Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1890-06-27

fore that they were Indifferent to the sane
| tusry; churches were necessary evils. The
minister almost always preached poor ser
| mons, because they had not the heart to
hear them. They thought the bread was
not good because their apRstite was poor.
| Religion did very well for invalids and the
| aged, but they had no desire for It,
Suddenly change came upon their soul.
| They found that something must be done.
| Every night there was n thorn in their pill
/ low. There was gall in their wine They
| found chat their pleasures were only false
! light, of a swamp that rise out of decay
rnd ,icnth Losing their self control they
Werc startled by their own prayer God be
| merciful to me a sinner" They did not
suspect it, but til Holy Ghost was in their
soul Without thinking what they were
| doing they brushed the dust off the family
! Bible The ground did not feel as firm UNI
der them, nor did the a. seem as bright.
| They tried TO dam back he flood of their
| emotions, but the attempt failed and they
| confessed their anguish of soul before they
meant to. The secret was out! They
wanted to know what they must DO to be
saved.
ION, THAT WE'RE A, CHRISTIAN"
With Ruth and Naomi weeping Orpah
started for the land of Bethlehem They
as an arrow to the mark the sermon struck
them They thought the minister must
have heard of their case and was preaching
| right at them. They thought the sermon
was very short. nor did they once coil
themselves up in their pew with their eyes
| shut and head avertcd with an air Of IN
moved dignity. They began to pray with
an earnestness that astonshed themselves
and astonished others. Showing the plane,
| or writing up accounts or walking the
street when you might have thought their
mind entirely upon the world, they were
! saying within themselves; ooh, that were
n Christian" Orpah is fully started on the
road to Bethlehem. Christian friends OBJ
serving the religious.anxiety of the awak.
eucd soul say: He must certainly be a
Christian. There is another soldier in
! Christ's ranks, another sick one has been
cured Of the leprosy." The observers turn
their attention another way; they say:
"Orpah is safe enough, she has gone to
| Bethlehem
Alas alGsl Starting out for heaven is a
very different thing from arriving there.
| Remember Lots wife. She looked back
with longing TO the place from which she
came, and was destroyed Half way be.
tween Sodom and the city of refuge that
| strange storm comes upon her, and its salt
and birthstone gather on her garments I'M
| til they are stifened she cannot proceed,
nor can she lie down because Of this dread
| full wrapping around her garments and
| limbs and long after her life has gone she
still stands there, covered up by the
strange storm that she is called a pillar Of
salt, as some sailor on ships deck in the
wintry tempest stands covered with Il mail
of ice. Ten thousand times ten thousand
men have been destroyed half way between
| Sudom and the city of refuge Orpah
might as well never have started rs after
ward to turn back. YeJ uulttudes have
walked in her footsteps Go among those
the leest 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 his
Eihle and freQuented the sanctuary, bat
Lott wife looked ba k wistfully TO SodOm,
and Orpah rctreated from the company Of
Ruth and Naomi. 1t is an impressive
Thought that after Orpah had gone so far
as actually TO look over into the land of
Bethlehem she turned back and died in
Moab
THEY LIFTED Up THEIR VOICE AND WEPT.'
Again, let our subject impress upon us
the truth that those who have once felt it
their duty to leave their natural state can
, not give mp their duty and go back to hard.
/ ness of heart without n struggle. After
Orpah had thoroughly made up her mind
to go back to the place from which she
started she went through tho sad scene of
parting with Ruth and Naomi My text
says, They lifted up heir voice and wcpt. -
All, my bearer, it requires more decision
and perseverance to stay away from the
kingdom Of God than to enter it, Although
she cid not know 1t, Orpah passed through
& greater struggle in turning back into he
land of Moab than would have been neces-
sary to take her clear through 10 Bethe
hem Suppose you that those persons who
have remained in their evil ways have had
no struggle? Why, they have been obliged
10 fight every inch Of their way.
The road to death is not such easy trav
cling as some ministers have been accus
toned to describe it, From beginning tC
end it is fighting against the sharp sword
of the Spirit 1t is climbing over the cross
1t is wading through the deep blood OF the
son of God. 1t is scaling mountains OF
privilege. 1t is wadiug through lakes OF
sorrow. 1t is breaking over communion
tables and baptsmal fonts and pulpits anG
, Bibles, 1t is weighing ones self through
between pious kindred who stand before
, and press us back and hold on to us by
their prayers even after we have passed
tnem IN our neauIOnS downward career
No man ought to think of undertaking tC
= go back into Moab after having CONT
, within sight of Bethlehem unless he hav;
! heart that cannot be made to quake, anl
: a sure foot that will not slip among inf
, mite perils, and an arm that can drive bach
4 the Son of God, who stands in the center
! of the broad road spreading out his arms
and shouting into the ear OF the thought
a less pilgrim, stop stop
. CHRISTIANITY Is A SOLEMN THING.
. We talk about taking up the cross anC
9 following Jeaus but that cross is not hal
. SO heavy as the burden which the sinner
carries 1t is a very solemn thing to be
=, Christian but it is a more solemn thinl
+ not to be a Christian. There are multi
| tudes who, afraid of the self denials of tn,
r Christian, rush into the harder self deni
n ais of the unbeliever No yoke but Christ 5
. however tight and galliIg Orpah goe
q back to her idolatries, but she returns
i weeping, and ell who follow her will fine
the same sorrows. just in proportion a
J., gospel advantages have been nu..erou
| ill /. L. IL