The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1893-12-19

They never ride in the street car; they can
NOT afford the cents. They never see any
mixtures save those in the show window on
the street from which they are often joSt-
led and looked by some one who seems to
saw in the look, "Move on! What are you
doing here looking at pctures?'
Yet many of them live on mountains OF
transformation. At their rough table Ee
who fed the 5000 breaks the bread. They
talk often Of the good times that are COM
ing This world has no charm for them, but
heaven entrances their spirit. They often
divide their scant crust with some forlorn
wretch who knocks at their door at night.
and on the blast of the night wind. as the
door opens to let him in, is heard the voice
of Him who said, Il was hungry and he fed
me- No cohort of heaven will be TOO
bright to transport them. BY Gods help
they have vanquished the Assyrian host.
They have divided among them the spells.
Lame lar'e. yet they took .he prey.
l was riding along the country road one
day. and saw a man on crutches. over
took him. He was very old. He was going
very slowly. At that rate, it would have
taken him two hours to go mile. L said,
''Wouldn't you like to rider" He said,
'Thank YOU I would. God bless you" When
he sat beside me, he said, You see,
I am very lame and very old, but the Lord
has been a good Lord to me- I have buried
all my children. The Lord gave them and
the Lord had right to take them away.
Blessed be His name! I was very sick. and
l had no money. and my neiGhhors came in
and took care of mo. and wanted nothing.
l suffer great deal with pain, but then I
have so many rlerces left. The Lord has
been n good Lord to me-" And before we
had got far, i in doubt whether I was
giving him a ride, or he was giving me
ride! He said: "Now, if you please, I'll
get out here. Just help me- down on my
crutcheS, if you please. God bless you.
Thank you sir Good morning Coed morn
I'M how Ia1 foo4 civ,
you have. Good morning."
Swarthy men had gone the read that
day. | DO not know where they came out,
but every hobble of that old man was to-
ward the shining gate With his old crutch
he had struck down many a Sannacherih
of temptation which has mastered you and
me. Lame. so fearfully lame, so awfully
lame: but he took the prey
y step farther: There are in all commu-
mites many orphans. During our last war
and in the years Immediately following.
how many children at the north and south
we hear say ooh, my father was killed in
the war" Have YOU ever not:ced--I fear
you have nOt-hoW we'll those children have
turned out? Starting under the greatest
disadvantage, no orphan asylum could do
for them what their father would have done
had he lived. The slSrmsher sat one NIGHT
by the light of fagOts, in the swamp writ
ing a letter home when a sharpshooter's
bullet ended the letter, which was never
folded, never posted and never read. These
children came IN under great disadvantage.
No father to fight their way for them. Per
haps there was in the old family Bible an
old yellow letter pasted fast. which told the
story of the fathers long march, aud how
ne suffered in the hospital; but they looked
still further on in the Bible, and they
came 10 the story of how God is the Fa-
thor of the fatherlosS and the widows
portion, and they soon took ther fathers
111 in hot bat hn
way for their mother. They came on up.
and many Of them have already. in the
years since the war. taken positions in
church and state. north and south. While
many Of those who suffered nothing during
those times have had sons go out into lives
of indclanCc and vagabondage, these who
started under so many disadvantages be-
cause they were early bereft, these are
the lame who took the prey.
A step farther: There are those who
would like to do good. They say. "Oh, if
I only had v$a!th, or, # had eioauence,
CT if I had high social position. how much
I would accomplish for God and church,
I stand here today to tell you that you have
great opportunities for usefulness
Who built the pyramids? The king who
ordered thcm built? No the plain Worllmeu
who added stone after stone and stone after
stone Who built the bikes of Holland?
The government that ordered the enterprise?
No: the plain worl<men who carried the
earth and rung their trOwel on the wall.
Who are those who have built these vast
cities? The capitalists? No; the carpenters,
the masons, the plumbers, the plasterers,
the timers, the roOfers, dependent on a
days wages for a livelihood. And so in the
great work of asSuaginG human suffering
and enlighteniag human ignorance ana
hating human iniquity. IN that great work
the chief part is to be done b. ordinary
men, with ordinary speech. in an ordinary
manner and by ordinary means.
The trouble is that in the army of Christ
we all want to be Captains and colonies and
brigadier generals. We are not willing to
march with the rank and file and 90 duty
with the private soldier. We want to belong
TO the reserve corps and read about the
battle while warming ourselves at The camp
fires or on furlcugh at home, our feet upon
an ottoman, we Sagging back INTO an arm
chair.
As you go down the street you see an
excavation and four or five men are work
ing and perhaps twenty or thirty leaning
on the rail looking over at them That is
the way it is in the church Of God today;
where YOU find QUO C''--.'-''an hard at work,
there are fifty men watching the job.
Oh! my friends, why do You not go to
work and preach the gospel? You say, Il
have no pulpit" You have. 1t may be the
carpenters bench, it may be the masons
wall. The robe il which you are to proclaim
this gospel may be a shoemaKer's apron.
gospel some where. somehow! If this world
is ever brought to Christ, it viii be through
The unanimous and Ions continued efforts of
men who, waiting for no special enGoW-
meHt. POnSacrate to God what they have.
Among the most useless people in the world
are men with ten talents, while many one
with only TWO talents, OF no talent at all is
doing great work. and so the lame take
the prey"
There are thousands of ministers of whom
you have never heard-in log cabins at the
west, in mission chapels at the east-who
are warning against the leGions Of darkness
successfully warning. Tract distributors,
month BY month undermining the citadels
of sin. You DO not know their going or their
coming; but the footballs of their ministry
are heard in the palaces of heaven. Who are
the workers in our Sabbath Schools through
out this land today? Men celebrated. men
brilliant, men of vast estate? For the most
part, not that at all.
1 have noticed that the chief charactcris-
tic OF the most of those who are most sue
cessful in the work is that they know
their Bibles, are earnest In prayer
are anxious for the salvation of the
young, and Sabbath by sabbath are
willing to sit down unol'serYcd and tell
of CHI list and the resurrection. These are
the humble workers who are recruiting the
great army of Christian youth-not by
might, not by power, not by profound argu-
ment, not by brilliant antthesis, but by the
blessing of God on plain talk and humble
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