The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-05-12

church who have profcsssd religion and
Il love for God. and then after Il while
turned cold and focslilc tho wayS Of God
Tor the paths Of sin. backsliders Other
denominai have different names for
this class Of people which are appropri.
! ate and suit them. There are moro
people who have sinncd by backsiidng
than any other way. II you sin. you
| bac <slidp.
| What | want to do this evening is TO
| load back those who have wandered
lou preachers say If va can only keep
this people in the right way now
they have started. What you want to
do is TO pray for them and with them
1T you people are untrue to your mar
riage vow you are q liar Ii you arc un
| true to your oath You are perjurcd. If
untrue to the church you are :, hvpocrit
| would rather be untrue TO my wife, to
my marriage vow, to my political vows
| or to any vow than be untrue TO my re-
| ligiouS vow. to the vow | made to God
u made vow at the altar TO my wife
| eighteen years ago and | have lived up
! to it. But the vow | made before the
minister there to God was the strongest
vow to me. If you men and women
would 1.-Two up to your religious vows
better there would be much less trouble
in this world.
iOu SuoulQ lODk up UO your vows
made to the church as the most sacred
vows that can be made If YOU lead Il
girl to triflc with herchurch vow, young
man, and persuade her to dance. YOU are
doing grave and sinful thing. If a
woman will break her church vow. she
Will break any other vow she makes
"lf my wife would bceak her church
vow would not put any confidence in
her for if she broke her VOW t. God
what respect would she have for her
vow 10 man? Ii was young man and
loved woman and She WAS Il church
membcr and She danced. | would have
nothing moro to do with her for wuuld
have no confidence in her: sno had bro
ken her vow to God ans. what attention
would shc pay to her vow 10 mar?
NOW take that MIN who three years
ago went To Lynchburg and returned 10
TINS place bringing with him Il young
anu beautiful woman rs his wife. Has
he been faithful 10 his marriage vow?
HIS wife now SITS al homo at night
alone while her husband is down town
playing cards and playing billiards.
do you people think that man has
been true either to his VOW to God or
his marriage vow? The man, however,
Christ is not to he CON pared TO the man
| have just spoken Of
'In Rome, Ga. a young country BOY
came 20 the town and went to- work in
large dry goods store at that place At
hrsJ he was quite shy and diiiidcnt
whom with the other boys, evidently
being afraid they wero laughing at his
country clothes or his awkward ways
After while, however, he got ovcr his
awkward ways. got TO wearing clothes
llko the other boys and copying their
ways and language. When he first
cana 10 the town no wrote TO his par
ents twice week. but finally he got to
wrltc only once month and then some
times he would noteven write a monthly
letter.
The old couple {his father and
inotherl as they were sitting ono day st
lone in the country, commenced to
talk OF thoir absent boy. and the fond
old wrinkled mother said: Father, |
think We had beJtcr so to town and see
how John is coming on SO tho next
morning they hitchcd up Dobbin, the
old grey horse, and drove to the city
On the road they met a man, and tho
old woman SAID 10 him: Sir, you come
from the town, and could you tell me
anything of my son John But he did
not even know him, and they drove on
Till they came to the town.
When they arrived there they mot a
policeman and the old mother said TO
him Sir do you know my son John
and, If so. can't You tell us whore to
lind him? but he knew nothing OF him
80 they drove on asking and inquiring
where their son was Finally they
came to the store where John worked.
John saw them as they drove up tho
street and ran into tho store and went
upstairs and hid behind some bales of
calico, for no was ashamed of them.
When the old couple drove mp to tho
store and found out that John worked
there, they were very much pleased and
they got ono Of tho clerks to go and
find their son John. The old father
took the splint boctonel chair out of
the wagon and put il on the sidewalk
for the old mother TO sit on
FINALLY the clerks found John and
brought him down and when he came
and saw the old mother sitting III the
arm chair he went up to her and asked
her for goodness sake to go heme and
promised if she would ne would come
out the next day and stay.a week.
Tho old couple got up and got in the
wagon and said not word. They
drove homo without speaking COR their
hearts were broken. There is not n
person here WHO has turned mis- back on
church who has not been guilty of
crater ingratitude than that boy. In
gratitude to mother is fearful. but
ingratitude to the church is terrible.
Gratitude toward a mother is something
beautiful but gratitude towards tho
Lord Jesus Christ is still moro beauti-
full.
II know young man and young lady
who were engaged TO be married, but
who had some lovers quarrel and broke
the engagement The day after the en-