The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1889-08-21

the one round more
l have also to say that if man wants to
return from evil practices society repulses
him. Desiring to reform, he says: "Now
will shake off my old associates. and will
find Christian companionship." And he ap
pears at the church door some Sabbath day,
and the usher Srcets him with look. as
much as to say: ''Why, you here: You
are the last man ever expected to see at
church, Come, take this seat right down
by the door." Instead Of SAYING: "Gocd
morning: am glad YOU are here Come,
I will give you first rate seat, right up
by the pulpit" Well, the prodigal,
not vet 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 I suppose there is mercy for your The
young La, disgusted, chilled, throws him
self back on his dignity, resolved he will
never enter the house of God again. Per-
haps not quite fully discouraged about ref
ormation he sides up by some highly re-
spectacle man he used to know going down
the street, and Immediately the respectable
man has an errand down some other street.!
Well, the prodigal, wishing to return, takes
>
the hand, or tries to. The Christian young
man looks at him, looks at the faded ap-
parel and the marks Of dissipation, and in
stead OF giving him warm grip of the
hand offers him the tip end of the long fin
gers of the left hand. which is equal to
striking man III the face.
o, how few Christian people understand
how much force and gospel there is in a
hon Ash &c
when you have felt the need of encourage
rent, 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 any thing at all about this unless you
know when Q man tries to return from evil
courses Of conduct, he runs against repul-
sions innumerable. We say of some mai,
he lives block or two from the church, or
half a mile from the church. There are peo-
pie in our crowded cities who live thou
sand miles from the church. Vast deserts
of indifference between them and the house
Of God. The fact is, we must keep our re-
spectability, though thousands and tens OF
thousands perish. Christ sat with publicans
and sinners. But if there comes to the house
Of God man with marks OF dissipation
about him, people throw up their hands in
horror, as much as to say, isn't it shock
ings" 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 car to himself! They
can not go with the great herd Of publicans
and sinners. O.. We, 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 crouching wretch in stable or
ditch. covered with filth and abomlnation!
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
N Christian circles, and watched by Chris
tian parentage, yoS>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 uutts, and ask him how he is
going to be baptized, whether oy spr1nklmg
he is going to join. o, my friends! 1t is
poor time to talk about Presbyterian cate
chiSms, and Episcopal hturgies and Metho-
dist love feasts, and baptisteries tQ-aman
that is coming out of the dark1ess of sin
into the glorious light Of the Gospel Why,
it reminds us Of man drowning in the sea,
and liffeboat puts out for him, and the
man-in the boat says to the man out OF the
boat: 'sNow, if get you ashore, are you
going to live in nv streetr' First get him
ashore, and then talk about the non-essen-
tials Of religions. Who cares what church
he Joins, if he only joins Christ and starts
for Heavena D, you ought to have, my
brother, an illuminated face, and hearty
grip for every one that tries to turn from
his evil way. 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 soul from death, and hide
multitude Of sins.
Now I have shown you these obstacles be-
cause want you to understand l know all
the difficulties in the way; but am now to
tell you how Hannibal may scale the Alps,
and how the shackleS may be unriveted,
be regained First Of al, my brother,
throw yourself on God. Go to Him, frankly
and earnestly tell Him these habits you
have, and ask Him, if there is any help in
all the resources of omnipotent love, to give
it YOU. DO not 60 with long rigmarale
people call prayer, made up OF ''ohs' and
'sahs," and ''torever and forever amens!"
Go to God and cry for help! help! help!
and if YOU can not cry for help, just
look and live l remember in the war
was at Antietam, and l went into the
hospitals after the battle, and said
to man, ''Where are you hurt!" He made
no answer, but held up his arm swollen and
sp.irtered. 7 saw where he was hurt The
simple fact is, when man has wounded
soul, all he has to do is to hold 1t up before
sympathetic Lord and get it healed. 1t
does not take any long prayer. Just hold
up the wound o, it is no small thing when
q man is nervous and weak and exhausted,
coming from his evil ways to feel that God
puts two omnipotent arms around about
him and says, young man, l will stand by
YOU! The mountains may depart, and the
hills nay be removed. but will never fail
you.'' And then, as the soul thinks the
news is too good to be true, and can not be-
lieve it, and looks up in Gods face, God lifts
His right hand and takes an oath, an af1i-
davit, saying, ''As l live, saith the Lord
God. have 10 pleasure in the death OF him
that dieth."
Blessed be God for such GHspel as this!
,'Cut the slices thin said the wife to the
husband, ''or there will not be enough to 90
sll around for the children; cut the slices
thin" Blessed be God, there is full loaf
for every one that wants it; bread enough
and to spare. No thin slices at the Lords
table | remember when the Master Street
Hospital, in Philadelphia, was opened dur
ing the war. A telegram came saying:
s0There will be three hundred OF them,"
and from my church there went in some
twenty or thirty men and women TO looS
after these poor wounded fellows. AS they
came some from one part Of the land, some
from another, no one asked whether
this man was from Oregon, or from Massa-
chusetts, or from Minnesota, or from New
49, al lsar a.