The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1889-07-25

hIltl ule1ClAeSS ldDIL. w DSn Ilo Ln1IlhS |
he is entirely free the old inclinations
pounce upon him like pack of hounds
with their muzzles tearing away at the
fianks of one poor reindeer. In Paris
there is a sculptured representation Of
Bacchus, the god of revelry. He is
riding on panther at full leap. Oh,
how suggestivel Let every one who
Is speeding on bad ways understand
he is not riding q docne and well
broken steed, but he is riding mon
ster, wild and bloodthirsty, going at
death leap.
WHEN SHALL AWAKEF
How many there are who resolve on
better life and say, when shall ]
awake" But, seized on by their old
habits, cry, II will try it once more;
| will seek it yet again" Years ago
there were some Princeton students
who were skating, and the ice was
very thin, and some one warned the
company back from the air hole, and
finally warned them entirely to leave
the place. But one young man with
bravado, after all the rest had stopped,
cried out: Zone round more" He
swept around and went down, and
was brought out corpse. My friends,
there are thousands and tens of thou
sands of men losing their souls in that
way. 1t is the one round more.
I have also to say that if man
wants to return from evil practices 80 |
ciety repulses him. Desiring to re-
form, he says: "Now I 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 greets him with a
look, as much as to say: "Why, you
here2 You are the last man ever ex
pected to see at church, Come, take
this seat right down by the doorp' In
stead Of saying: Good morning; !
am glad you are here. Come; / will
give you FIRST rate seat, right up by
the pulpit" Well, the prodigal, not
| yet 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 | suppose there is mercy
for your The young man, dlsgusted,
chilled, throws himself back on his
dignity, resolved he never will enter
the house of God again. Perhaps not
quite fully discouraged about reforma-
ton, 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 some member
of O Christian association by the hand,
or tries to- The Christian young man
looks at him, looks at the faded ap-
parel and the marks of dissipation,
and instead of giving him a warm
grip of the hand offers him the tip end
Of the long fingers OF the left hand,
which is equal to striking man in
the face
Oh, how few Christian people under
stand how much force and Gospel
there is in good, honest handshak-
ing! Sometimes, when you have felt
the need of encouragement, and some
Christian man has taken you heartily
, by the hand, have you not felt that
thrilling through every fiber OF youl
, BODY. mind and soul, an encourage
/ ment that was just what you needed
! You do not know anything at all about
this unless you know when q MAI
tries to return from evil courses o.
conduct, he runs against repulsioni
: innumerable. We say of some man, ht
t lives q block or two from the church
{ or half mile from the church. Their
= are people in our crowded cities wholiv'
= a. thousand miles from the church
/ Vast deserts of Indifference between
them and the house of God. The fac
4 Is, we must keep our responsibility
, though thousands and tens Of thou
9 sands perish Christ sat with publ
f cans and sinners. But if there come
: to the house of God q man with mark
/. of dissipation upon him, people throy
up their hands in horror, as much O
r to say Isn't it shockingT Hoy
I these dainty, fastidious Christians i
" all our churches are going to get int
heaven don't know, unless they hav
n an especial train of cars, cushione
Is and upholstered, each ono a car I
Is himselfl They cannot go with th
d great herd of publicans and sil
\ ners. Oh, ye, who curl your lip {
, scorn at the fallen, l tell you plainly
i if YOU had been surrounded by I'll
,s same influences, instead OF sitting Il
.o day amid the cultured and the refine
10 and the Christian, you would hay
,g been crouching wretch in stable
" ditch, covered with filth and abom
~ nationl 1t is not because you arc ma
70 urally any better, but because 7
~ mercy of God has protected you. WI
ro are you, That brought up in Christia
NJ circles, and watched by Christian P
no rentage, you should be so hard on Il
TO fallenl
~ I think men also are often hinder
of from 'retuyn b, the fact that church'
u, are too anxious about their membe
N shin and too anxious about their d
it, nomination, and they rush out whe
nv they see a man about To give up b
n sin and return to God, and ask him no
as he is going to be baptized whether
it. sprinkling or by immersion, and wh
W kind of n church he is going to 1oi
%. Oh, my friendsl 1t is poor timo
to talk about Presbyterian catechlsn
D q and Episcopal liturgies, and Method
en- love feasts, and baptisteries to a IN;
ad that is coming out of the darkness
ais sin into the glorious light of t
he Gospel. Why, 1t reminds us of
mo- ! man drowning IN the sea, and q Ii
ar boat puts out for him, and the M
ful in the boat says to the man out of
M boat; Now, if ! get you ashore,
lat YOU eoing to live in my stree
.he First get him ashore, and then Il
the about the non-essentials of rellgi'
ok Who cares what church he joins
ho he only Joins Christ and starts
Ise heavenl oh, you ought to have,
NV brother. an illumincd face, and
alb hearty grip for every one that trles
inc turn from his evil wayl Take h
His of the same book with him, thot
The his dissipations shake the book,
. to membering that he that convertet
diff sinner from the error of his W
fa- shall save soul from death, and /
ave a multitude of sins
XIV. HOW THE sHAcKLEs MAY BE LOO.
ioli- Now, ! have shown you these
the stacles because | want you to un'
lift stand know all the difficulties IN
his way; but | am now To tell you !
o. Hannibal may scale the Alps and
the shacllles may be unriveted
p in how the paths of virtue forsaken
is n be regained, First OF all, my brot
: il throw yourself on God Go to /
.Iist frankly and earnestly, and tell
vitb these habits you have, and ask hin
gb;n there is any help in all the resourc'
! II omnipotent love, to give it you.
,.:,,c. not 90 with long rigmarole people
:, sH7 PRAYER, made up of 'ohs" and =
"a and forever and forever anne
- 80 i Go to God and cry for helpl /
~ helpl and if you cannot cry for
! .a lust look and live. | remember II
i a1I war | was at Antietam, and
y - o. into the hospitals after the ba
IL;t and ! said To n man, Nv
'D an1 are YOU hurtG" He made no ans
- 80, but held up his arm swollen
bSh, splin;ered. / saw where he was
"a | The simple fact is, when man