The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-12-18

An engineer on locomotive gong
cross The western prairies day after day,
saw a little child come out in front of a
cabin and wave 10 him; 50 he GOT in the
hauit Of waving back % the little child an q
it was the days Joy 10 him 10 see this little
one come out in front Of the cabin door
and wave 20 him, while he answered
back. One day the train was belated and
il came Oh % the dusk of the evening. As
the engineer stood ut ms post he saw BY
the headlight that little girl on the track
wondering why the train did not come,
. looking for the train. knowing nothing of
her peril. 4 great horror seized upon the
/ ENGINEER he reversed the engine. He gave
. it Ia charge OF the other man on board, and
. then he climbed over the engine, and he
! came down ol the Cow-cat cher. He
said. though he had reversed the engine
I IL seemed as though il were going at
. lightning speed. faster and faster, though
/ 10 was really slowing up, and with almost
supernatural clutch he caught that child
( by the hair and lifted il up. and when the
train stopped and the passengers gath
/ cred around 20 see what was the matter.
there tine Old engineer lay, tainted dead
away, the little child alive and in his
sWar,hE arms" oh" You say. s'that
WAS wei done But l want you to ex-
erciSe some kindness and some apprecia-
ton toward those IN the comm uniJy who
are suatchiug the little ones from under
the wheels Of temptation and sin-snatch-
inc them from under the laundering rail
trains Of eternal disaster, bringing them
up into responsibility in this world and
| into glory for the world TO come. You ap-
p"cciaUe what the engineer did why can
-Ou not appreciate the grauder work done
DE every ~aDbath-s"hOOl teacher and by
every Christian worker
Oh my friends, J want to impress upon
myself and upon yourselves that it is not
the number Of talents We possess. but the
use we make Of them.
God has a royal family in the world
Now, if I should ask. Who are the royal
families Of history" YOU would say
House Of Hap5Jurg, House Of Stuart.
House of Bourbon" They lived in pal
aces and had great cquipage. But who
are the Lords royal family Some Of
them may serve you in the household
some of them are in uulighted garrets.
some Of them will walk this afternoon
down the street. on their arm a basket of
broken food: some of them are in the
almshOuse desplsed and rejected of men
yet in the last great day, while it will be
found that some of us who Jared Sumptu-
ously every day are hurled back INFO dis
comtture, they are the lame that will
take the prey.
One step farther: There are a great
many people discouraged about getting to
Heaven. At my desk in the Christian
Herald Office, / am in daily receipt Of
numerous letters from people brought up
i'm good families, and who had Christian
parenlage; but who frankly tell me that
they are astray, a thousand miles from
the right track, and fear their case is
hopeless. My brothers, it is to you want
to preach now. / have been looking for
YOU. I viii tell you how you got astray.
IL was not righteousness on your part 1t
was perhaps through the geniality and
sociality Of your nature that you fell into
sin You wandered away from your duty,
YOU uncOnSciOuSly left the house of God:
you admit the gospel to be true, and yet
you nave SO grlevously and so prolongedly
wandered, You say rescue is impossible
IL would take a week to count up the
names OF those in heaven who were on
elroh worse than you tell me you are.
They went the whole round of inquiry,
they dlsgraced themselves, they dis
graced their household, they dispaired of
return because their reputation was gone,
their property was gone, everything was
gone but in some hour like this they
heard the voice of God, and they threw
themselves on the divine compassion and
they rose up more than Conquerors And
tell you there is the same chance for
yOu. That Is one reason why / like to
preach this gospel, 50 free a gospel, so
tremendous gospel 1t takes man all
wrong, and makes him all right.
IN former settlement where I
preached a member of my congregation
quit the house of God, quit respectable
circles, went into all styles Of sin, and
was slain of his iniquity. The day for
his burial came. and his body was brought
to the house of God Some Of his com
radcs who had destroyed him were over
heard along the street, on their way to
the burial, saying Come, let us go and
hear Talmage damn this old sinner!"
On / had nothing but tears for the dead.
and had nothing but invitations to the
living. You see l could not do any other
wise. Christ Jesus came to seek and
save that which was lost" Christ in his
dying prayer said, Father, forgive
them and that was prayer for YOU and
a prayer for me.
Oh start on the road to heaven to-day.
You are not happy. The thirst of your
soul viii never be slaked by the fountains
of sin. You turn everywhere but to God
for help. Right where you are, call on
him. He knows you, he knows all about
you. He knows all the odds against
which you have been contending in life.
DO not go to him with long rigmarole of
a prayer, but just look up and say:
| Help Help"
Yet you say Only hand trembles so.
from my designations | can't even take
hold Of hymn book to sing" Do not
worrA about that, my brother; ] will give
| out hymn at the close SO familiar you
can sing it without a book But YOU say;
u have such terrible habits on me. lcan't
get rid of them. - My answer is, almighty
! grace can break up that habit, and will
/ break II up. But you say: The wrong |
did was to one dead and in heaven now.
and ! can't correct that wrong" You
! can correct it. BY the grace of God, go
! into the presence of that one, and the
| apologies you ought to have made on
! earth make in heaven.
! ON says some man, IF should try
! to do right If should turn away from
/ my evil-dOing unto the Lord, I would be
| jostied, / would be driven back, NOBODY
would have any sympathy for me" You
! are mistaken. Here, in the presence of
| the church on earth and in heaven, give
| you to-day the right hand of Christian
| fellowship. God sent me here to-day to
| preach this, and he sent you here to hear
| this: Let the wicked forsake his way.
ana the Unrighteous man his thought
! and let him reJurn unto the Lord, who
/ will have mercy, and unto our God. who
! will abuudanuy pardon" Though YOU
/ may have been the worst sinner, YOU NAV
| become the best saint and in the great
| day of judgment il will be found that
where sin abounded, grace does much
! more abound, 80 and while the spoils of an
/ everlasting kingdom are being awarded
/ for your pursuit, it will be found that the
! lame took the prey Blessed be God that