The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1892-02-12

: and streams and vineyards in all the
earth might contribute-what an
amazementl And yet the scene is al
common as the daylight,
When | see a man of regal nature
made to rule in realms of thought
capable of all moral elevation, besot
ting his faculties, attempting out OF
low sensualities to satisfy his immor,
tai energies, coming down off of his
throne of power into brutalities, sac
riticing his higher nature to his lower
nature, STOPPING and STOPPING, com.
ing down and coming down until all
his influence for good is gone l cry
cut There is a king eating grass like
IA OK"
And there are tens of thousands of
such ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, So there are
queens who dedicate themselves to
the same humiliation. What power
for good God gave that woman.
Magnetism of personal presence. In
tiuence more than imperial By her
intelligence, by her tenderness, by
her CHARM of smile and manner, ca
pable of soothing so much sorrow
and reforming so much hayward
ness, and welding so much elevated
power; yet at the call of worldli-
ness, coming out of the throne
room of good influence where God
would have her reign, coming down
over the ivory stairs of moral power,
coming down and coming down until
she has no more soul than the dead
bird transfixed in her millinery or
the chinchilla that was slain to afford
her warmth, or the kid that furnished
her the glove, and finding her only
delight in batteries of brainless men
and midnight schottische and de-
bauched novelettes. Isay, There is
one who might have been queen
unto God forever, yet eating straw
like an OK"
HOW THE MANY DEGRADE THEMSELVES
l look over the pasture fields of
folly and sin and find many grovel-
ing; who ought to be erect. Oh, men
and women, go back to your thrones.
A young man ran away from home
and broke his widowed mothers
heart. Fourteen years passed, and
he returned and came to the window
at which his old mother was sitting.
She looked up and Immediately rec
ognized him and said: ooh, Robert,
Robert! Come inr' Nor said he.
Mother, shall never come in till l
hear you say you forgive me-" Her
answer was: Robert, l have for
given you long ago, There is moth
ing to forgive now except that you
staid away so long"
My nearer, forgiveness has been
ready for you a good while. With
more than a mothers tenderness
God will take you back. They are
waiting for you up in the palace.
Nebuchadnezzar was the son of Ma
bopolassar, who ruled before him,
and you are the child of a King!
The next thought that presses into
my mind from the contemplation of
this incident is that conviction is not
conversion. Who is this monarch |
that makes the boast about Babylon?
The very man who, under the revela-
ton Of dreams that Daniel made
from heaven, deeply humbled him
self, while he confessed that God is
God of Gods and a Lord of Lords.
yet behold that that humbling and
arousing which he before felt did not
result in a radical change.
There is no mistake more frequent
than of supposing conviction syno-
nym for conversion. Conviction is
merely sight of sin; conversion is
view of pardon. Conviction is
merely alarm conversion is conf
dence. Conviction is dissatisfaction
with depravity; conversion is a
turning away from it. Conviction
is sword wound; conversion is the
healing. Conviction is the fever of
thirst; conversion is the shaking of
that thirst. Conviction is the pain;
conversion is the medicine that cures
it. Thousands have experienced the
former and never experienced the
latter.
There are multitudes who think
that as soon as man is serious he is
fit for profession 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 lawyer; would that make
him lawyer? What if man should
only think seriously of being Chris
tian would that make him Chris
tlan2 Felix was convicted but not
converted, The jailer was convicted
before he got out of bed, but not con-
verted until at the advice of Paul he
believed in Christ Are you con-
victed but not converted?
! tell you what you make me think
OF. You have made up your mind
for proper consideration to deed away
a property. You have drawn the
deed. The seal is affixed opposite
where you are to write your name.
The commissioner of deeds is present
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 sign
ing your name, what does it all
amount to- Nothing.
So you have resolved to give your.
self up to God. You propose to sign
Off to him your body, your mind,
your soul. You have all things nee
essary for the transfer. The angels
Of God are here to witness the eternal
transfer. Why do you not now with
your will complete the work9 Halt
where you are and all goes for moth
ing. Sign your name to this spirit {
ual transfer.
Professor Arago, the mathemati-
clan, got.woefully discouraged in his )
work and was about to give up, when