The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1889-05-27

,ravity? Am ] better than theyP Perhaps |
hey had worse temptations than have |
lad. Perhaps theirsurroundingsi in life were |
more overpowering. Perhaps, o man, II |
YOU had been under the same stress OF |
instead OF sitting here today, !
YOU would have been looking through |
the bars OF penitentary. Perhaps, q
woman, il you had been under the same
power OF temptation, instead OF sitting
here today, you would DO tramping the
street, the laughing stock OF men and the
ptief OF the angels Of God, dungeoned,
body, mind aud soul, in the blacknoss oil
desnair. All, do not let us solace ourselves
with the thought that other people are
worse than We. Perhaps in the future,
when our fortunes may change, unless
God prevents it, we may be worse than
they are. Many q man alter thirty years.
after forty years, alter fifty years, alter
sixty years, has gone to pieces on the sand
bars. OH instead OF wasting our time on
hypercrticism about others, let us ask
ourselves the questions, Where do We
stand? What are our sins2 What arc our
deficits? What are our perils? What our
hopes? Let each one say TO himself
"Where will BET Shall | range in sum
merry fields, or grind in the mills OF great
night2 Whero2 Where2'
Some winter morning you go out ana
see u snow bank In graceful drifts, as
though by some heavenly compass 1t had
been curved; and rs the sun giints II the
luslcr is almost insullcrable, and 1t seems
as il God had wrapped the earth in a
shroud with white plaits woven in looms
celestial. And YOU say: "Was there ever
ANYTHING 40 pure rs the snow. so beauli-
ful Ms the SNOWY But you brought
pail Of that snow and put ii upon the stove
and melted IT,, and you found that there
was sediment nj the bottom, ana every
dron OF that snow water was riled; and
you found that the snow bank had gath.
cred up the impurity OF the field, and
that after all II was not TT to wash In.
Aud 80 say II will bo II you try to gather
up these contrasts and comparisons with
others, and with these apologies attempt
to wash out the sins OF your heart and
life. II will be an unsuccessful abluiion.
Such snow water will never wash away Il
single stain OF an immortal soul.
But hear some one say: 81 will try
something better than that. will try the
force OF good resolution. That viii be
more pungcnt, moro causiic, more exlir-
pating, more cleansing. Tho snow water
has failed. and now will try the alkali OF
the good, strong resolution My dear
brother, have you any idea that a rcsolu.
ton about the future will liquidatc tho
pnsl2 suppose | owed you 5000 and |
should como TO you tomorrow and say;
"Sir, will never run In debt TO you again.
II should live thirty years, will never
run in debt to you again." will you turn
10 me and say al you will not run In
debt in the future will forgive you the
=. OOO." viii YOU do THAR mol Nor
will God. We have been running up a
long score NJ Indebtedness with God. II
ior The future We should abstain from sin,
that would be no dclnyment of past in
dcbtcdncss Though you should live from
this time forth pure ~ an archangcl be-
fore the throne, that would not redeem
tho past. God, in tie Bible, distinctly
declares that lie twill require that which
is past past opportunities, past ncglocis,
past wicked words, past impure imagina'
| lions, past everything The past u a great
cemetery, and every day Is buried In H.
/ And here IL long row Of three hundred
| aud sixty.iiyc graves. They are the doa'
davs OF iSSS. Here IL a long row oi tire
hundred and sixty five mora graves, an
they are the dead days oi 1881. And her
Is a long row OF three hundred and sixty
five more graves. aud they are the dca
dnys of 1854 II Is vast cemetery Of lh
past. hut God will rouse them all ~
with revolutionary blast, and, ~ the prs
oncr stands incc 20 face with juror an
Judge. 40 YOU aud will have 10 come u
aud look upon those departed days face
face. cXuiung IN their smile or GOVERN
In their irown.
Murder will OUT Is a provcrb III
, stops too short. Eygry sin, however smn
. as we'll o. great, will out In hard tim,
In England years aso, u h nuthcntcil
. stated that n manufacturer was ON the vi
A with a bag OF money 10 pay oil his hand
i A man Infatuated with hunger met him ,
}. the rad, aud took rail with q nail In
n from paling fence and struck him dow
/. aud the nail entering the skull instant
K slew him. Thirty years after that q
- murderer went back 10 that place. !
n passed into the graveyard. wnofo the 81
n ton was digging q grave, aud While
- stood there the spade oi the scNt
M turned up a skull, and, 10, the mt
n derer saw n nail ptotruding from {
IA back part OF the skull, and ~ the NJ
~ | Ton lNlutu Nht hhNit ~ nN'lh'A W
~ hollow eyes 20 glare on the murderer, q
n lac. first pctrilcd with horror. stood IN
OF lcucc, hut soon cried out, Guilty gull
~ q Godl' The mystery IT tho crime v
70 over. The man vas tried and execute
IA Nv friends all the unpardpncd sins Of ,
,n lives. though We may think they arc b
~ led out Of sight aud gone into q M
H. skeleton of memory, will turn mp In
a cemetery oi the past and glover upon
le with their misdongs ! sly all our
a pardoucd sins on. have you done
| urcp0stcwus thing u euppusIng that g.
| resolutions ior the future will wipe out
ur pasl1 Good resolutions, though they u
iw be- pungcnt and taustic ~ alkali, have
power to ncutralilo a sin. have no po
I 10 wash away % trinssrvs. On. II vi
IA something moro than earthly chemistry
ci. DO this. Yea. yea. though II wash !
10 self will snow water, ani should clci
np my hands in alkali, set shalt thou plu
u toe Ia the ditch, aud mnc own cloi
ic. shall abhor me.
Yer You scc from thc last part Of this
10. that jobs idea Of Ein was very diilri
Il from that Of Eugene sue, or Ncorgr "a
.ay or VI. !. Micholcl OF any Of the humid
cal OF writers who have done mp iniquit
en- mczz1iini, aud garandcd the vino
our with cglautlnc aud rosemary, and nj
en- the path IT the libcftuc end IA bowel
ral ease Instead Ut on the hot ninang ol ,
ub. NIL torture. You fru that Job thinks
b sin is'not loWcy piflcrru. that % Is
rup lllcland Of fine prospects, that u b
ely music dulrimrr. ylolnurllo, ca'lanct
arr pindran pipes. all making music iogc
uyc No tie says 10 Is ditch, long, d
,i,h loaihsomc, stcnchlul, aud We are
ling plunged into i,, aud there We walloN
icsr sink aud struggle not able 90 get out