The Penn's Grove record., 1893-04-21

Aye, l make n better pof DV tue WOuhhs
AMI the death throes OF the Son Of Cos, who
approaches you this morning with torn brow
and Iacerated hands and whipped back cry
Ing: ''Cone unto Me all We who are weary
md heavy laden, AMI l will give you rest"
Other persons apologize for not entering
the Christian life because OF the incorrigi'
bility OF their temper. Now,w we admit t Is
harder for some people to become Christians
than for Others, but the grace of God never
came 10 q mountain that IL could not climb
or to an abyss that it could not fethom. OF.
10 a bondage that It could not break. TIE
wild est horse that ever trod Arabian sands
has been broken to bit aud tracs. The mad
est torrent tumbling from mountain
shelving has been harnessed to the mill
wheel and the factory band, setting q thou
sand shuttles all a-buzz and a-ciatter, and
the widest, the hsu yhtiest the most I'M
g~overnahle man ever creatst by III grace
Of Col may be oiuei AMI sent cut on
ministry OF kindness, as God sends an
August hun ierstorm TO water the wild
flowers down in the grass~"
Good resolution, reformatory effort viii
not effect the change. IL takes q mightier
arm and a mightier hand to band evil
habits than the hand that boat the bow of
Ulysses, and IL takes q stronger iasso e1an
ever held the buffalo on the prairie. A maj
cannot go forth with any human weapons
and contend successfully against thess
Titans armed with uptorn mountains. But
you have known men Into wlose spirit the
influence of the gospel OF Christ came until
their disposition was entirely changed. so
1t was with two merchants In New York:
They were very ~antagonistic. Tney had
Iona all the could to injufo each other.
Tbsy we're In the sams line OF businasa. One
OF the merchants was converted % tod.
Having been converted, he asked the Lord
to teach him how to bear himself toward
that business antagonist ami he was Ina
pressed with tho fact that It was his duty
when q customer asked for q certain kind OF
goods which he had not but which he knew
his opponent had, to recomment him to go
10 that store. / suppose that Is about the
hardest thing the m An could do, but being
thoroughly converted TO Col he resolved to
do that very thing, and being asked for .
certain kind Of goods which he had not he
said, "You go TO such and such q store and
you will get it." After awhile merchant
seat, aud he found also that merchant No. l
had osen brought 10 God, and he sought the
same religion. Now they are good friends
aud good neighbors, the grace OF God en-.
tirely changing their disposition.
"Oh," says some one, 81 have q rough,
Jagged, impetuous nature, and religion can't
do anything for me" Do you know that
Martin Luther and Robert Newton and
Richard Bixter were ~impetuous. all on
| Stunning natures, yet the grace of God turned
them into the mightiest use;ulnessf oh,
how many who have been pugnacious and
hard to please and irascible a more both
cred about the mote In their nsighbor's eye
than about tbs beam like ship timber in
their own eye AVE bsen entirely changed
by the grace Of God and nave found out
that goodness Is profitable for the life that
now is as well as for the life which is to
comef'
Peter, with nature tsmpestuous as the sea
that he once tried to walk, at one look OF
Christ went out and wspt bitterly. Rich
the jagged steep, and aocks Of Christian
gracss may anl pssturage in fields of BRAN.
Bile and rock. Though your disposition may
be all a-bristle with fretfulnsss, though You
have q temper a-gissm with quick light.
nings, though your avarice be ike that Of
the horss-ieech. crying, 'GiyeP' though
dsmnabls impurities have wrapped you Ia
all consuming fire, Co can drive that devil
out OF your soul, and over the chaos and the
darkness He can say, . Let there be light !"
Converting grace has Mfts1 the drunkard
from the ditch and snatched the knife from
the and Of the assassin and the false keys
from the burglar. and In the peetifsrous
lanes OF the city met the daughter Of ain
under the dim iampiight and scattered her
sorrow and her guilt with tue woris .rhy
sins are f~orgivsn-yo and sin no moren For
cartet sin q scarlet atonem snt.
Other persons apologize for not entering
the Christion life becau 70 OF the inconsistent
cies of those who profess religion. There ara
thousands Of poor m They do NOT
know the nature Of soil nor the proper rota-
ton of crops. Their corn Is shorter 10 the
stalk and smaller in the ear. Tney havs ten
less bushels to the acre than their neigabors
But who declines being q farmer because
here are 30 many poo farmers.
There are thousands OF Incompetent mer.
I shanko THAI hrnU At thA uuPnnA Nfnna TH.r
get cheated In the sale Of their goods. Every
bale OF goods Ia to them disaster. They fail
after q while and go out OF business. But
who declines to ba a merchant because
there are 30 many incompetent merchantsi
There are Thousands OF poor lawyers. They
cannot draw . declaration that will stand
the test. They cannot recover just dam.
ages. They cannot help . dsfsndent escape
from the injustice OF his prosecutors. They
arc the worst evidence against any case IN
which they are retained. But who declines
to be q lawyer because there are 20 many
incompetent lawyersf Yet there are tens
Of thousands OF people who decline being re.
ligious because there are 30 many unworthy
Christians. Now, l say IL 10 illogical. Pooz
lawyers are nothing against jurisprudenca,
pooE physicians are nothing against msdi
cine. poor farmers ere nothing against agri.
culture. and mean. contemplate professor
u religion are nothing against our glorious
~ ASStA1fSy ..-tft F.
Sometimes you ave bssa riding dong on
. summer night BY . swaunp. AMI you nave
seen lights that kindied over decayed vege-
~tation-lights which are caIlei ~jack-o'-lan-
tern or will-o'-the .wisp. These lights are
merely poisonous miasmata. Ny friends, on
your way to heaven You will ant q better
light than the wili-o'.the- wisps which danes
IN the rotten character of dead Christians.
Exudations from poisonous trees In our
neighbors garden will make . very poor
BALM for our wound.
Sickness will come, and we will be pushed
out toward the Red Sea which divides THU
world from the next, and not the tncon
sistency OF Christians but the rod OF faith
will wave hack the waters as Q commander
wheels his host. Tne Judgment will CONF
with its thundershod s~olemnities, attended
by bursting mountains and the deep laugh
OF earthquakes, and suns will fly before ths
feet Of God like sparks from the anvil, and
10000 burning worlds shall blaxs liks ban.
ners in the track OF God o~mnipotsnt Oh
then we will stop and say, ''Thsrs was ]
mean Christian; there was q cowardly
Christian, there was an impure Christian
In that day as now, ''Lf thou be wise. thor
shalt ts wise for thyself, bu IL thou scorn.
est thou alone shall hear Il" Why, MI
brother. the inconsistency Of Christians 50
far from being an argument to keep vol
away from Got ought TO be an argument u
drive you to Him. The.best place Tor q skill
full doctor is a neighborhood where they ar,
all poor doctors: the best place for an enter
prising merchant to open bis store is In
place where the bargain makers do not un
derstand their business, and the best plac
for you who q to become the iliustriou
and complete Christians the best place fol
you 10 to come right down among us VII,
are 50 Incompetent and 80 inconsistsnt soma
times.
Otber persons apologize for not becoming
Christians because they lac ( time. ~ thong
religion muddled the brain of the account
ant or tripped the pen OF the author, o
thicksned the tongue Of the orator. Or weak
enet the aeon Of the mechanic, or scatters
the briefs OF the lawyer. or interrupted Oh
sales OF the merchant. They bolt their stor
doors against 10 ans f8ht It back wit
trowels and with yard sticks n CRY
"Away with your RELIGION from cur stor.
our Office. our factory
They do not understand that religion Il
this workaday world will hello you to d
anything You ought 10 do. Il can lay
keel, It can sail . ship. Il can buy a cargo, 1
can work . pulley, II can pavs a street. |
can fit q wristband, Il can write a ~constitu