The free press., 1892-02-25

from heaven, deeply humbled himself, Will
he confessed that God is a God of Gods an
a Lord of Lords yet behold that that hum
bling and arousing which he before felt di
not result in q radical change.
There is no mistake more frequent than Q
supposing conviction a synonym for con
version. Conviction is merely a sight O
sin: conversion is view of pardon. Con
! victicn is merely alarm; conversion is conf
dence. Conviction is dissatisfaction witt
depravity; conversion is a turning AVA
from it. Conviction is a sword wonud; con
version is the healing. Conviction is tn
fever of thirst; conversion is the shaking o
that thirst. Conviction is the pain; CONVEX
sion is the medicine that cures il, Thou
sands have experienced the former ana nevel
experienced the latter.
There are multitudes who think that a.
soon as man is serious he is fit for profes
sion of religion. What if a man should only
think seriously of being merchant; would
that make him a merchant What if man
should only think seriously of being law
yer; would that make him a lawyer What
If man should only think seriously of being
Christian; would that make him Chris
tian? Felix was convicted but not converted
The jailer was convicted before he got out
of bed, but not converted till at the advice
of Paul he believed in Christ Are you con-
victed but not converted?
I tell you what you make me think Of
| You have made up your mind for proper
consideration to deed away property
You have drawn the deed. The seal is af-
fixed opposite where you are to write your
name. The commissioner of deeds is pres
ent to witness. You have your pen in hand.
| There is ink in the pen. There is only one
| thing for you to do, and that is to sign your
name. Suppose you stop now without
| signing your name, what does it all amount
to2 Nothing.
So you have resolved to give yourself up
| to God. You propose to sign off to Him
your body. your mind, your soul. You have
all things necessary for the transfer The
angels of God are here to witness the eter-
nal transfer. Why do you not now with
yonr will complete the work? Halt where
you are and all goes for nothing. Sign your
| name to this spiritual transfer.
| Professor Arago, the mathematician, got
woefully discouraged jim his work and was
about to give it up, when he saw some words
on the paper which had been used to stitfen
| the cover of his book, and the words being
indistinct he dampened the cover until he
could take it off and see the words plainly
and he found they were words OF advice
given by DAlembert to a student, and the
| words were, 'Go on, sir; go on" DYE who
are convicted, "Go onp' You must take one
more step or all the steps you have taken
will amount to nothing. Go onl
Again learn from the misfort une of the
king of Babylon what terrible thing istthe
loss of reason. There is no calamity that
can possibly befall us in this world so great
as the arrangement OF intellect-to have the
body of a man and yet to fall even below
the instinct of brute. In this world of sad
sights the saddest is the idiots stare. In
this world of awful sounds the most awful
is the maniac's laugh. A vessel on the
rocks, when hundreds go down never to rise,
and other hundreds drag their manglcd and
shivering bodies up the wintry beach, is
nothing compared to the foundering of intel
lects full of vast hopes and attainments and
capacities. Christ's heart went out to those
who were epileptic, falling into the fire, or
maniacs cutting themselves among the
tombs.
We are accustomed to be more grateful
for physical health than for the proper
working OF our mind. We are apt to take
it for granted that the intellect which has
served US so well will always be faithful.
We forget that an engine with such
tremendous power when the wheels have
such vastness of circle and such swiftness of
motion and the least impediment might put
it out of gear, could only be kept in proper
balance by divine hand. No human
power could engineer this train of immortal
faculties.
How strange it is that our memory, on
whose shoulders all the successes and mis-
placed, should not oftener break down. and
that the scales of judgment, which have
been weighing so much and so long, should
not lose their adjustment, and that fancy,
which holds dangerous wand, should not
sometimes maliciously wave it, bringing into
the heart forebodings and hallucinations the
most appalling. 1t is not strange that the
expectations of this intellect should not be
dashed to pieces on its disappointments?
Though so delicately attuned, this instru-
ment OF untold harmonies plays on, though
fear shocks it. and vexations rack it. and
sorrow and joy and loss and gain in quick
succession beat out of it their dirge or draw
from it their anthem. At morning and at
night. when in your prayer you rehearse the
objects of your thanksgiving, next to your
salvation by Jesus Christ, praise the Lord
for the preservation of your reason.
How many fine intellects are being de-
stroyed by anodynes and anesthetics, which
were given by Providence for occasional use
in alleviation of pain or insomnia, but by be-
ing employed continuously after awhile cap
ture and destroy. Chloral, cocoaine, bro
mide of potassium, opium and whole shelves
of seductive etceteras that help turn
Nebuchadnezzars into imbecility into mad
ness. Do not trile with opiates that benumb
the BRAN. IL you cannot live without the
perpetual and enslaving use of them, you
had better die. Better die sane man than
live fool. What right have you to kill
your brain and put in wild jangle your
nervous system? But rum is the cause OF
more insanity than anything else. There is
nothing like rum to put a man, like
Nebuchadnezzer, down on all fours.
Again, learn how quickly turns the wheel
of fortune, from how high up to how far
down went Nebuchadnezzar. Those now in
places of position and power, even though
they should live will in few years be dis
regarded, while some, who this day are ob-
scure and poverty stricken, will ride up on
the shoulders of the people to take their turn
at admiration and the spoils of office. Oh,
how quickly the wheel turnsl Ballot boxes
are the steps on which men come down as
often as they go up. OF those who were n
few years ago successful in the accumulation
of property how few have not met with re-
verses of fortune, while many of those who
then were straitened in circumstances now
hold the bonds and the bank keys of the ma
tion and win the most bows on the ex-
change.
or all tickle people in the world Fortune
is the most tickle. Every day she changes
her mind, and woe to that man who puts
any confidence IN whaS she promises or
proposes. She cheers when you go up and
laughs when you come down. Oh, trust not
| A..N1, ...ts fl Ia 10