Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1889-08-01

instead of saying Good morning. en-, Tia
you are here Come: | will 1--WE ros, 20 =
first rate seat, right up by the pulpit. y Wei
the prodigal not yet discouraged. enters
tne 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 Won p
The young man. disguised chilled throws
himself back on his dignity, resolved he mayer.
viii enter the house Of God again. Perhens
not quite fully discouraged about reforma-
ton, he sides up by some highly respectable
man ne used 70 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 MEM
Der 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 giving him a
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 n
good, honest handshaking Sometimes. when
you have felt the need of announcement. and
some Christian man has taken YOU heartily
by the hand, have you not felt that thrilling
through every fibre 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 a man
tries to return from evil courses of conduct
be runs against repulsions 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 cit
les who live 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 and tens
of thousands perish. Christ sat with publi-
cans 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 shock
ingY 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 a car to himself They
can not go with the great herd of publicans and
sinners. Oh, ye, who curl your lip of
scorn at the fallen, | tell you plainly, if you
had been surrounded by the same influences,
instead of sitting to-day amid the cultured
and the refined and the Christian, you would
have been a crouching wretch in stable or
ditch, covered with filth and abominationl
1t Is not 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 you should be so hard on the
fallen.
/ 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 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. Oh, my friends 1t is a
poor time to talk about Presbyterian cate
chisms and Episcopal liturgies, and Metho-
dist love-feasts, and baptisteries to a man
that is coming out Of the darkness of sin into
the glorious light of the Gospel. Why, it
reminds us of a 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: Now If | get you ashore,
are you going to live In my streety'
First get him ashore, and then talk about the
non-essentials of religion. Who cares what
church he joins il he only joins Christ and
starts for heaveng Oh you ought 20 have,
my brother, an illumined face, and a
hearty grip for every one that tries to turn
from his evil wayi Take hold of the same
book with him, though his designations shake
the book, remembering that he that con-
verteth a sinner from the error of his ways
shall save a soul from death, and hide a
multitude Of sins
Now, l have shown you these OBJ
stacles because l want you to under
stand | know all the difficulties in the
Hannibal may scale the Alps and how
the shaclles may be unriveted and
how the paths of virtue forsaken may be re-
gained 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 helpi in all
the resources Of omnipotent love, to give it
TO YOU Do not 90 with long rigmarole
people call prayer, made up OF obs and
''ahsn and forever and forever amens" 60
20 God and cry for help helpl help and If
you cannot cry for help, just look and i've.
remember in the war / was at Antletam
and | went into the hospitals after the
battle, and | said to man, here
ire YOU hurtyp He made no answer,
but held up his arm swollen and splintered.
saw where he was hurt. The simple fact
IS when man has wounded soul, an ne
has to do is to hold it up before a sympathetic
Lord and get it healed. 1t does not take
any long prayer just hold up the wound
Oh. it is no small thing when man is nerv-
9us and weak and exhausted, coming from
his evil ways, to feel that God puts two om-
aipotent arms around about him and says;
isHoung man, | will stand by .youl Inc
mountains may depart and the hills be re-
moved. but will never fail you" And then,
as the soul thinks the news Is too GOOD 10 De
true. and cannot believe it and looks up IN
Gods face. God lifts His right hand and takes
An OdI1. al dlAiudFAl1 en- 80
saith the Lord God, have nc pleasure IN tine
death of him that dieth.n
Blessed be God for such a Gospel as this
HCut the slices thin" said the wife TO the
husband. tOE there win not he enough to go
an around for the children; cut the snces
thin Blessed be God, there is a fun LOAF ior
sverv one that wants it; bread enough ana
to spare No thin slices at the LORDS taoie-
remember when the Master Street nos
oitaI in Philadelphia, was opened during tne |
war. a telegram came saying; mere VIII "
three hundred wounded men to-mgnt' De
ready to take care of them" and rom my
shurch there went in some twenty or
thirtv men and women to LOOK aiter /
these poor wounded fellows. AS they
came. some from one part OF tns
land some from another. no one asked /
whether this man was from Oregon or lroll /
Massachusetts or from Minnesota. or from
New York There was WOUNDED sosuIsl,
and the only question was how to axe on .ne /
RAGS most gently, and put on the panoage,
and administer the cordial Ana wnen
so,,l comes to God He does not ask wnere 4
von came from or what your ancestry waS was;
Healing for all your wounds faroon NJ ."
rx-.-.f.-& f,s- al VOur troubles.