The Brookhaven leader., 1889-08-15

fun, and a Christian man came in, and
without any introduction OF the subject,
and while they were in great hilari.y,
said TO one of them:
George, what is the fiot step of wis.,
dom?"
George looked up and said: every
man TO mind his own business"
Well, it was very rough answer, but
it was provoked. Religion had been
hurled in there as though it were bomb
shell. We must be adroit in the pre-
sentation OF religion to the world. Do you
suppose Mary in her conversation with
Christ lost her simplicity? Or that Paul,
laundering from Mars Hill, took the pull
pit toner Why is it people can not talk
as naturally in prayer meeting and on
religious subjects as they do in worldly
circles? For no one ever succeeds
in any kind Of Christian work un-
less he works naturally. We want to
initiate the Lord Jesus Christ, who
plucked a poem from the grass of the
field. We all want to initiate Him who
talked with farmers about the man who
went forth to sow, and talked with the
fishermen about the drawn net that
brought in fish of all sorts, and talked
with the vine dresser about the idler in
the vineyard, and talkel with those new
ly afianced about the marriage supper,
and talked with the man cramped in
money matters about the two debtors,
and talked with the woman about the
yeast that leavened the whole lump and
talked with the shepherd about the lost
sheep.
Oh, we might gather even the stars of
the sky and twist them like forget-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 fash His
glory, all the tree branches of the forest
must thrum their music in the grand
march which shall celebrate world re-
deemed.
Now, all this being so, what is the COM
nonsense thing for you and for me to
do? What we do think will depend up
on 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 an
imperfect and sinful being is simply a
fool and not to be argued with. We all
feel that sin has disorganized our whole
nature. That is one fact Another fact
is that Christ came to reconstruct, to re-
store, to revise, to correct, to redeem.
That is a 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 as to do in
view of these three facts? You will all
agree with me to quit sin, take Christ, and
take Him now.
Suppose some business man in whose
skill you had perfect confidence should
tell you that to- morrow (Monday) morn =
ing, between eleven and twelve O'Clock,
you could by certain financial transac-
ton make five thousand dollars, but that
on Tuesday perhaps you might make it,
but there would not be any positiveness
about it, and on Wednesday, there would
not be so much, and on Thursday less,
Friday less, and so on less and less, when
would you attend to the matter? Why,
your common sense would dictate: "Im-
mediately l will attend to that matter be-
tween eleven and twelve O'Clock to- NOR
row (MOnday) morning, for then l can
surely accomplish it, but on Tuesday I
may not, and on Wednesday there is less
prospect. l will attend to it to-mor-
row."
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 ana
Il
may not. The prospect less and less and
less and less. The only sure time now
now. l would not talk to you in this way
il 1 did not know that Christ was able
to save all the people, and save
thous ands as easily as save one. I
would not go into hospital and tear off
the bandages if l had no balm to apply.
l would not have the face to tell a man he
is a sinner unless had at the same time
the authority of saying he may be saved.
Suppose in Venice there is q Raphael, n
faded picture, great in its time, bearing
describes that picture. 1t is nearly faded
away. You say:
''Oh, what a pity that so wonderful q
picture should be nearly defacedW
After awhile man comes up, very un.
skillful in art, and he proposes to retouch
it. You say:
"Stand offl Iwould rather have it just
as it is; you will only make it worse"
After awhile there comes an artist who
was the equal of Raphael. He says: II
will retouch that picture and bring out
all its original power" You have full
confidence in his ability. He touches it
here and there. Feature after feature
comes forth, and when he is done with
the picture it is complete in all its
original power. Now, God impressed
His image on our race, but that image
has been defaced tor hundreds and for
thousands of years. getting fainter and
fainter. Here comes up a Divine Raphael.
He says: II can restore that picture"
He has all power in Heaven and on earth.
He is the equal of the One who made the
picture, the image of the One who drew
the image of God in our soul. He touches
this sin and it is gone, that transgression
and it disappears. and all the DETACHMENT
vanishes, and "where sin abounded grace
doth much more abound"
Will you have the defacemeut or will
you have the restoration? am we'll per-
suaded that if could by touch of Heav-
emily pathos in two minutes put before
you what has been done to save your
soul, there would be an emotional lido
overwhelming.
Mamma" said q little child to her
mother, when she was put to bed
at night. mamma, what makes
your hand so SCARED, and
twisted and unlike other peoples
hands" "Well," said the mother, my
child, when you were younger than you
ara now Years aoO. ona night after I had