The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1890-07-04

| >,.- va hSNt uutO lne Lord, Du
many nature, atfectionatc and gel
tie' has fought successfully arains
ulsine influences. Many dove In
refused to come III the window of fin
5 ARK although finding no rest for th
:: sole of her foot.
p Again the history of Orpah impres
ses upon me the truth that there M,
many who make n good stnrtinr bu
after awhile change their minds nm,
turn back. When these three mourn
rIS start from their home in Monl
mere is as much probability tbn,
Orpah Will reach Bethlehem as thai
her sister Ruth and her mother-in
law; Naomi, will arrive there But
Whlle these continue in the iourncv
they commenced, Orpah after awhile
gets discouraged and turns bock
This is the history of many y soni
ISrhaps 1t was during n revival of
iehsl0n they resolved upon Il Chris
1lan NE and made preparations to
ieavc Moab. Before that they were
lndllfcr"nt to the sanctuary. churches
were necessary evils. The minister
utmost always prcachcdpoor sermons,
because they had not the hcnrt r.
near them. They thought the LrcnI
was not good because their ANNETTE
was poor. Religion did very wrll
Tor mvalids and the aged. but thcv
Ead no desire for it. Suddenly n
ctlahSc came upon their soul. Thcv
10'lhd That something must be done
Every night there was thorn in thrh
pillow. There was n call in thc;r
wlnc They found that their nleos-
ures were only false lights ofn swnmn
that rise out of decay and dcoth
losing their sclf-control they were
startled by their own prayer, God
pe mercltul to me n sinner" They
uId d not suspect it, but the HOLY
HiloS: y Was i'll their soul. Without
! ,IhlhklnS what they were doing thev
DruShcd the dust off their family
ciplc. L The ground did not feel as
urn under them nor did the air seem
Is bright: They tried to dam bnck
The flood of their emotions. but thr
attempt failed. and they confessed
her anguish of soul before thev
meant to. The secret was out. Thcv
to know what they must ,lo I
o be saved. .
Alas! Alas! Starting out for bcovo,
; s II very different thing from arriy-, !
III Al6Sint thGYfcs Upon her, and it's salt t
nd birthstone gather on her gar Q
lcnts until they are SO stiti2ncd she '
annot proceed, nor can she lie down, {
ecuusc of this dreadful wrapping |
round her garments and limbs; and ;
onm after her life has gone she still |
tands there so covered up by the
TRANCE storm that she IS called Il
,illar OF salt rs some sailor on ships
II the wintry tempest stands covered
With II mail of ice. Ten thousand {
ines ten thousand men have been {
destroyed half way between Sodom
md the City of Refuge. Orpah
night rs we'll never have started ns
to turn back. Yet multi
.udcs have walked i'll her footsteps:
GO among those the least Interested
in sacred things and you will find that
they were once out OF the land OF
Moab. Every one of them prayed
right heartily and studied their Bi-
bles: and freuuented the sanctuary, |
but Lot : wife looked back wistfully |
to Sodom. and Orpah retrcatcd
fl ON the company of Ruth and Naomi.
1t is nn Impressive thought that NJ
ter Orpal had gone SO far aS nc
tualiy to look over, into the land OF
Bethlehem she turned back and died
in Moab
We talk about taking up tn" cross
and following .Jc. rs, hut that cross
is not half SO heavy aA the burden
which the sinner carries. Ii Isn very
solemn thing to be u Christian, but
it is il more solemn thing not to be II
Christian. There III" multltudcS
who. afraid of the self dcnials of the
Christian. rush into the harder sell
dcninls OF the mbcli"vcr. No yoke
bat Christ's. however tight and gall
ing. Orpah goes back 10 her idoln.
fries. but she returns wCcpinGinnd all
who follow her will find the same
sorrow. Just i'll proportion as goS-
pei advantages haze been numerous
will be the disturbance OF the hcnit
that will not come to Christ.
Again: This subject teaches that
religious choice and the want of il
frequently divide families. Ruth ant
Orpah md Naomi were tcnderly 1T
tachcd. They were nll widows. ano
their life had been consccratcd by ;
baptism of tears. In the fire of trEn
their affections had been forged. To
gcthcr they were so pleasantly unl
t,d, you can hardly imagine then
separated. Yet It fatal line is draw
dividing them from each Other, per
, haps forever. Naomi cannot Inv" II
, Il hcathcn country. She must g
into Bethlehem, that there amongth
r. pious she may worship the true Got
l. Ruth makes II similar choice, bu
/, Orpah rebels. And they lifted "a
4 their voice and wcpt again, and o.
pah kissed her mothcr-in law, br
V Ruth clavc unto her The histor
g of this family of Elimclcch il IL
g history of many families of this da
y How often it is that i'll circle of +
y latives, while they look alike, III
@ walk alike, and talk alike, there Is
T. tremendous difference. Outward
&c united in the afi,cctional relations
Of this life, they are separated Ill t