Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1889-07-27

ana grenncSS into tho mountain foil
age, and the glow of sapphire into the
sunscti What enchantmcnt has lift
cd a world OF beauty and JOY on his
soull Ho has gone back TO tobaccoi
IT IS A TAsKMAsTE..
Oh, the fact is, as we all know in
our own experience, that habit is O
taskmaster; as long as we obey il, il
does not chastisc us; but let us resist,
and we find We are TO be lashcd with
scorpion whips and bound with ship
cable, and thrown into the track Of
bone breaking Juggernauts! During
the war OF 1912 there was ship sci
on fire just above Niagara Falls, and
then, cut loose from its moorings, il
came on down through the night and
tossed over tho falls. II was said 10
have been scene brilliant beyond all
description. Well, there are thou.
sands Of men on fire of evil habit.
coming down through the rapids aud
through tho awful might of terapta-
tion toward tho eternal plunge. Ohl
how hard il is 10 arrest them. God
only can arrest them.
Suppose man after five, or ten, OF
twenty years OF evil doing, resolves TO
do righti Why, all tho forces of dark.
ness arc allied against him. He can.
not sleep nights Ho gets down OH
his knees in the midnight and cries,
God help mo-" lie bites his lip. He
grinds his teeth. He clcnches his fist
in his determination TO keep his pur-
pose. He dare not look ut the bottles
in tho window of a wine store. II was
one long, bitter, exhaustive, hand to
hand fight. with inflamcd. tantalizing
and merciless habit When hc thinks
he is entirely free, tho old inclinations
pouncc upon him like a pack Of hounds
with their mtizzlcs tearing away mt the
Hanks OF ono poor reindeer. In Paris
there is "a sculpturcd representation of
Bacchus. the god Of revelry. He il
riding on panther ut full leap Oh.
how suggestive. Let every one who
is speeding on bad ways understand
ho is not riding "a 6ocilc and well
broken steed. but hc is riding a mon
sier. wild and bloodthirsty. going nj
death leap.
WHEN SHALL. l AwAHE."
How many there arc who resolve OH
n better life and say, When shall |
awakei But. seized on By their old
habits. cry. II will try it once more;
will seek il yet agnin." Years ago
there were some Princeton students
who were skating. and the ice was
very thin, and some ono warned the
company back from the air hole, and
finally warned them entirely 10 leave
the place. But one young man with
bravado, after all tho rest had stopped,
cried out: 'Onc round mOr!" He
swept around aud went down, and
was brought out II corpse. My friends,
there arc thousands and tens Of thou
sands Of men losing their souls in that
way II is the one round more
have also 10 say that il a man
wants TO return from evil practices SO.
cicty rcpulscs him. Desiring TO re-
form. he says; Now will shake oil
my old associates. and | will find
Christian companionship Aud he ap
pears at the church door some Sabbath
day, and the usher grcets him will, a
look. as much as 10 say: "Why, you
hercf You are the last man ! ever cx.
pected TO see ut church. Come. take
this seat righeslown by tho ,loor!" In.
stead of saying: Good morning; ]
am glad you arc here. Come; | will
give you II 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, saws:
Glad TO sec you. The dying thief
was saved. and suppose there is mercy
for youT The young man. disgustcd.
chilled. throws himself back ON his
dignity. resolved he never will enter
tho house Of God again. Perhaps not
quite full v discouraged about rcforma-
ton, hc sides up by some highly re-
spectacle man hc used to know going
down the street. and Immediately the
respectable mnn has an crrand down
some other street. Well. the prodigal,
wishing to return. takes some member
Of Christian association b. the hand,
or tries to- The Christian young man
looks at him. looks at the faded ap
parcl and the marks of dissipation,
and instead Of giving him warm
grip Of the hand oilers 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-
ingl Sometimes, when you have felt
the need Of encouragement, and some
Christinn man has taken you heartily
by the hand. have you not felt that
thrilling through every fiber OF your
body. mind and soul, an encourage
ment that was just what YOU nee,ledl
You do not know anything at all about
this unless you know when a man
tries to return from evil courses Of
conduct. he runs against repulsions
innumerable. We say Of some man. he
lives n block or two from the church,
or half u mile from the church. There
are people in nourcrowdcd cities wholivc
thousand miles from the church.
Vast deserts OF indifference between
them and the house of God. The fact
is, we must keep our rcspcctability.
though thousands and tens Of thou.
sands perish. Christ sat with publ.
cans and sinners. But il there comes
to the house of God man with marks
Of dissipation upon him. people throw
up their hands in horror, as much aS
to say. Isn't il sliocking!" How
these dainty, fnstidious Christians in
all our churches are going 10 get into
heaven / don't know. unless they have
All especial train Of cars. cushioned
aud upholstered. each one car To
himself! They c1pnot 20 with the
great herd III pGblicans and sin.
ners. Oh. yc, who curl your lip Of
scorn at tho fallen. l tell you plainly.
IL You had been surrounded By the
same influences, instead Of sitting to-
day amid the cultured and the refined
aud tho Christian. you would have
been crouching wretch in stable or
ditch. covered with filth and abomi
nation Il IN not because you arc nat.
inllly amy letter. but because the
mercy Of God has protected you. Who
arc you. that brought up in Christian
,iclcs. and watched by Christian pa
rcntage. you should be 50 hard on tho
TALENT