The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-05-22
OUR SUNDAY COLUMN.
Original and Otherwise Pre-
pared by Mark.
NO. IS.

Every day during the Joncs-Stuart
meeting the Lynn, Take me as am, y
was sung. Nor did tho multitude tire
hearing this sweet song of Zion. Twas
music to the soul. This song of sweet
melody and saving truth has led many
soul to trust Christ fully, and expert
ence the peace and Joy Of humbly be-
lieving in the Crucilied One. Lot me
reproduce an incident: In a house in
an Australian city man lay
dying. Not long before he had been
strong and vigorous, an excellent hand
at his trade, and popular among his
companions. He had lately been mar
ried, and life had seemed to open before
him with brightest promise. But these
these favorable circumstances, instead
Of inducing thankful recognition of
the goodness Of God, only caused feel
ing of pride and independence, uncon-
scious of any need of God, and we'll sat
isfed with himself and good character.
he lived Goddess life. The man who
begins by forgetting God may at length
openly deny Him. And so it came to
pass tcat this young man, likemany 9TH
ers, fell an easy prey to the craft of
Satan's ministers, TO ridicule the Bible.
to scott at Christians as weak and cred
ulous, AMI to talk with great swelling
words about the rights of man.
But God broke in upon his peace and
prosperity. He took away his vigorous
health, and laid him on sick bed,
with the gracious design Of teaching
him his weakness and need. Not at
once, however, was this blessed result
reached, for nature was impatient and
rebellious.
Messages of mercy were carried to
him by friends who loved him and knew
the danger of his position, but he re-
fused to listen.
Such is man by nature. He hears of
the value of his soul, the tender love of
Christ, the awful reality of judgment
to come, the glories of Heaven, the
wrath of God; but none of these things
move him. He may be thrilled by a
fiction or melted by drama, but of tho
truth of God he says, "What weari-
ness it is." Even so this dying man
closed ear and heart against the message
of salvation.
How wonderful is the long-suffering
of God! He could wait, but His purpose
of mercy was not to be frustrated. If
the sick mans ear seemed closed against
the Word when spoken, it was to be
quietly opened by the voice Of sweet
song.
During the weary hours his wife
waited upon him with all the attention
and solicitude that true affection could
prompt Although not Christian, she
had no sympathy with the direction her
husband had taken. Like many others,
ii asked, she would have said she de-
sired to be saved, but as yet her saliva
ton did not extend beyond the use of
certain expressions and regard for
external forms. Sho had tuneful
voice, and often, when about the house
hold work, would find relief from her
burden of cares in singing the simple
hymns she had learned. At such times
her husband liked TO listen, but it was
the pleasing music, and not the senti-
ment, that he cared for.
The tune of the hymn called Take
me as l am was special favorite of
his. AS he lay on his weary pillow, the
sweet refrain would often recur to him;
and at length, unconsciously. he began
to dwell upon the words and their mean
ing He soon found out that, simple as
they were, they spoke of something he
had not understood. lie considered him
self clever in argument, but hero was
something that could not be argued
against until il had been tied by ex