The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1889-03-22
We find him on horseback, in
the midnight, riding around the

ruins. It is through the spectacles oi
this scene that we discover the ardent
attachment of Nehemiah for sacred
Jerusalem, which in all ages has beer
the type OF the church Of God, oul
Jerusalem, which we love just as much
as Nehemiah loved his Jerusalem
The fact is that you love the church
of God SO much that there is no spot
on earth so sacred, unless II is your
own ireside. The church has been tc
you so much comfort and illumination
that there is nothing that makes you
SO irate as to have it talked against.
| Ii there have been times when you
have been carried into captivity by
sickness, you longed for the church,
our holy Jerusalem, just as much as
Nehemiah longed for his Jerusalem,
and the first day you came out you
came to the house Of the Lord. When
the Temple was in ruins as ours was
years ago, like Nehemiah, you walked
around and looked at it, and in the
moonlight you stood listening if you
could not hear the voice of the dead
organ, the psalm Of the expired Sab
baths. What Jerusalem was to Nehe-
miah, the church of God is to you.
Skeptics and infidels may scof at the
church as an obsolete affair, as relic
Of the dark ages, as convention of
goody goody people, but all the i'm
preston they have ever made on your
mind against the church of God is
absolutely nothing. You would make
more sacrifices for it today than for
any other institution, and if it were
needful you would die in its defense
You can take the words of the kingly
poet as he said, IF l forget thee, 0
Jerusalem, let my right hand forget
her cunning" You understand in
your own experience the pathos, the
homesickness, the courage, the holy
enthusiasm of Nehemiah in his mid
night, moonlight ride around the ruins
of his beloved Jerusalem.
RECONSTRUCTION OF THE HEART.
Again, my text impresses me with
the fact that before reconstruction
there must be an exploration of ruins.
Why was not Nehemiah asleep under
the covers2 Why was not his horse
stabbed in the midnighta Let the po-
lice of the city arrest this midnight
rider out on some mischief. No.
Nehemiah is going to rebuild the city,
and he is making the preliminary ex-
ploration In this gate, out that gate,
east west north, south. All through
the ruins. The ruins must be explored
before the work of reconstruction can
begin. The reason that SO many peo-
pie in this day, apparently converted,
do not stay converted is because they
did not first explore the ruins Of their
own heart. The reason that there are
SO many professed Christians who in
this day lie and forge and steal, and
commit adultery, and 60 to the peni-
tertiary, is because they first do not
learn the ruin Of their own heart.
They have not found out that the
heart is deceitful above all things, and
desperately wicked" They had an idea
that they were almost right and they
built religion as sort Of extension, as
an ornamental cupola. There was SUI
perstructure of religion built on a sub
stratum of unrepented sins The
trouble with a good deal of modern
theology is that instead of building on
the right foundation, it builds on the
debris of an unregenerated nature
They attempt to rebuild Jerusalem be-
fore, in the midnight of conviction,
they have seen the ghastiliness of the
ruin. They have such poor founda-
ton for their religion that the first
northeast storm of temptation blows
them down. | have no faith in a
mans conversion if he is not con-
verted in the old fashioned ay-John
Bunyan's way, John Wesley's way,
John Calvin's way, Paurs way,
Christ's way. Gods way. A dentist
once said to me, Does that hurt9"
Said l, "Of course it hurts. It is in
your business as in my profess
sion. We have to hurt before we
can help" You will never un-
derstand redemption until you
ruin. A man tells me
that some one is member of the
church. It makes no impression on
my mind at all. l simply want to
know whether he was converted in the
old fashioned way, or whether he was
in the new fashioned way.
IF he was converted in the old fash
ioned way he will stand. If he was
in the new fashioned way
be will not stand. That is all there is
about it. A man comes to me to talk
about religion. The first question l
ask him is, DO you feel yourself to
be sinner" If he say, aWell, T.
yes, the hesitancy makes me feel that |
chat man wants ride on Nehemiah's |
horse by midnight through the ruins
lin by the gate of his affections, out
BY the gate of his will; and before he
mas got through with that midnight
ride he will drop the reins on the
lorse's neck, and will take his right
1and and smite on his heart and say:
God be merciful to me sinner"
md before he has stabbed his horse he
will take his feet out of the stirrups,
md he will slide down on the ground,
md he will kneel, crying, Have
mercy on me, o God, according to thy
owing kindness, according unto the
multitude of thy tender mercies; blot
'ut my transgressions, for acknowl-
'dge my transgressions and my sins
ire ever before thee" All, my friends,
you see this is not a complimentary
gospel. That is what makes some peo-
lie SO mad. 1t comes to a man of a
million dollars and impenitent in his