The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-07-03
OUR SUNDAY COLUMN.
Original and Otherwise Pre-
pared by Mark.
no. 81.

have before me wonderful book.
1t is called "rhe Nonsuch Professor in
His Meridian Splendor; or tho Singular
Actions of Sanctified Christians" by
the Rev. William Locker, minister of
All-llallows Church, Londonwall.
wonderful book. repeat. At whatever
page you open it, your eye lights upon
pithy aphorisms that combine the sem
tentiousness Of benjamin Franklin with
the sweet holy SAVIOR of Samuel Ruther-
ford. 1t contains hundreds of bright
seed thoughts like these: This world
is very large in our hopes, but very
small in our hands.
1.-The water without the ship may toss
it, but it is the water within the ship
that sinks it," | wonder if Moody
didn't get his idea from this aphorism
when no describes the difference be-
tween the Christian in the world and
world in the Christian? Here is an
other: ''God is nearer to us than we
are to ourselves" "a harp sounds
sweetly, yet it hears not its own
melody" "Moses had moro glory by
his vail than he had by his face" "In
order to be angry and sin not. ono must
be angry at nothing but SIM" Matthew
Henry" says DR.. Cuylcr, rich as he was,
did not surpass this little volume in
gems of condensed and quicker ming
thought" The wonder is that such
book should have lain in obscurity for
fifty years. Another wonder is that
while religious cyclopedias made abund-
ant mention Of Archbishop Seeker none
of them (as can discovery even men
ton the name of the very original
genius who was minister Of All Hallows
Church, and who produced this unique
work.
Turning at random to q page find the
following:
ITO set out for God AT our beginning,
and to hold out with God unto the end,
is another singular action of a sanctified
Christian TO set out with God ut the
beginning one must 'Remcmbe now
thy Creator in the days of thy youth,
while the evil days come not, nor the
years draw nigh when thou shalt say
have no pleasure in thcm." In the dis
tillation of strong waters the first drawn
is the fullest OF spirits. The first
of the fruits of thy land thou shalt
bring into the house of the Lord thy
God. God prizes Christian in the bud,
and delights in the blossoms of youth
above the SEEDLINGS of old age Is it
not pity that those plants should be
found in Egypt that will thrive so well
in Canaan? Naturalists inform us that
the most Orient pearls are generated of
the morning dew. How pleasant is it
to see the thousands of Israel seeking the
heavenly mama in the morning of their
lives. Is it not better to cry for mercy
on earth with the publican, than to call
for water in hell with dives? To dis.
cover grace in an old sinner is we'll, but
TO view it in vigorous youth is better
All the beasts of sacrifice were offered to
God in their prime. No music could
ever equalize the heaven.b born cries of
new born babes. When the snowdrops
Of youth appear in the garden of the
church, It eyinces that there is elori-
GUS summer approaching. II youth BIO
sick of the will.nots, old age is in dan
ger Of dying of the shall nots. 1t is hard
to cast off the DEVILS yoke when we have
worn it long upon our necks. Grace
seldom gratis upon old, withered stocks.
An old sinner is nearer to the second
de Ath than he is to the second birth. 1t
is more likely to see him taken out of
the flesh than to see the flesh taken out
of him. His body is nearer to corrup-
ton than his soul is to salvation Usu-
ally where the devil pleads antiquity
he keeps propriety. AS there are none
SO old as that they should despair of
mercy, so there are mono so young as
that they should presume on mercy. If
Gods to-day be too soon for thy repent
ance, thy to morrow may be too late for
mis- acceptance. Mercy's clock does
not always strike at our back.
Tho longer poison stays in
the stomach, SO much the more
dangerous are its effects. Oh, how ami
able are the golden apples of grace in
the silver pictures of blooming youth.
Old sinners are much like old sepents,
the fullest of poison"
That mariner has no praise who
sinks his ship before he comes to the
harbor. That soldier obtains no glory,
who lays down his arms in the heat of
the battle. Grace may be shaken in
the soul, but it cannot be shaken out of
the soul. 1t may be bruised reed, but
it shall never be broken reed"
And SO the book goes on stringinp
pearls. May some OF these expressions
find lodgment in tho heart of some
reader to day, and quicken to new and
better life