Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1893-04-28

OiilvJ VI OuSu I6lnp6I. 1NOWt we duullO IL &c
harder for some people to become Christians
than for Others, but the gracs Of God pever
came ~ mountain that it could not climb.
or to an abyss that it could not fathom. or
to bondage that it could not break. Tle
widest horse that ever trod Arabian sand:
has been broken to bit and trace. Tue mad
est torrent tumbling from mountain
shelving has been harnessed to the mill
wheel and the factory band setting thou
sand shuttles all a-buzz and a-clatter, and
the widest the hau yhtiest the most UNI
governable man ever craatel by the grace
of God may be suo1uel AMI sent out on
ministry of kindness, as God sends an
August thunderstorm to water thu wild
flowers down in the grass.
Goot resolution, refornatory effort, will
not effect the change. I5 takes mightier
arm and a mightier han1 to band evil
habits than the hand that bent the bow of
Ulysses, and it takes a stronger lasso taan
ever held the buffalo on the prairie. man
cannot 60 fortn with any human weapons
AMI contend successfully against these
Titans armed with uptorn mountains. But
you have known men into whose spirit the
influence of the gospel o, Christ came until
their disposition was entirely change !. 80
it was with two merchants in New York.
They were very antagonstic They had
done all they could to injure eacn other.
They we're IN the sane line OF business. Ons
of the merchants was converted to Col.
Having been converted, he aSket the Lor
to teach him how to bear himself toward
that business antagonist, AMI hs was i'm
pressed with the fact that it was his duty
when customer asked for certain kind OF
goois which be had nor, but whicn he knew
his opponent had, to reco nmenl him to go
to that store. l suppose that is ABOUT the
hardest thing the m an could do, but being
thoroughly converted to God he resolved to
do that very thing. and being asked for
certain kind of goods which he had not he
said, "You 60 to such and such a store and
you will get it." After awhile merchant
No. 2 found these customers coming SO
sent, and he found also that merchant No. l
had oeen brought to God, and he sought the
same religion. Now they are good friends
and good neighbors, the grace Of God en-
tirely changing their disposition.
oh" says some one II have rough,
jagged, impetuous nature and religion can't
do anything for me-" Do you know that
Martin Luther and Robert Newton and
Richard Baxter were imoetuous, all con.
Stunning natures, yet the grace OF God turned
them into the mightiest usefulness? Oh,
how many who have been pugnacious AMI
hard to please and irascible and more both
cred about the mote in their neighbours eye
than about the beam like ship timber in
their own eye have bsen entirely changed
by the grace of God and have found out
that goodness is profitable for the life that
now is as well as for the life which is to
Gomez
Potter, with nature tempestuous as the sea
mat tn he once tried to walk, at one look of
Christ went out and wept bitterly. Ric1
larVnSfS Of crrq10 NAV or.Oty IN tbo iNto
,he Jagged steep, and focks OF Christian
sracss may find pasturage in fields of bram-
Die and rock. Though your disposition may
De all a-bristle with fretfulness, though you
lave temper a-gleam with quick light
lings, though your avarics be ike that of
he horse-leech, crying, 'Glvep though
lamnable impurities have wrapped you in
VI consuming fire. God can drive that devil
tut OF your soul, and over the chaos and ths
darkness He eau say. Let there be light"
Converting grace has lifted the drum xard !
rom the ditch and suatched tue knife from
he hand of the assassin and the false keys
rom the burglar, and in the pestiferous
anes Of the city met the daughter Of sin
lnder the dim lamplight and scattered her
orrow and her guilt with the words, "rhy
ms are forgiven-go and sin no more" For
caret sin scarlet atonement.
Other persons apologize for not entering
he CbrlStion life because OF the inconsistent
les of those who profess religion. There are
of poor farmers. They do not
now the nature Of soil nor the proper rota-
ion Of crops. Their corn is shorter 10 the
talk and smaller In the ear Taey have ten
ass bushels to the acre than their neighbors.
Tut who declines being farmer because
here are so many poor farmers.
There are thousands of incompetent mer-
hanfS fNhnr hr1 M fbo I
ct cheated in the sale of their goods. Every
ale of goods is to them disaster. They fail
fter while and 60 out OF business But
no declines to be a merchant because
lere are so many incompetent merchantsi
here are thousands of poor lawyers. They
annot draw declaration that will stand
he test. They cannot recover just dam
yes They cannot help defendent escape
ON theinjustics of his prosecutors. They
q the worst evidence against any case In
hich they are retained. But who declines
be lawyer because there are SO many
competent lawyers? Yet there are tons
thousands Of people who decline being re.
sious because there are 30 many unworthy
nrlstians. Now, say it is illogical. Poor
NTyers are nothing against Jurisprudence,
'or physicians ara nothing against medi.
ne, poor farmers are nothing against agri-
ture, and mean, contemplate professors
religion are nothing against our glorious
Instantly.
you have been riding along on
night by swamp, and you have
an lights that kindIed Over dec7yed vegs.
tion-lights which ara called jack.o'.lan-
"a or wiil-o- 1.-The .5SisD. These lights are
srely poisonous miasnata. My friends, on
ur way to heaven you will want q better
at than the Uili-o'- the.wisps which dance
the rotten character of dead Christians.
A0dat!ons from poisonous trees in our
'lgnoors garden Will make a very poor
Ilm for our wounds.
Sickness will come, AMI we will be pushed
1t toward the Rel Sea wnicn divides this
Grid from the next, and not the lncon-
;tency of Christians but the ro1 OF iaith
i'll wave BACK the waters as a commander
nees his host. Toe Judgment will come
It'll It's thundershod soiemnities, atten led
2 bursting mountains and the deep laugh
earthquakes, and suns will fly before the
ct Of God ike sparks fro n the anvil, and
200 burning worlds shall blazs like Uan-
RS in the track OF God omnioorent. Oh,
ZEN we will stop and say. 'Tnere was a
can Christian; there was a cowardly
hristian: there was an impure Christian"
that day as now, ''lf thou be wise. thou
alt ue wise for tnyself, bu If thou scorn"
t thou alone shall bear IT." Why, my
other, the inconsistency of Christians so
r from being an argument to keep you
way from God ought to De an argument TO
i've you to Him. The:best place tor skill
4 doctor is a neighoorhood where they are
poor doctors: the best place for an enter:
Using merchant to open his store is In
ace where the bargain makers do not un'
rstand their business, AMI the best place
r you who want to become the lllustrloui
i'd complete Christians-the best place for
III is to come rignt down among us who
Q so incompetent and SO inconsistent some'