Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1889-08-14

they come Oh not. We have not any spec
al anxiety as to whether they come or not
We may get them and may not get them
Instead of at Z o'clock in the morning say
Ing. "Have got that blessing?" at II O
CLOCK monday, asking, Have 1 got tina
olessing?' at O'Clock in the evening say
ing, "Have l received that blessing?" ant
not getting it, pleading, pie ading-begging
begging-asking, asking until you get
Now, my brethren, is not that common
sense? If we ask thing from God, wht
has sworn by His eternal throne that HI
will do that which we ask, is it not common
sense that we should watch and wait unit
we get it?
But | remark again: We want more com
mon sense in doing good. How many peo
pie there are who want to do good and ye
are dead failuresl Why is it? They do no
exercise the same tact, the same ingenuity
the same stratagem, the same common SENSE
in the work of Christ that they do in world
ly things. Otherwise they would succeed
in this direction as we'll as they succeed il
the other. There are many men who have
an arrogant way with them, although they
may not feel arrogant. Or they have a pa
trouising way. They talk to man of the
world IL manner which seems to say
''Don't you wish you were as good as
am? Why, have to look clear down be
fore can see you, you are SO far beneath
me-" That manner always disgusts, al
ways drives men away from the kingdom
of Jesus Christ instead of bringing them in
When was lad was one day in will
age store, and there was large group oi
young men there full of rollicking and fun,
and Christian man came in, and without
any introduction of the subject, and while
they were in great hilarity, said to one oi
them: "George, what is the first step oi
wisdom?" George looked up and said
''Every man to mind his own business" "
Well, it was very rough answer, but it
was provoked. Religion had been hurled
in there as though it were bombshell. We
gion to the world.
Do you suppose that Mary, in her conver.
sation with Christ, lost her simplicity? or
that Paul, laundering from Mars Hill, took
the pulpit tone? Why is it people cannot
talk as naturally in prayer meeting and on
religious subjects as they do in worldly cir
cles? For no one ever succeeds in any kind
of Christian work unless he works natural.
ly. We want to initiate the Lord Jesus
Christ, who plucked poem from the grass
of the field. We all want to imitata Him
who talked with farmers about the man
who went forth to SOW, and talked with the
fishermen about the drawn net that brought
in fish of all sorts, and talked with the vine
dresser about the ider In the vineyard, and
talked with those newly affianced about the
marriage supper, 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 the 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 to him-the wealth of
language, the tenderness of sentiment, the
delicacy of morning dew, the saffron ot
floating cloud, the tangled surf of the toss
ing sea, the bursting thunder guns of the
storms bombardment. Yes, every star
must point down to him, every heliotrope
must breathe his praise, every drop in the
summer shower must fash his glory, al the
tree branches of the forest must thrum
their music in the grand march which shall
separate world redeemed.
Now, all this being so, what is the COM
nonsense thing for you and me to do !?
What we do think will depend upon three
great facts. The first fact that sin has ruin
ed us. 1t has blasted body, mind and soul.
We want no bible to prove that we are sin
ners. Any man who is not willing to &C.
knowledge himself an imperfect and SIM
full being is simply fool and not to be ar
gued with. We all feel that sin has disor-
ganized our entire nature. That is one
fact. Another fact is that Christ came to
reconstruct, to restore, revise, to correct to
redeem. That is a second fact. The third
fact is that the only time we are sure that
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 conf
dence should tell that tomorrow Monday
morning between II aud 12 o'clock you
could by certain financial transaction
make five thousand dollars, but that on
Tuesday, perhaps, you might mako it, but
there would not be any positiveness about
it, and on Wednesday there would not be so
much, and Thursday less, Friday less, and
so on less and less-when would you attend
to the matter Why, your common sense
would dictate "Immcdiately l will attend
to that matter between IL and II O'Clock to-
morrow (Monday) morning, for then can
surely accomplish it, but on Tuesday l may
not, and on Wednesday there is less pros
pect. l will attend to it to morrow" Now
let us bring our common sense in this mat
ter of religion. Here are the hopes Of the
gospel. We may get them now. To-mor-
row we may get them and we may not.
Next day we may and we may not. The
prospect less and less and less and less.
The only sure time now-now. | would
not talk to you in this way if did not know
That Christ was able to save all the people,
and save thousands as easily as one. would
not go into hospital and tear off the band
ages from the wounds if had no balm to
apply. l would not have the face to tell a
man he is sinner unless had at the same
time the authority of saying he may be
saved. Suppose in Venice there is a Ra'
pbael, a faded picture, great in its time,
bearing some marks Of its greatness. His
tory describes that picture. 1t is nearly
faded away. You say "Oh, what pity
that SO wonderful a picture by Raphael
should be nearly defaced J" After awhile
man comes up, very uDskillfol in art, and
proposes to retouch it. You say :: "Stand
off would rather have it just as it is
you will only make it worse" After awhile
there comes an artist who was the equal oi
Raphael. He says: 81 will retouch that
er." You have full confidence in his ability
He touches it here and there. Feature at
ter feature comes forth, and when he is
done with the picture it is complete 10 its
original power. Now God impressed hi:
image on our race, but that image has been
defaced for hundreds and thousands oi
years, getting fainter and fainter. Here
comes up a divine Raphael. He says, 81
can restore that picture" He has all the
power in heaven and on earth. He is the
equal of the One who made the picture, the
image of the One who drew the image o.
God in our soul. He touches this sin ano
it is gone, that transgression and it disap
pears, and all the defacemrnt vanishes land
where ''sin abounded grace does much more
abound" Will you have the defacemen
or will you have the restoration | am wei
persuaded that if could by touch o.
heavenly pathos in two minutes put before
you what has been done to save your soul
there would be an emotional tide over
whelming. "Mama,' said a little child tt
her mother when she was being put to bee
| Y,;pbt ttp,on,a what rnakns vOur hand N