Semi-weekly interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1881-1905, 1891-05-22
HOW THEY ARE KEPT BACK.
The Natural Heart Devises Many Er-
eusas Ear neI

The Natural Heart Devises Many Er-
cuses Tor Delay.
/ Narro, Roman author, said he sent
In many directions to find ont from men
what they thought TO be the chief good.
He received three hundred and twenty
different replies, so many opinions were
there in the world as to what was
really the chief good to be sought after
and the chief JOY to be received. Blessed
be God. We are not left to "A wild guess
upon this subject. but we have in tho
BlOle "a positive statement of the fact
that the highest good and the gladdest
JOY OF the soul Is the service of God.
The religion of Jesus Christ is compared
in the Bible to the light. but il is
brighter than that. 1t is compared TO
the rock. but it is fr,ner than that. And
the Lord Jesus Christ, the great central
force OF that religion, is represented as a
shepherd, but he is more careful than a
shepherd. He il represented as a can
tain of salvation. but he is Drawer than
any earthly officer. He isrepresented a.
the morning star heralding the day, but
he is a brighter and more glorious
promise to the soul upon which he
shines.
Now, If all these things are true, why
is it that the vast majority of men do
not come and receive this Christ and ac-
cept this gospel There are those who
are kept back from the religious life be-
cause they feel they are too young to
el,a1
or thirty, or forty, or sixty years, and in
that long reach of Gods mercy there
will be plenty Of time to attend to these
things. Meanwhile let MS eat, drink,
and be merry" Are you too Young To
serve God! Yes, if you are too young to
receive any marcies at bis hand: if YOU
are too young to sit at the table of his
bounty; II You are too Young to be
clothed by his goodness, to be fed by his
love, to be sheltered by his banefaction,
to be cared Cor by his loving kindness
then you are too young, Yet the fact OF
your youth, instead of being the reason
why you should stay away from Christ,
is the very reason why you should come.
Especial promise is given to you now
that will never be given to you again.
Besides thar, are You not aware of the
fact that if you put off the day of grace
until the years of your youth have passed,
in all probability you put it off forever?
Do you not know that if you take up the
church records in any religious organiza-
ton the world over yop will find that the
vast majority of those who find their way
into the kingdom of Christ come in their
early days: Do you not know that if a
man allows twenty-five years of his life
to pass without having found the peace
and hope of the gospel, the strong proba-
biiities are-twenty to one, one hundred
to one-that lie will die in his sins? Do You
not know that the day of youth is the es-
pecial day of Gods mercy; that you can.
not, without infinite risk to your soul, ad-
Iourn the matter; that it is far easier to
come to Christ at five years of age than
1t ten, at ten than at fifteen, at twenty
han at twenty-five; and that if there are
in the way now they will null
iply and augment until Alps are piled
IN Alps and HiInalayas on Himalayas,
md you will never scale the heights?-
Christian Herald.