Of the darkness OF sin
into the glorious light Of the Gospel. Why,
II reminds us OF man drowning In the sea,
and lifeboat puts out for him, and the
man In the boat says to the man out OF the
boat; snow, II get you ashore, are you
going TO live In my street," First get him
ashore, and then talk about the non-essen-
tials Of religions. Who cares what church
he Joins, IL he only Joins Christ and starts
for Heaveni o, you ought TO have, my
brother, an Illuminated face, and hearty
grip for every one that tries TO turn from
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