Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1893-04-21

| and contend successfully against these
Titans armed with uptorn mountains. But
| you have known men into wlojs spirit the
influence Of the gospel o. Cnrist cam9 until
their disposition was entirely clanSel: 30
| il was with two merchants in New York.
They we're very antaZolistic Tney had
done all they could TO injure each other.
They were IN tho same line OF business. One
OF the merchants was converts TO God.
Having been converted, he askei the Lori
to teach him how to bear himself toward
that business antagonist, an hs was i'm
pressed with the fact that it was his duty
when a customer asked for a certain kin Of
goods which he had not, but which he knew
his opponent had, to reco nmen him to 90
to that store. suppose that is about the
hardest thing the man could do, but being
thoroughly convertei to Go he reso,vsl to
do that very thing. and being asked for a
certain kind OF goods which he had not he
said, "You 90 TO such and such a store aud
you will get IT," After awhile merchant
No found these customers coming so
sent, and ne found also that merchant No |
had been brought TO Col, aud he sought the
same religion. Now they are goo1 friends
aud good neighbors, the grace Of Col en-
tirely changing their disposition.
"Oh," says some one 81 have a rough.
jagged. impetuous nature aud religion can't
do anything for me-" Do you know that
Martin Luther and Robert Newton and
Richard BIxter were im2etuou'. all con-
suming natures, yet the grace OF God turnei
them into the mightiest usefulness! Oh,
how many who have bee pugnicioui an
hard to please and irascible and more both
cred about the mote 10 their neighbor's eye
than about the beam like ship timber in
their own eye have bsen entirely changed
by the grace OF God and have founl out
that goodness is profitable for the life that
now is as we'll as for tae life which is to
Gomez
Peter with nature tempes5uous as the sea
that he once tried 20 walk, at o1e LOOK OF
Christ went out and wept bitterly. Ricl
harvests Of grace may grow Oh the uptop oil
the jagged steep, and focks OF CHRISTIAN
gracss may fin pasturags in fields OF bram-
Die and rock. Though your disposition may
be all a-bristle With fretfulness, though you
have a temper a-5leim with quick light
nings. though your avarics be- Ike that OF
the horse-leech, crying "GiveP though
damuabe impurities have wra?pei You IN
all consuming fire, Col can drive that devil
out OF your soul, and over the cla)s and the
darkness He eau say. Let there be light,
Converting grace has LITE ! the dru1xard
from the ditch and snatchsd the knife from
the hand Of the assassin and the false keys
from the burglar, and in the pestiferous
lanes OF the city met the daughter OF SIN
under the dim lamplight ami scattered her
sorrow and her guilt with tle words "Ihy
sins are forgiven-go and stu no more. For
scarlet sin a scarlet atonemsnt.
Other persons apologize for not enserIn,
the Christion life because OF the incoa Hstsn'
cies Of those who profess religion. Tnsre are
thousands Of poor farmers. They DO not
know the nature Of soil nor the propsr rota-
~ ghHrfnr
stalk and smaller in the ear. Fey have ten
less bushels TO the acre than their neighbors
But who declines being farmer because
there are 80 many poor farmers.
There are thousands OF incompetent mer-
chants They buy at the wrong time. They
get cheated In the sale Of their goods. Every
bale of goods Is to them disaster. They fail
after while and 90 out OF business. But
who declines to be a merchant because
there are so many incompetent merchants!
There are thousands Of poor lawyers. Tney
cannot draw a declaration that will stand
the test. They cannot recover just dam
ages, They cannot help defenuont escape
from the injustics OF his prosecutors they
are the worst evidence againsta any case In
which they are retained. But who declines
10 be a LAWYER because there are 50 many
incompetent lawyersf Yet there are tens
OF thousands of people who decline being re-
ligious because there are SO many unworthy
Christians. Now. | say it is illogical. Poor
lawyers are nothing against Jurspri ience
poor physicians are nothing against mei.-
cine poor farmers are nothing against agrl-
culture. and mean, contemptibie professors
or religion are nothing against our gior4ouS
Christianity.
Sometimes you have been riding along on
a summer night by swano, an you hav9
seen lights that kindei over dec iyed vegs-
tation-lights which are callei jack-o-lan-
tern or will-o'-the-wisD. These lights ara
merely poisonous miasmata- My frisnis, on
your way 10 heaven you will want better
iight than the -the-wisps which dane
on the rotten character Of deal Christians.
Exudations from poisonous trees IN ou'
neighbor's garden will make very poor
balm for our wounds.
Sickness will COM, an we will be pushe
out toward the Rel Sea which divides this
world from the next, and not the incon-
sistency Of Christians but the rod OF faith
will wave back the waters as a commando
wheels his host. The judgment will come
with its thundersiod so'emnities, atten led
by bursting mountains and the deep laugh
o; earthquakes, and suns will dy before the
feet Of God like sparks from the anvil, and
10000 burning worlds shall blazs like ban
ners in the track OF God omnipotent. Oh,
then we will stop and say, There was
mean Christian; there was cowardy
Christian; there was an impure Christian"
In that day as now, "lf thou be- wise. thou
shalt be wise for thyself, bus If thou scorn-
est thou alone shall hear IL" Why, my
brothe the inconsst 'ncy Of Christians so
far froL being an argument 70 keep you
away from God ought to be an argument 10
drive you to Him. The'best place for skill
full doctor is a neighborhood where they are
all poor doctors; the best place for an enter
prising merchant to open his store Il IN
place where the bargain makers do not un'
derstand their business, and the best place
for you who want TO become the ilustrlou'
and complete Christians the best place for
you is to come right down among us who
are so incompetent and 50 inconsistent some
times
Other persons apologize for not becoming
Christians because they lack time, as though
religion muddled the brain Of the account
ant or tripped the pen OF the suthor, or
thickened the tongue Of the orator, or weak
ened the arm Of the mechanic or scattered
the briefs Of the lawyer. or interrupted the
sales Of the merchant They bolt their store
doors against it and fight it back with
trowels and with yard sticks and cry,
"AwaY with your religion from our store,
our office. our factory
They do not understand that religion in
this workaday world will help you to do
anything you ought to do, IL can lay
keel, it can sail a ship, it can buy cargo, it
can work pulley, il can pave a street, it
can fit a wrlstband, it can writs constitu-
ton, it can marshal host. 1t is as appro-
pirate to the astrono ner as his teles cope to
the chemist as his laboratory, to the mason
as his plumbline. 10 the carpenter as his
plane. TO the child as his marbles. to the
grandfather as his staff.
No time to be religious heral You have
no time not to be religious. You might as
well have no clerks in your store, no books
in your library, no compass on your ship,
no rihe in the battle, no hat for your
head, no coat for your bac'S, no shoes or
your feet Better travel on toward eternity
bare headed aud bare footed. and houseless
and homeless AMI friendless, than go
| through lie without religion.
Did religion make Raleigh any less OF
statesman, or Haveloc'S any less OF so''
der or Grinnel any less of merchant or
West aay less Of painter Religion is the
best security in every bargain, 1t is the
sweetest note in every sOlg 1t is tbs bright
est gem in every coronst. No time to be re-
ligious! Why, you will have to take time
| to he sick, to he trouoei, to die. Our
world Is only the wharf from which we are
to embark for heaven. No tine to secure
the friendship OF Christ. No tims to buya
4 - IA e. IL Fna