Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1889-08-17

in.the evenina: Have ! received that
blessing?" and not getting 1t, pleading,
pleading-begging, begging asking, ask
ing until you get it. Now, my brethren
is not that common sensef II we ask a
thing from God, who has sworn by his
eternal throne that he will do that which
we ask, is ii not common sGuse that we
should watch and wait until we get il?
But l remark again: We want more
common sense in doing good. How many
people there are who want to do good
and yet are dead failures, Why is it?
They do not exercise the anne tact, the
same ingenuity, the same stratagem, the
same common sense in the work of Christ
that they do in worldly things. Other
wise they would succeed in this direction
as well as they succeed in the other.
There are many men who have an AFRO
CANT way with them, although they may
not feel arrogant. Or they Eage {:
p%atronizing way. They talk to a man OF
the world in a II which seems TO
say: Don't you wish you were as good
as | ann Why, ! have to look clear down
before | can see you, you are So far be-
meath me-" That manrc. always dis.
gusts, always drives men away from the
kingdom Of Jesus Christ instead Of bring.
ing them in. When | was a lad | was
INT day in a village store, and there was
a large group Of young men there full OF
rollicking and fun, and a Christian man
came in, and without any introduction OF
the subject. and while they were in grea'
hilarlty, said to one Of them: George,
what is the first step of wisdom?" George
looked up and said: Every man to mind
his OWL business" Well, it was q very
rough answer, but it was provoked. Re-
ligion had been hurled in there as though
it were a bombshell. We must be adroit
in the presentation cf religion to the
world.
Do you suppose that mary in her con
versation with Christ lost her simplicity a.?
or that Paul, laundering from Mars Hill,
took the pulpit tone? Why is it people
cannot talk as naturally in prayer meet
ing and on religious subjects as they DO
in worldly circles? For no one ever sue
ceeds in any kind of Christian WORK I'M
less he works naturally. We want to
initiate the Lord Jesus Christ, who
plucked a poem from the grass OF the
field. We all wan to initiate him who
talked with farmers about the man who
went forth to SOW, and talked with the
fishermen about the draw net that
brought in fish Of all sorts, and talked
with the vine dresser about the idler in
the vineyard, and talked with those
ne WHY afianced about the marriage sup
per, 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 tie
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 everything 10 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 b0mtard.
ment. Yes, every Star must point down
10 him, every heiiotrope must breathe
his praise, every drop in the summer
shower must flash his glory all the tree
branches of the forest must thrum their
music in the grand march which shall
celebrate a world redeemed.
Now, al this being SO, what is the
common sense thing for you and for ne
to do? What we do ! think will depend
upon three great facts. The first fact
that sin has ruined us. II has blasted
body, mind and soul. We want no Bible
TO prove that we are sinners. Any man
who is 10 willing to acknowledge him
self an imperfect and a sinful being is
simply a fool and not TO be argued with.
We all feel that sin has disOrganiZed our
entire nature. That is one fact.
Another fact is that Christ came to re-
construct, TO restore, to revise, TO correct,
to redeem. That is g 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 US 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 tomorrow Monday morning be
tween II and ~ o'clock you could by a
certain hnanci9i transaction make So, O0G
but that on Tuesday perhaps you might
make it, but there would not be any posi-
tiveness about it, and on Wednesday
there would not be so much, and Thurs
day less, Friday less, and SO on less and
less-when would you attend to the mat
ter? Why, your common sense would
dictate: Immediately will attend to
that matter between II and - O'Clock to-
morrow Monday) morning, for then |
can surely accomplish it, but on Tuesday
may not, and on Wednesday there is
less prospect. ! will attend to it tomor-
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 and we may not. The prospect lees
Land less and less and less.
The only sure time VI now.
would not talk to you in this way il | did
not know that Christ was able 10 save
thousands rs easily as save one. would
not go into the hospital and tear off the
bandages from the wounds if | 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
Wenicethereis a Raphael, a faded picture,
great in its time, bearing some marks Of
its greatness. History describes that
picture. 1t is nearly faded away. You
say: "0h, what a pity that SO wonder
full d picture by Raphael should be Sc
nearly defacedr' After awhile a man
comes up, very unskillful in art, and he
proposes 70 retouch it. You say Stand
off! ] would rather nave it just as il is
you will only max it worse" After
awhile there comes an artist who was the