The Forrest City times., 1890-07-05


 The stripos th { we deserve arc fallen upon ChrIat On His ougoi and bleeding shouldors Hc carries us up over the noun tain of our sins and over tho hills of our iniquities Chrisrs good works accepted aro sufficient for us but they who reject them, depcniing upon their own, must per- ish. Traits of character that may make us influential on earth will not necessarily opon to us tho gate of heaven. Tte plank that will be strong enough for house floor would not do for a ships hulk. Nero morality might bs enough here but cannot take you through death's storm into heavens harbor. Christ h . announced for al ages, II am tho way, the truth md the life, Il n that cometh unto me will in no wise cast ont" Hut pitia. bio in the day Of accounts will be he con- dition Of that man, though he may have given all his estate to benevolent purposes and passed his life in the visitinv of the distressed and done much to cxcit the ad. miration of the good and the grUlt If he have no intimate relation to Jesus Christi There is pride and q depravity in his soul that he has never dis covered A brilliant outside will be no apology for depraved inside. It Is no theory of mine but m announcement Of God, who cannot lie, By the decds of tho law shall no flesh living be justified. V Open the door of heaven and look in Howard is there, but he did not secure his entrance by tho dungeons he iilumined and the laszarcttos into which he cai ried the medicines. Paul is thcre, but he did not earn his way in by the ship -wrecks and fmprisonments an sourgings. On a throne overlapping perhaps ail others, except Christs, the old missionary oxclaims: ''By the grace Of Col am what I am.
 Again: Exalted social position will be no cloak for sin. A.en look through the wick. ct door of prisons, and seein, the incar- ccrated wretches cxclaiui, '.Oh, Low much vice there Is in the world r And they pass through the degraded streets of q city, and looking into the doors of hovels and the dcns of corruption the, call them odforsaken abodes. But you might walk along ths avenues through which tho opulent roll in their nourishing pomp and into mansions elegantly adorne!, and find thlt even in tho admired walks of iife Satan works mischief and death Tho first temptation Satan wrought in garden, and he understands yet most thoroughly how to insinuate himself into any door Of ease and splcndor. Men frequently judge of sin by the places In which 1t Is commit. ted, but iniquity in satin is to God as loath- some as iniquity in rags, and in the Day of Judgment the sins of Madison Avenue and Elm Street will all be driven in one herd. Men cannot escape at last for being re. sp,ctabiy sinful You know Dives was clothed in purple and iinc linen and fared sumptuously every day but his tine clothcs and good dim ITS did not save him iie might on earth have drunk something as rich as champa sno and cognac but at last he asked for one drop of water You cannot trade on your attractive sbodes hero for q house of many mansions on high and your elegant ,shado groves here VII not warrant you n scat under tho tree of life. When God drove Adam aud Eve out Of Eden, He .showed that meresy living in a garden of dclights and comforts will never save man or woman. By giving you so much earthly luxury and refinement, He intimatcd that He would have you euioY yourselves, but IIc would not have you wrap yourself up in them Us a cloak to hide your slns. God now walks in ynur garden as He did in Eden, even in ths cool of the day. and hc st insis by your we'll as He did by well in Samaris, and ns would mako your comfort on earth typo Of your rapture in heaven.
 Furthermore: Nero soandnsss os re. lisious belief will not hide our iniuultles. There arc men whose heads gre as sounl as Jonathan Edwards or John Weslor, whose hearts arc as rotten as Tom Paine | or Charles Gniteaus s- It k important that we bc theoretical Christians 1t ss uttee folly in this day. for Il man to have DO preference for any ono form of faith, when 1t Is so easy to become conversant with tn !, faith of the diGercnt secfA An iatoNtca e.l man staggered into my hoasa oue nighs begging for lodging. iIo uiado great pse. tensions to religion. asked whore la went to church. He said: .Nowheye. I ielong to liberal Christianitv Bu, thcro are those who nevor become Chris tians becausc thelr obsdnacy prevent, thcn from ever taking a fair view of what religion Is They arc liSs D brute bcas. ia toe fact that thclr greatcs. strength lios in their horns. They asc eombAtant, anI all they are ever willing to do for their soula is 10 eater an ecclesiastical fght have met men who would talk all day tip. on the ninth chapter of Romans. who wars thoroughly helpless before tho fourteenth chapter of John. Hut there arc those who. having escaped from this cond ton, arr now depending entirely upon their sound ness of relsg ous theory. Tho doc tfiucs of mans dcpravity and Chrlsts atonemcn, and Gods sovereignty are theoretically rsccsvei by thom. lSat. Aihs there they stop It Is only the shell of christianity. containing no evangelical lie. They stand looking over into heaven and admire it's beauty anu its song. and ara so pleased with the looks from tho outside that they cannot be in. duced to enter. They could make [. better argument for the truth than tea thousani Christians who havo in their hearts received it If syilogisms and di.cmmas and sound propositions and logical dcduc. lions could save tholr souls. they would ba among the best of Christians They coula correctly define repentance and faith ani tho Atoncment, wAile they have never sels | ono sorrow for sin nor exercised momont's $ confidence ln the great Sacrifice Thcy ata almost immovable in their position No can rot present anything about the religion Of Christ that thcy do not know. Tho Sa vionr described the fate of such one in His parable And that servant whi0h knew his Lords will and prepared not him SC I, neither did according 10 His will. shall bc beaten with many stripes" Theories h religion have beauty of ihelr own, but 1T they result In no warmth Of Christian iife 1, is the beauty of born bicnde and field spar. Do not call such coldncss and narL ness religion. Tho rlvcr of life rcvcF freezes over. lcicles never hang on the caves of heaven. Soundness of intellect, ual belief Is . beautiful cloak, well woven and well cut bus in the hour when Coa shall demand our souls Il will not ot itself ba sufficient to hide our iniauities
 My friends, can it be that 1 have heca unkind, and torn from you some hope upos watch you were rcsting Tor timc and etarn, ilys Verify, would bs unklud II. havin. taken away your cloak, did not offer yoa something better. This is a cold world and you want something 10 wrap around your spirit Christ offers you robe to day. Ha woyo it Himself and Hc will now with His own hand prepare Il just 10 fit your soul. Tho rightecusn 'ss He offers Is like tho coat he used to wear about Juica, with.