The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1892-08-10

heart-throbs.
When you come into the religious
circle. come only with one notion, and
only for one purpose-to find the way
to Christ. When l see people critical
about sermons, and critical about tones
of voice, and critical about sermonic de-
livery, they make me think of man in
prison. He is condemned to death, but
an officer of the government brings a
pardon and puts it through the wicket
of the prison, and says: Here is your
pardon. Come and get it" WHAT
Do you expect me to take that pardon
offered with such voice as you have,
with such an awkward manner as you
have? l would rather die than so COM
promise my rhetorical notlonsp' All,
the man does not say that; he takes It,
1t is his life. He does not care how it
is handed to aim. And if, this morn
ing, that pardon from the throne of
God is offered to our souls, should we
not seize it, regardless of all criticism,
feeling that it is a matter of Heaven or
hell?
But / come now to the last part of my
text 1t tells us when we are to seek
the Lord "While He may be found. )"
When is that? Old age? You may not
see old age. Tomorrow? You may
not see tomorrow. Tonight? You
may not see tonight. Now? o, if l
could only write on every heart in thres
capital letters, that word N-O-W-
now!
Sin is an awful disease. l hear PEG.
pie say with the toss of the head and
with a trivial manner: 80, yes, I'm a
sinner" Sin is an awful disease. 1t is
leprosy. 1t is consumption. 1t is all
moral disorders in one. Now you know
there is crisis in disease. Perhaps
YOU have had some illustration Of it in
your family.
Sometimes the physician has called,
and he has looked at the patient and
said: THAT case was simple enough,
but the crisis has passed. If you had
called on me yesterday, or this morn
ing, could have cured the patient 1t
is is too late now, the crisis has passed. ="
Just SO it is in the spiritual treatment
of the soul-there is a crisis. Before
that, life! After that, life! o, my dear
brother, as you love your soul do not
let the crisis pass unattended to.
There are some here who can remem.
Der instances in life, when, if they had
bought a certain property, they would
have become very rich. A few acres
that would have cost them almost moth
ing were offered to them. They refused
them. Afterward large village or city
I'sprang up on those acres of ground and
they see what mistake they made in
not buying the property. There was
an opportunity of getting it. 1t never
came back again. And so it is in regard
to mans spiritual and eternal fortune.
There is a chance; if you let that &c
perhaps it never comes back. Certainly,
that one never comes back.
There is time which mercy has sci
for leaving port If you are on board
before that you will get a passage for
Heaven. If you are not on board you
miss your passage for Heaven. AS iii
law courts a case is sometimes adj
| journed from term to term, and from
year to year, till the bill of costs eats up
the entire estate, so there are men
who are adjourning the matter of re-
! ligion from time to time, and from year
to year until Heavenly bliss is the bill
| of costs the men would have to pay
| for it,
Why defer the matter, o my dear
hearer? Have you any idea that sin
will wear out? that it will evaporatei
that it will relax its grasp? that you
may find religion as a man accidentally
finds pocket-book? All, no! No man
ever became Christian by accident, OF
by the relaxing of sin. The embarrass'
ments are all the time increasing, The
hosts of darkness are recruiting, and
the longer you postpone this matter
the sleeper the path will become.
ask those men who are before me this
morning, whether, in the ten or fifteer
years they have passed in the postpone
ment of these matters, they have come
any nearer God or Heaven?
would not be afraid to challenge
this whole audience, so far as they may
not have found the peace of the Gospel
in regard to that matter. Your hearts
you are willing frankly to tell me. are
becoming harder and harder, and tina
if you come to Christ it will be more o
an Undertaking now than it ever would
have been before. Oh, fly for refuge
The avenger of blood is on the track
The throne of Judgment will soon b,
set and, if you have anything to do to
ward your eternal salvation. you haC
better do it now, for the redemption o
the soul is precious, and ceaseth for
ever.
Oh, if men could only catch just one
glimpse of Christ, l know they would
love him. Your heart leaps at the sight
of a glorious sunrise or sunset. Car
you be without emotions as the Son o
Righteousness rises behind Calvary ant
sets behind Joseph's sepulcher? He i
a blessed Saviour! Every nation ha.
its type of beauty. There is German
beauty, and Swiss beauty, and italian
beauty, and English beauty, but care
not in what land man first looks a
Christ he pronounces him "chief amons
ten thousand, and the one altogether
lovely" Omy blessed Jesus! Light il
darkness! The rock on which build
The Captain of salvation My joy! NJ,
strength! How strange it is that mel
can not love Thee!
The diamond districts of Brazil ar
carefully guarded, and a man does no
get in there except by a pass from tn,