Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1893-01-26


word of counsel in the heart of Sabbath
school child During that same week you
give IA letter of introduction to Il young
man struggling in business During the
same week you make an exhortation in a
prayer meeting 1t is all gone, you will
never hear of it perhaps, you think.
few years after man comes up to you
and says, You don't know me- do yony'
You say. NO, ] don't remember ever to
have seen YOU" Why" he says, Il was
in the Sabbath school class over which you
were the teacher One Sunday you invited
me to Christ; | accepted the offer You see
that church with two towers yonder?"
YES" you say. He says, That is where
preach;" or: do you see that governors
housey That is where live" One day
man comes to you and says. Good morn
ing" You look at him and say, why,
you have the advantage of me- | cannot
place you" He says, Don't you remember
thirty years ago giving letter of introduc-
tioD to a young mau-a letter OF introduc-
ton to Moses IL. (irinnell!" Yes, yes;
do" He says: Il am the man. That was my
first step toward IA fortune, but | have re-
tired from business now and am giving my
time to philanthropies and public interests.
Come up and see me"
Or u man comes to you and says II want
to introduce myself to YOU. went into
prayer meeting in Atlanta some years ago;
| sat back by the door; you arose to make
an eXhortation, that talk changed the
course of my life, and if | ever get to
heaven, under God will owe my salvation
to you" In only ten. twenty or thirty
years the circle swept out and swept back
again to your own grateful heart.
THE CIRCLE OF FIRE.
But sometimes it is IA wider circle and
does not return for great while. saw n
bill of expenses for burning Latimer and
Ridley. The bill of expenses says
One load Of fir fagots. Observation-Disclosures. 81. 4d
Carriage for four loads Of wood ......... rs.
Item, post. OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. Is. Id
Item, two chains. S.......................,, IS. H.
Item, TWO staples. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. III.
Item, four laborers s......................2 2s Sd.
That was a cheap fire, considering all the
circumstances but it kindled a light that
shone all around the world and aroused the
martyr spirit, and out from that burningof
Latimer and Ridley rolled the circle wider
and wider, starting other circles. convolut.
ing, overrunning, circumscribing, overarch-
ing all heaven-a circle.
But what is true of the good is Just as
true of the bad You utter slander against
your neighbor. 1t has gone forth from
your teeth it will never come back, You
think. You have done the man all the
mischief you can. You rejoice to see him
vince. You say. Didn't give it to him?"
That word has gone out, that slanderous
word, on its poisonous and blasted way.
You think it will never do you any harm
But am watching that word, and see it
beginning to curve, and it curves around,
and it is aiming at your heart. You had
better dodge it,. You cannot dodge it. 1t
rolls into your bosom and after it rolls in
a word of an old book, which says, with
what measure ye mete. it shall be meas
ured to you again"
You maltreat an aged parent. You be-
grudged him the room in your house. You
are impatient of his whimsicalities and gar
rulity. 1t makes you mad to hear him tell
the same story twice You give him food
he cannot masticate. You wish he was
away You wonder If he is going to live
forever. He will be gone very soon. His
steps are shorter and shorter. He is going
to stop. But God has an account to settle
with you on that subject. After awhile
your eye will be dim, and your gait will
halt, and the sound Of the grinding will be
low, and you will tell the same story twice,
and your children will wonder il you are
going to live forever and wonder il you
will never be taken away.
They called you father" once now they
call you the "old man." If you live few
years longer they will call you the "old
! fh L. l.. .Al.
which your children are accosting you?
They are the echo of the very words you
used in the ear Of your old father forty
years ago. What is that which you are
trying to chew, but find it unmasticable
and your jaws ache, and you surrender the
attemptS Perhaps it may be the gristle
which you gave to your father for his break.
fast forty years ago.
| Agentleman passing along the street saw
a son dragging his father into the street by
the hair of the head. The gentleman out
ragged at this brutal conduct, was about to
punish the offender when the old man
arose and said: Don't hurt him. It's all
right. Forty years ago this morning
dragged out my father by the hair of his
head" 1t is II circle My father lived into
the eighties, and he had IL very wide expert
ence and he said that maltreatment of par
ents was always punished in this world
Other sins may be adjourned to the next
world, but maltreatment Of parents is pun
ished in this world.
THE EVIL RETURNS ON THE DoER.
The circle turns quickly, very quickly
Oh, what q stupendous thought that the
good and the evilwe start come back to us!
! n xbo T,,J !
be only the points at which the circles join,
the good and the bad we have done coming
back to us unless divine intervention hind
er-coming back to us with welcome of de-
1 light or curse of condemnation
Oh, would like to see Paul, the invalid
missionary, at the moment when his in
fuence comes to full orb-his influence
rolling out through Antioch, through Cy-
prus, through Lystra, through Corinth,
through Athens, through Asia, through
Europe, through America, through the
First century, through five centuries,
through twenty centuries, through all the
succeeding centuries, through earth,
through heaven, and at last, the wave Of
influence having made full circuit, strikes
his great soul. Oh, then l would like tc
see him. No one can tell the wide sweep Of
the circle Of his influence save the one who
is seated on the circle of the earth
should not want to see the countenance
of Voltaire when his influence comes to full
orb When the fatal hemorrhage seized
him at eighty-three years of age his infu
ence did not cease The most brilliant mar
of his century, he had used al his faculties
for assaulting Christianity-his bad infu
ence widening through France, widening
out through Germany, widening through al
Europe, widening through America, widen
ing through the lis years that have gon'
by since he died, widening through earth
widening through hell, until ut last the &C