Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1892-02-11

invited the people into the ARK. Inc dc.
stroying ANGEL comes upon Egypt for tho
shifting of the first born, but left unmo-
Tested every house whose door was
sprinkled with the blood of sacrifice.
Fiery tempcsts bear down upon Sodom,
but not until two angels have warned Lot
and his family to flee from the destruction
Jerusalem was utterly destroyed, but not
until jeremiah had sounded an alarm bid
ding them turn from their denominations.
On the darkest cloud of wrath there is a
rainbow of mercy Xechariah in his pro-
phetc vision beheld four chariots, symbol.
ical of Gods government.
The flrst chariot was drawn by red
horses They indicated the wars that were
coming. The second chariot was drawn
by black horses. They indicated the com
Ing of famine and pestilence. The third
chariot was drawn by white horses They
indicated the spotless purity of his con-
quests But mark well that the fourth
chariot was drawn by horses "grsled and
bay" denotirg that mercy was mixed with
all the dcsoatng judgments of God.
Sinai cannot thunder so loud AS to drown
the invitations of Calvary The Lord ut
tcrs the admoniton, THE wages of sin is
DEATH" but eNhaustless mercy responds,
Deliver him from going down to the pit
for have found a ransom"
Hide thee quick in the rock, Christ
Jesus. Let not this insignificant "now"
absorb thee more than the great here
after. The path leading to this side of the
grave is only Il few iurlongs, but the path
which commences Mt the other side of it is
without end The powers of darkness
gather about your soul and the tempta-
tons Of an evil heart and the allurements
of the world know are trying to drown
the voice of the preachers but, taking hold
of the silver trumpet of the Gospel which
made Felix trcmble, and at the pentccost
brought three thousand souls out of their
sepulcher, | would blow one long, loud
blast, crying, whatsoever WILL let him
come"
FRUITS or THE SPIRIT.
/ Take this goodly religion which has done
so much for me that can commend it &c
all Without it | should have gone the
whole downward career. Stolid and phleE.
matte natures going astruy do not 90 SC
far, but natures like mine, sanguine, in.
tense, emotional, optimistic, social to the
last degree, and echoing to all the Fights
and depths of mirth, if they get off track
they go with one wild leap to he'll As tc
the restraining power of this religion upon
mercurial temperament, testify. This
is not abstraction or something gOtter
from books. speak of what know. &c
out and ask all who have tried this re
ligion and ask them how it works.
Three young men in factory came on,
on the Lord = side but two of them, over
come by the jecr~ Of their comrades. went
i 4
on to his Christian hope, and one day wher
they pressed him hard, and were tellin.
how much infldclity had done for tn,
world, and that Christianity had don,
nothing, the prosecuted Christian turned
upon them, and pointing to Henry anC
George, who had for a little while followed
Christ and then turned back he said
You have tried your principles on them
and know what they have done for them
When they tried to serve Christ they wer,
civil good tempered, kind husbands anc
fathers. They were cheerful, industriou
and ready to oblige What have you mad
them? Look and see. They are cas-
down and cross. their mouths are full o
cursing and tilthinc-s they ere DRUM
every week; their children half clothed
their wives broken hearted, their home
wretched That is what your principle
have done. Now have tried Christ ant
his religion, and what has it done for me
You know well what ! used to be. Their
was none Of You that could drink so much
swear so desperately and fight so mastery
had no money and nobody would trus
me. My wife was i'll used, WAS il
humored, hateful and hating What ha
religion done Cor me? Thank God an
not afraid to put it to you. Am | not ;
happier man than wa? Am not a bet
ter workman and a kinder companion
Would once have put up with what
now bear from you9 ! could beat any O
you as easily now as ever Why don't
Do you ever hear a foul word from m
mouth? Do you catch me at publ
house, Has anybody "A score against me
Go and ask my neighborS ii am not al
tered for the better. Go and ask my wife
Let my house bear witness. God bepraised
here is what Christianity has done for me
there is What iutidelty has done for Icnr
and George"
Out of this audience | could gather
thousand mcn and women who could tel
you as thrilling Il story Us that as to wha
religion has done for them. Yea. if time
OF persecution should come as Of Old. an,
they may come, there are thousand her
who would for Chrst's sake as chcerfull
walk into the furnace of fire as though i
were an arbor OF thyme and honcy,ucklc
and face the lions as though they wer
lambs trisiing on the hillside and wad,
down into the deep waters which are t
submerge them as happily as ever at Nar
ragansett beach they took the surf at
summer bathing.
Come up and Join those on the way to
palace. What an absurd thing for a kin!
to be eating grass. Instead of living ol
the poor fodder that the world afford,
come up and sit among the princes of Go,
at the royal banquet and hear the band
play; Eat, o friends! Drink, O beloved!
Here is crown, wear it. Here is scepter
sway it. Here is a throne mount it, Ihi
is your hour. improve it.