Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1889-08-10


emit. Now, what il tho common bense
thing for us 10 do In view of these
three factsl You will all agree with me
10 quit sin, take Christ and take him
now. Suppose some business man in
whose skill you had perfect confidence
should tell you that tomorrow Mon
day. morning between II and ~ o'clock
you could by certain financial trans
action make five thousand dollars, but
that on Tuesday perhaps you might
make il, but there would not be any
positivencss about IL, and on Wednes-
day there would not be so much, and
Thursday less, Friday less, and so on
less and lcss-whcn would you attend
10 the mattcrl Why, your common
sense would dictate: Immediately /
will attend TO that matter between
II and i2 o'clock tomorrow Mon
day. morning, for then ] can surely
accomplish II, but on Tuesday l
may not, and OH Wednesday there
is less prospect. l will attend TO it to-
morrow" Now let us bring our CON-
mon sense in this matter OF religion.
Here are the hopes OF the Gospel. We
may get them now. Tomorrow VIC
may get them and we may not. Next
day we may and we may not. The
prospect less and less and less and less
NOW Is THE ACCEPTED TIME.
The only sure time now--now. ]
would not talk 10 you in this way il i
did not know that Christ was able TO
save all tho people, and save thou
sands as easily ms save one. would
not go into hospital and tear off the
ban,lagcs from the wounds il had no
balm 10 apply. would not have the
face To tell man he is sinner unless
had nj the same time tho authority
Of saying he may be saved. Suppose
in Venice there is a Raphael, n faded
picture, great in its time, bearing some
marks Of its greatness. History de-
scribcs that picture. II is nearly faded
away. You say: "Oh, what pity
that so wonderful a picture by RI.
phacl should be nearly defacedw After
u while man comes up, very unskill-
full in art, and he proposes TO retouch
il. You say: Stand Off! l would
rather have il just ms it is; you will
only make il worse" After n while
there comes an artist who was the
equal of Raphael. lie says: Il will
rctouch that picture and bring out all
its original power" You have full
confidence in his ability. He touches
il here and there Feature after feat.
urc comes forth. and when he is done
with the picture il is complete in all
its original power. Now God i'm
pressed his image on our race, but
that image has been dcfaccd for hun.
dreds and for thousands Of years, get
ting fainter and fainter. Here comes
upa divine Raphael He says: Il can
restore that picture" lie has all power
in heaven and on earth. He is the
equal of the One who made the pic
ture, the image Of the One who drew
the image Of God in our soul. lie
touches this sin and il is gone that
transgrcssion and il disappears, and all
the DETACHMENT vanishcs, and where
sin aboundcd grace doth much more
abound" Will you have the dcfacc-
ment or will you have the rcstorationi
am well persuaded that If could by
a touch Of heavenly pathos in two min
uics put before you what has been
done 10 save your soul, there would
be- an emotional tide overwhelming.
Mamma" said little child to her
mother when she was being put TO bed
at night, mamma. what makes your
hand SO Scared and twisted and unlike
other peoples handsi' "Wch," said
the mother. my child, when you were
younger than you are now, years ago,
one night after had put you to bed l
heard a cry, a shrek upstairs. | came
up and found the bed was on fire. and
you were ON fire, and took hold of you
and tore OIL the burning garments,
and while was tearing them off and
trying 10 get you away burned my
hand, and il has been burned and
SCARED ever since, and hardly looks
any more like a hand; but got that,
my child. in trying To save you" o
mani q womanl ! wish today
could show you the burned hand Of
Christ burned in plucking you out of
the fire, burned in snatching you away
from the flame. Aye, also the burned
foot, and the burned brow, and the
burned hcart-burncd for you. BY
his stripes yc are healed