The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1890-08-05
RoAN(lkKE DAILY TIMES, TUESDAY. A6GUsT 5. 1890.

is almost q level. The depression Is SO
slight that you can hardly sec it. The
man does not actually know that he is
on the down grade, and it tips only a
little toward darl1ness-just little.
And the first mile it is claret, and the
second mile it is sherry, and the third
mile it is punch, and tho fourth mile it
is ale, and the fifth mile it is porter,
and the sixth mile it Is brandy, and
then it gets sleeper and sleeper, and
the man gets frightened and says, "Oh,
let nc get Off" NO" says the con-
ductor, this is an express train, and it
does not stop until it gets to the Grand
Central Depot of smashupton." All,
"look not thou upon the wine when it
is red, when it giveth its color in the
cup, when it moveth itself Alright. At
the last it biteth like a serpent and
stingcth like an adder
ARM YOURSELVES.
My friends, whether you tarry at
home-which will be quite rs safe and
perhaps quite MS comforta ble-or go
into the country, arm yourselves against
temptation The grace Of God is the
only safe shelter, whether in town or
country. There are watering places
accessible to all of us. You cannot
open book of the Bible without find
ing ont some such watering place.
Fountains open for sin and uncleanli-
ness; wells Of salvation; streams from
Lebanon; n flood struck out Of the
rock by Moses; mountains In the viii
dcrness discovered by Hagar; water to
drink and water to battle in; the river
of God, which il full of water; water
of which If man drink he shall never
thirst wells of water in the Valley Of
Baca; living fountains of water;
pure river OF water rs clear as crystal
from under tie throne of God.
These are watering places accessible
to all of us. We do not have labori
Gus packing up before we start-only
the throwing away of our transgres-
sions. No expensive hotel bills to pay
it is without money and without
price. No long and dirty travel be
fore We get there; it is only one step
away In California In five minutes !
walked around and saw rem fountains,
all bubblins up, and they were ell diff
ferent. And in five minutes can go
through this Bible parterro and find
you fifty bright, sparkling fountains
bubbling up into eternal life.
a chemist will 60 to one of these
summer watering places and take the
water and analyze it, and tell goa that
it contains 50 much of iron, and so
much of soda, and so much of lime,
and so much Of masnesia. ! come to
this Gospel well, this living fountain,
and analyze the water, and | find that
its ingredients are peace, pardon, for
giyencss hope, comfort, life, leaven.
10, every one that thirsteth come
yc1 to this watering place.
CrOWtI around tlllS DetntSut toud!
Oh, you sick, you lame, you troubled,
you dying crowd around this Bethes-
da, Step in it. OH, step III it! The
angel of the covenant today stirs the
water Why do you not step in 1T
Some Of you are too weak TO take .
step in that direction. Then we take
you up in the arms of our closing prayer
and plunge you clean under the wave,
hoping that the cure may be as sudden
and as radical as with Captain Naaman,
who, blotched and carbuncled, stepped
into the Jordan, ard after the seventh
dive came up, his skin roseate com
plexioned rs the flesh of little child.