Democratic messenger., 1892-09-17

your sins. Indeed. if You want to carry
them along, you are not on the right
road. That bridge will break. those
overhanging rocks will fall, the night
will come down, leaving you at the
mercy of the mountain bandits, and at
the very next turn of the road you will
perish. But if you are really on this
clean road of which have been speak
ing, then you will stop ever and anon TO
wash in the water that stands in the
basin of the eternal rock. Aye. mt al
most every step Of the journey you will
be crying ont. Create within me clean
heart"
II You have no such aspirations rs
that it proves that you have mistaken
Your way, and if you will only look up
and see the tingerboard above your head
you may read upon it the words. There
Is a way that secmeth right unto man,
but the end thereof is death" Without
holiness no man shall see the Lord, and
if You have any idea that you can carry
along Your sins. your lusts, your world
illness and yet sct To the end of the
Christian race you are SO awfully mis-
taken that, i'll the name of God, this
morning shatter the delusion.
Still further. the road spoken of is
plain road. The wayfaring men,
though fools. shall not err therein
that is. if a man is three-fourths an
idiot he can find this road just as well
as if he We're Il philosopher. The i'm
be>,ile boy, the laughingstock of the
street, and followed 10y mob hooting
at him. has only just To knock once at
the gate of heaven and it swings open.
while there has been many man who
can lecture about pneumatics and chem
istry. and tell the story of Faraday's
theory of electrical polarization. and yet
has been shut ont of heaven. There has
been many man who stood in an OBJ
servatory and swept the heavens with
his telescope. and yet he has not been
able TO see the Morning Star.
Many man has been familiar with
all the higher branches of mathematics
and yet could not do the simple sum.
What shall it profit man if he gain
the whole world and lose his own sonl:"
Many man has been fine reader of
tragedies and poems and yet could not
''read his title clear To mansions in the
skies. Many man has botaniZed
across the continent and yet did not
know the Rose of Sharon and the Lily
of the Valley" But if one shall come
in the right spirit, asking the way TO
heaven. he will find it plain way. The
pardon is plain. The peace is plain.
Everything is plain.
He who tries To get on the road to
heaven through the New Testament
teaching will get on beautifully. He
who goes through philosophical discus
sion will not get ON at all. Christ SAYS.
Come To me, and will take all your
sins away, and | will take all Your
troubles away" Now, what is the use
of my discussing it any more? Is not
that plain: If You wanted to go TO Lon
don. and pointed you out highway
thoroughly laid ont. would be- wise in
OBTAINING You by geological discussion
physiological discussion about the
muscles you will have to bring into play:
No After this Bible has pointed You
the way To heaven. is il wise for me to
detain you with any discussion about the
nature of the human will, or whether
the atonement is limited or unlimited?
There is the road-go ON it. 1t is plain
way.
This is "A faithful saying, and worthy
of all acceptation. that Christ Jesus
came into the world to save sinners ="
And that is you. and that is me. Any
little child here can understand this as
well as can Unless you become as
little child You cannot see the king
dom Of God" If you are saved, it will
not be as Il philosopher, it will he as a
little child. "Of such is the kingdom
of heaven" Unless you get the spirit
of little children. you will never come
out at their glorious destiny.
THE SAFE ROAD.
Still further. this road to heaven Is
safe road Sometimes the traveller in
those ancient highways would think
himself perfectly secure, not knowing
there was lion by TIE way burying his
head deep between his paws, and then
when the right moment came. under the
fearful spring. the mans life was gone
and there was mauled carcass by the
roadside. But, says my text, No lion
shall he there wish | could make
you feel this morning your entire Sc
cnrity. tell you plainly that one min
ute after II man has become child of
God he is as safe as though he had been
ten thousand years in heavan. He may
slip, he may slide, he may stumble, but
he cannot be destroyed. Kept by the
power of God through faith unto com
plete salvation. Everlastingly safe
The severeSt trial 10 which you can
subject Christian man is to kill him,
and that is glory. In other words, the
worst thing that can happen n child of
God is heaven. The body is only the
old slippers that he throws aside just
before putting on the sandals of light.
His soul. you cannot hurt it. No fires
can consume it. No floods can drown
1t. No devils can capture il.
Firm and unmovcd are they
Who rest their souls on God:
Fixed ns the ground where David stood
Or where the ARK abode.
His soul is safe. His reputation j.
safe. Everything Is safe. But, you
say, suppose his store burns up:"
Why, then it will only be change of
investments from earthly to heavenly
securities. But" You say, suppose
his name goes down under the hoof OF
scorn and contempt" The name will be
so much brighter in glory. Suppose
his physical health fails" God will
pour into him the floods of everlasting
health, and it will not make any differ
ence. Earthly subtraction is heavenly
addition. The tears of earth are the
crystals of heaven. As they take rags
aud tatters and put them through the
paper mill and they come out beautiful
white sheets of paper, SO often the rags
of earthly destitution, under the cylin-
ders of death, come out white scroll
upon which shall be written eternal
emancipation.