The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1889-08-10

to the matter? Why. your COM
mon sense would dictate: "Immedi-
ately l will attend to that matter
between eleven and twelve o'clock to-mor-
row (Monday) morning, for then l eau
surely accomplish it, but on Tuesday /
may not and on Wednesday there is less
prospect. L will attend to it Tomorrow"
Now, let us bring our commol sense in
this matter of religion. Here are the
hopes of the Gospel We may get them
now. To-morrDw we may get them aud
we may not. N xt day we may and we
may not The prospect less and less and
less aud less.
The only sure time now-now. l would
not talk TO you in this way IL | did not
know that Christ was able to save all the
people. and save thousands as easily as
save one. | would not go into a hospital
and tear off the b~andages from the wounds
il 1 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 author
ity of saying he may be saved. Suppose
in Venice there is a Raphael, a faded
picture. 1t is nearly faded away. You
say: 30, what a pity that SO wonderful a
picture by Raphael shoul be nearly de-
facedl" After a while IA man comes up
very unskillful in art, and he proposes to
retouch it. You say: 'Stand off / would
rather have il just as it is; you will only
make II worse"
After a while there comes an artist who
was the equal of Raphael. He says: ~
will retouch that picture n bring out all
it's original power" You nave full con-
fidence in his ability. He touches 1t here
and there. Feature after feature comes
forth and when he is done with the pict-
-. e. i. - n H. o..-;.n o,"o.
Now God impressed His image on our
race, but that image has been defaced for
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 God In our soul. He touches this
sin and it il gone, that transgression and
it disappears and all the DETACHMENT AN
ishes and 'where sin abounded grace
doth much more abound" Will you ave
the defacemsnt or will you have the res
toration? l am we'll persuaded that II 1
could by a touch of Heavenly pathos in
two minute put before you what has been
lone to save your soul there would be an
emotional tide overwhelming. Mamma"
said a 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 hands?" 'Well," said the
mother, my child, when you were
younger than you are now, years ago,
one night after l had put. you to bed I
heard a cry, a shrek, upstairs. l came
up and found the bed was on fire and l
took hold of you and tore off the burning
| garments, and while was tearing them of
and trying to get you away l burned my
hand and 1t has been burned and SCARED
ever since and hardly looks any more
like a hand, but l got that, my child, In
trying to save you" o man! o woman !
l wish to-day l could show you the burned
hand Of Christ-burned in plucking you
out of the fire. burned in snatching you
way from the lame. Aye, also the
burned foot, and the burned brow, and
the burned heart-burned by you. by
His stripes we are healed"