Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-07-22

nautS! During the war OF 1872, there
was a ship set on fire just above Niagara
falls, and then, cut loose from its moor
ings, it came on down through the night
and tossed over the falls It was said to
have been a scene brilliant beyond all
description. Well, there are thousands
of men on fire of evil habit, coming down
through the rapids and through the aw-
full might Of temptation toward the eter-
nal plunge OH how hard it is to arrest
them. God only can arrest them.
Suppose a man after FIVE, OF ten, or
twenty years OF evil doing, resolves to do
right? Why, all the forces of
darkness are allied against him
He cannot sleep nights He
gets down on his knees in the midnight
and cries God help mei'' He bites his
lips. He grinds his teeth He clenches
his fist in his determination TO keep his
purpose He dare not look at the bottles
in the window Of q wine store. It was
one long, bitter, exhaustive, hand-to-
hand fight, with inliamed, tantalizing
and nerciless habit. When he thinks he
is entirely free, the old inclinations
pOunce upon him like a pack of hounds
with their muZZles tearing away at the
TANKS Of one poor reindeer. In Paris
there is a sculptuEed representation OF
Bacchus, the god OF revelry. He is rid
ing Q panther at full leap. Oh, how
suggestive! Let every one who is speed
ing on bad ways understand he is not rid
ing d GociIe and well broken steed, but
he is riding a monster, wild and blood
thirsty, gong at death leap.
''wHEN SHALL AwAKE?''
How many there are VINO resolve on a
better life and say: ''When shall I
81
habits, cry: al will try once more; l
viii seek it yet again!" Years ago there
were some Princeton 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 en-
tirely TO leave the place. But one young
man, with bravado, after all the rest
had stopped, cried out: cone round
mOre!' He swept around and went
down, and was brought out corpse.
Ny 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 if q man wants
to return from evil practices society re-
pulses him. Desiring to reform he says:
''Now, ! viii shake off my old associates
and I will find Christian companions
ship And he appears at the church
door some Sabbath day, and the usher
greets him with a look, as much as to
say, "Wby, you here? You are the last
man l ever expected to see at church!
Come, take this seat right down by the
docr!'' Instead of saying, ''Good
morning; I am glad you are here. Come;
! will give you a first rate seat, right up
by the pulpit. - Well, the prod
igaI, 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 1 suppose
there is mercy for you'll The young
man, disguised, chilled, throws himself
back on his dignity, resolved he never
viii enter the house of God again. Per
haps not quite fully discouraged about
reformation, ne sides up by some highly
respectable man he used TO know going
down the street, and Immediately the re-
spectacle man has an errand down some
other street? Wei, 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 apparel and the
marks of dissipation, and instead of Civ
ing aim a warm grip of the hand,
offers him the tip end Of the long fingers
of the left hand, which is equal to
striking n man in the face.
Oh, how few Christian people under
stand how much force and gospel there
is in a good, honest Misunderstanding!
sometimes, when you have felt the need
OF encouragement 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 needed? You do not
know anything at all about this unless
YOU know when man tries TO return
from evil courses Of conduct, he
RUNS AGAINST REPULsIoEs 1NNUMERABLE.
We say of some man, he lives q block
or two from the church or half q mile
from the church. There are people in
our crowded cities who live = thousand
miles from the church. Vast deserts OF
indifference between them and the house
OF cod The fac is, we must keep our
responsibility, though thousands and tens
of thousands perish. Christ sat with
publicans aud sinners. But if there
comes to the houBe of God man with
marks OF dissipation upon him, people
throw up their hands i'm horror, as much
rs to say, ''Isn t it shocking?''
HOW tneSe 0anJy, IasIiOlOuS Chrls-
tians in all our churches are
going to get into heaven I don Il know,
unless they have an especial train OF
cars, cushioned and upholstered, each
one a car to himself! They cannot go
without the great herd of publicans and !
sinners. Oh, We, who curl your lip of
scoru at the fallen. tell you plainly,
if you had been surrounded by the intiu-
euces, instead of sitting to-day amid the |
cultured and the refined and the Chris
tian, you would have been a cr0uching |
wretch in stable or ditch, covered with |
filth and abominationl 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 Chris |
tian circles, and watched by Christian !
parentage, you should be so hard on the |
fallen?
think men are also often hindered |
from return by the fact that churches are /
too anxious about their mem bership and /
too anxious about their denomination, |
and they rush out when they see man |
about to give up his sin and return to |