The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1889-08-08
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COMMON SENSE In DOING GOOD,

Due Feiuafk HSdlus 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 it2 They do not exercise the same
tact, the same ingenuity, the same
stratagem, tho same common sense In
the work of Christ that they do in
worldly things. Otherwise they would
succeed In this direction as we'll as thew
succeed In the other. There are many
men who have an arrogant way with
them, although they may not feel ar
rogant. Or they have a patronizing
way. They talk to man of the world
in manner which seems to say:
Don't you wish you were as good as
| amt Why, / have to look clear down
before | can see you, you are so far
beneath me-" That manner always
disgusts, always drives men away from
the kingdom of Jesus Christ instead Of
bringing them in. When was lad
I was one day in a village store, and
there was 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 great hilarity, said
to one Of them: George, what is the
first step of wisdom7" George looked
up and said: Every man to mind his
own business" Well, 1t was a very
rough answer, but it was provoked.
Religion had been hurled in there as
though it were bombshell. We must
be adroit in the presentation of religion
to the world.
BE NATURAL.
Do you suppose that Mary In her
conversation with Christ lost her sim
plicity2 or that Paul, laundering
from Mars Hill, took the pulpit tonel
Why is it people cannot talk as natur-
ally in prayer meeting and On relig-
ious subjects as they do in worldly
circles2 For no one ever succeeds in
any kind OF Christian work unless he
works naturally. We want to initiate
the Lord Jesus Christ, who plucked a
poem from the grass of the field. We
all want to initiate him who talked
with farmers about the man who went
forth to SOW, and talked with the fisher
men about the drawn net that brought
In fish Of all sorts, and talked with
the vine dresser about the iGer 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 forgetrme-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 OF float
ing cloud, the tangled surf of the
tossing sea, the bursting thunder guns
of the storms bombardment. Yes, ev-
cry star must point down TO him, every
heliotrope 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 world redeemed.
Now, all this being so, what is tho
common sense thing for you and for
me to do2 What we do / think will
depend upon three great facts. The
first fact that sin has ruined us. 1t has
blasted body, mind and soul. We
want no Bible to prove that we are
sinners. Any man who is not willing
to acknowledge himself an Imperfect
and 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 reconstruct,
to restore, TO revise, to correct, to re-
deem. That Is a second fact. The
third fact Is that the only time we are
sure Christ will pardon US Is the pres
emit. Now, what is the common sense
thing for us to do in view of these
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 Mon
day. morning between II and 12 o'clock
you could by certain financial trans
action make five thousand dollars, but
that on Tuesday perhaps you might
make 1t, but there would not be any
positiveness about it, and on Wednes-
day there would not be so much, and
Thursday less, Friday less, and so on
less and less-when would you attend
to the matter1 Why, your common
sense would dictate: Immediately /
will attend to that matter between
II and 12 o'clock tomorrow Mon
day. morning, for then can surely
accomplish 1t, but on Tuesday /
may not, and on Wednesday there
is less prospect. will attend TO it to-
morrow" Now let us bring our com
- II, <,f
Here are the hopes of the Gospel. We
may get them now. Tomorrow we
may get them and we may not Next
day we may and we may not. The
prospect less and less and less and lesg
NOW IS THE ACCEPTED TIME.
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 tho people, and save thou
sands as easily as save one ! would
not 60 into a hospital and tear off the
bandages from the wounds If had no
balm to apply. / would not have the
face to tell a man he is q sinner unless
| had at the same time the authority
of saying he may be saved. Suppose
in Venice there is O Raphael, faded
picture, great in its time, bearing some
marks of its greatness. History de-
scribes that picture. It is nearly faded
away. You say: "oh, what pity
phael should be nearly defacedl" After
while a man comes up, very unskill-
full in art, and he proposes TO retouch
it. You say: Stand off / would
rather have it just as 1t is; you will
only make it worse" After while
there comes an artist who was the
equal of Raphael. He says: II viii
retouch that picture and bring out all
its original power" You have full
confidence in his ability. He touches
il here and there. Feature after feat
ure comes forth, and when he is done
with the picture it Is complete in all
its original power. Now God Inn
pressed his image on our race, but
That image has been defaced for hun
dreds and for thousands Of years, get
ting fainter and fainter. Here comes
up 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 pic.
ture, the image of the One who drew
the image OF God in our soul. de
touches this sin and it is gone, that
transgression and it disappears, and all
the dsfacemcnt vanisbes, and s'where
sin abounded grace doth much morf
abound" Will you have the deface-
ment or will you have the restoration
am well persuaded that il could by
toach of heavenly pathos in two min
utes put before you what has been
done TO savs your soul, there would
be an emotional tide overwhelming.
Mamma" said little child 10 her
mother when she was being put to bed