Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1892-06-25
Well. my friends, there are many Chris

II irtEUb StilS, WIKI IL JIG use Oh Iii
yourself and insulting Col By asking him to
forgive sins that long ago We're forgiven?
God has forgotten them Why do you not
forget them, No, you drag the load on with
YOU and 365 times a year. if You pray every
, day, you ask God to recall occurrences v-hicll
he has not only fargi-et but forgotten.
Quit thi. folly. [ do no. ask you less TO re-
allie the ~turpitu lie Of sin. bu. I ask YOU 10 &
hioier faith in the promise Of Gol and the
full deIiverance OF his mercy. he does not
give receipt for part payment, or 50 much
received on account, but receipt in full. Col
having for Christ's sake decreei. your sins
and your iniouities Will remember no more"
AS far as possible, let TIE disaereeabtes Of
life drop. We have enough things in the
present and there Will De enough IN the fu-
tire to disturb US without running a special
train into the great gone-oy to fetch us as
special freight things lett behin1. Some ten
years ago, when there was a great raiiro2l
strike. | remember seeing all along tire route
from Omaha &c Chicago and from Chicago
tc New York hundreds an1 thousands OF
freight cars switched on the side tracks,
those cars loaded with all kinds Of perlshable
material. decaying and wasting.
After the strike was over iii the railroad
companies bring ali that perishei material
down to the markets? No. they threw it
of where it was DESTROYED, and loaded uD
with something else. Let the long train o:
vcur thoughts throw Off the worse than osA
less freight of . c,rrtpt and DESTROYED pas.
and bad 80 With gratitude and faith an
h0Y determination We do not p.eas- Col
bv the cultivation Of the miserable He
would rather sea Us happy than to seo us de-
pressed. You would rather see you chill
dren laugh than 70 see them CRY, AMI your
Heavenly Father has no 70 ndness for hys-
terics,
Not only forget your par1onel transgras-
siOnS, but ALLOW others 10 forget them. Inc
chief stock on hand OF many people is to
~La~,,rt ~, -rn 20. = u ~ N Mi
what big scoundreis they once were. Iney
not only will not forget their forgiven de
ficits, But they seem to be determined tlat
the church and the world shall not forget
them. If you want to declare that you nave
been the chief of sinners and extol the grcc-
that could save such a wretch as you ware
do 50, but do no. go into particulars. D.
not tell how many times You got drHnl, or
TO what bad places you Went, or how many
free rides YOU had IN TIE prison van before
you were converter. Lunnplo Urouner; give
it TO US i'll bulk.
If You have any scars got in honorable
warfare, show them, but it you have scars
got in ignObla warfare. do not display tncnl.
know you will quote the Bible reference t.
the horrible pit from which yo1 We've
tigSed. Yes, be thankful for that rescue,
but do not make displays Of the mud Of that
horrible pit or splash it Over other people.
Sometimes [ have felt in Christian meetings
discounted and unfit for Christian service
because | hat done mono OF taose things
which seemed to be IN the estimation o
many necessary tor Christian usefuineSs, for
! never swore Il word, or ever got drunk, or
went TO compromising places, or was guilt
OF assault or battery, or ever utt eret q
4 slanderous word, or ever dii any Ona q
hurt, although ! knew my heart was sim
1ul enough; ami 1 sail to ,nvs3if, There is
no use of my trying to do any good. for |
never went through those depravel ex-
neriences:" but afterwari | saw consolation
in the thou 5ht that no ona gained any
ordination by the laying on Of the hands OF
d~issoluteneSs and infamy. And though an
ordinary moral life. ending in a Christian
life, may not be as dramatic a story to tell
about, let Us be grateful to God rather than
worry about it, if we have never plunged
into outward denominations.
1t may be appropriate i'll a meeting Of re-
formed drunkards or reformed deoauclaaSo
qnote for those not reformed how desperat
and nasty you once were, but do not drive Il
scayenger's cart into assemblages Of peoplH,
the most Of whom have always been decent
and respectable. But | have been sometimes
in great evangelistic meetings where people
went into particulars about the sins that they
once committed, so much SO that | felt li&c
putting my hand on my pocketbook Or cali
ing the police lest these reformed men might
fall from grace and go at their old business
of theft or drunkenness or cutthroatery. Ii
tobA sIIlS LA z oCS " III potNt tlN
purified, forget the waywardness OF the pas
and allow others to forget 1t.
But what | most want in the light Of thi.
text to impress upon my hearers and readers
is that we have a sin-forgetting God. Sap
pose that on the last day--ca!led the last da,
because the sun will never again rise upol
our earth, the earth itself being flung into
fiery demOltlOn-suppCSing that on that last
day a group of Internal spirits should some.
how get near enough the gate OF heaven an
challenge our entrance. and say: 'Ho"
canst thou, the just Lord, let t:,ose soul.
into the realm Of supernai glainass? Why.
they said a great many things they never
ought to have said, and they did a grea'
many things they ought never to have dom
Sinners are they: sinners all"
And suppose God SHOULD deign to answer,
He might say: Yes. but did not Ny only
Son die for their rausonn3 Did He not pay
the price, Not one drop Of blood was r.
tanned in His arteries, not one nerve OF Hi
that was not wrung III the torture. Hetoo'
IN His own body and soul all the SUFFERING
that those sinners deserve. They pleale,
that sacrifice. They took the full pardon
that l promised to all who, through Nj
Son, earnestly applied for it, and it passe
out Of My mind that they were offenders.
Ilorgot all about it. Yes, Iforsotail abou
It. Their sins and their iniquit.es do | re
That is clear beyond ana far above a SIN
pardoning God.
How often W. hear it sail: Il can for
give, but | cannot forget" That is edua
to saying. Il verbally a iulit it is all right
nut | will keep the oil! grulge good" Hu
man forgiveness Is Often Il lItnsy affair. |
does not go deep down. Il does not react
far up. 1t does not Tx things up. The cor
testants may SHAKE hansle. or passing each
other on the highway they may speak I'll
; Good morn.no' or "Gooi nignt," but til
) old cordiality never retlrn>. fhe relation
always remain strained.
ThAe is something il tha demeanor eve
after that seems to say. Il would not d
: you harm; indeed. | WISH YOU we'll, but tina
unfortunate affair can never pass out OF IN
: mind" There may no hard words pass b.
' tween them. but until death breaks in til
; same GOODNESS remains. But Col lets on
p2rdoned otfenSes 20 into oblivion. II
, never throws them up ID us again He fee
i ss kindly toward us as though we hal bee
( tpotle>s and .ositively angelic all al~n-.
Many years ago a family. consisting q
: the husband and vile ard little girl of tt
{ years. lived fer out IN 4 cabin on a wester
prairie. The husband took q few cattle :
market. Before he started his little chill
i asked him TO buy for her a doll AMI h
j, rrOmiSn3. He co1i1 after rla Saia ri +n