The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1893-04-27

and will turn your face the other way,
and I will take hold Of your shoulders. and
while you are helpless In INV grasp will
give you one heafong push into the king.
dom OF God. Christ rays we must compel
you 70 come in. will compel you 10 coms
in. Can l consent TO anything else with
these men, who are as dear to me as my own
sonls I will compel rou 10 come 10.
Prodting by the mistakes OF the. past.
must do better work for you and better
work for God. Lest / might through some
sudden illness or casualty. be snatched away
before have the opportunity OF doing So L
take this occasion TO declare my love for
you as people. IL Is different work " a
pastor Is placed In a church already built
up, aud he Is surrouudsi by established cir
cumstancss. There are no. ten people in
this church that have not been brought into
the church through my ministry. You are
my family. feel as much at home here as
l do in my residence on Oxford street. You
are my fsmily--my father, my mother, my
sister, my son, my daughter. You are my
jov and crown. the subject OF my prayers.
Your present anl everlasting welfare N
the object of my ambition. I have no
worldly ambition. had once. I have not
now. know the world about as well as
any one knows It. have heard the hand.
clnpping OF its applause aud | have heard
the hiss OF its opposition. and l declare TO
you that the former is not especially to bc
sought for, nor Is the latter TO be feared.
The world has given me about all tho com
fort and prosperity it can give man. and
have no worldly ambition. | have an all
consuming ambition to make full proof OF
my ministry, to get 10 heaven mvself and
to take n great crow with me. Upon your
table and cradle oni armchair and pillow
and lounge and nursery aud drawing room
and kitchen may the blessing of the
Almighty God come down
During these 2i years there is hardly n
family tnat has not been invaded by sorrow
or death. Where ara those grand. old men,
those glorious Christian women, who used
10 worship with u.s. Why. they went away
into the next world 50 gradually thnt they
had concluded the second stanzA or the
third stauzl in heaven before you knew they
were gone. They hal on the crown before
you thought they had dropped the staff OF
the earthly pilgrimage.
Aud then the dear children. Or. how
many have gone out OF this church! You
could not keep them. You folded them in
your arms and said. 80 God, | cannot
give them up Take all else take my prop
erty, take my reputation, bu. let mo keep
this treasure. Lord. | cannot bear this"
Oh, IL we could all die together IL W.
could keep oil til, sheep and the lambs ot
the family fold tog ,ther until soms bright
spring day. the birts a.chant, ami ths
waters a-gnttsr, AMI then we coui alto
gether hear tue vocs of ~ good Slepher
ana hand in hand pass through the tlpo u
No, no. no, no. Oh. IL we only had notice
that we are all 20 depart together, an I W,
could saw 70 our families: "Tne time has
come. The Lord bids us away" An then
we could take our little children to their
beds and straighted out their limb, AMI say:
"Now sleep the last sleep. Cool night ur.
I'll IL is good morning" Aud then W. could
go TO our own couches and say: Nov,
altogether we are ready TO go. Our call
dren are gone; now let US depart
Ia Ia 10, 10,
the midnight. lt may be in the winter and
in the snow coming down twenty inches
deep over our grave. IL may be- in the
strange hotel aud our arm too weak to pull
the bell for help. IL may ba 50 suddenly wa
have no time even 20 say goolby. Death IL
bitter, crushing. tremendous curse.
play you three tunes on the gospel harp
OF comfort. Weeping may endure for
night but Joy cJmetn In tbs morning"
That is one. "All things work together Tor
good TO those wno lovs God" That is tho
second And tho Lamb which is in the
midst OF the throne shall lead them to liv-
ing fountains OF water, and God shall wip,
all tears from their eye'' That il the
third. During these "a years have tried
as far as could by argument. by ilustra-
ton and by caricatura u III. you with dis
gust with much OF this modern religion
which people are trying now 10 substitute
for the religion OF Jesus Christ AMI the rslig.
ion of the apostles.
have tried 10 persuade you that the worst
OF all cant Is the cant OF skepticism, aud iu-
stead OF your apologizing for Christianity
IL was high time that those who do not be-
lieve in Christianity should apologize TO you
ami have tried % show that the biggest
Williams in the universe are those who would
try TO rob us OF this Bible, and that the
grandest mission ot the church OF Jesus
Christ is that OF bringing souls TO the Lord
"A soul saving church.
But now those years ars gone. IL yol
have neglected your duty, II / have neg
lected my duty, it Is neglected forever.
Each year has its work. III the work IL
performed within the II months IL IL done
forever. II no elected. 1t Is neglected for
ever.
When a woman was dying she said.
"Call then back" They dill not know
what she meant. She had been disciple
OK the world. She said. son, call them
backm They sati "Wno do you wan: us
TO call backT' "Oh," she said, ''call them
back. the days the months, the years | have
wasted. Call them bicS" But you cannot
call them lcK; you cannot call year back,
or a month bacS, or n week back, Gran hour
back, or second back. Gore once, 10 Is
gone forever.
When a great battle was raging, mes
senger came up ana said To tie general. who
was talking with an officer, General, We
have taken standard from the enemy"
The general kept rignt on conversing with
his fellow officer, AMI the messenger said
again, General. we have taken standard
from the enemy" still the general kept
right Gu, aud the messenger lost mis- patience.
not having his message seemingly appreca-
ted, and said again. general we have taken
a standard from tue enemy" Tne ssdcral
tn sn looked at him aud said, Take another"
An, forgetting the things that are behind.
let us look To those that are before. Win
another castle; take another standard; gain
another victory.
Roll on sweet day of the worlds emanci-
patton, when "the mountains and the hills
shall break forth into singing. aud all the
trees OF the wood shall clap their hands,
and instead OF the thorn shall come up the
fir tree, and instead OF the brier will ccme
up the myrtle tree. AM It shall bo unto tue
Lord for Il name, for an everlasting sign
tnat cannot be cut Off"