Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1894-10-15

tulHk you nave got Gno1n almost TO GH0
shore. when you ere swept back again.
What shall you do? Put down the oar?
Oh, no, / do not advise that, but do
advise that you appeal to that God to
whom the Mediterranean Oarsmen aI)-
pealed-tlle God who could silence the
tempest and bring the ship in safety to
the portl / tell you. my friends, that
there has got to be a good deal of pray
ing before our families are brought to
Christ An, it is an awful thing to have
half household on one side the line
and the other part of the household Oh
the other side Of the linei Two vessels
part on the ocean OF eternity, one going
to the right and the other to the left
farther apart and farther apart-until
the signals cease to be recognized and
there are only two specks on the hori
zon, and then they are lost to sight for
everi
Dangers to the Young.
I have to tell you that the unavailing
efforts of these Mediterranean oarsmen
have q counterpart in the efforts some
of us are making to bring our children
to the shore Of safety. There never were
SO many temptations for young people
as there are now. The literary and the
social influences seem to be against their
spiritual interests. Christ seems to be
driven almost entirely from the school
and the pleasurable concourse, yet God
knows how anxious we are for our chill
dren We cannot think of going into
heaven without them. We do not want
to leave this life while they are tossing
on the waves Of temptation and away
from God. From which Of them could
we consent to be eternally separated?
Would it be the son? Would it be the
daughter? Would it be the eldest?
Would it be the youngest? Would it be
the one that is we'll and stout or the one
that is sick? Oh, I hear some parent say
ing tonight: II have tried my best to
bring my children to Christ. have laid
hold Of the oars until they bent i'll my
grasp, and ] have braced myself against
the ribs of the boat, and | have pulled
for their eternal rescue, but [ can't get
them to Christ Then I ask you to
initiate the men Of the text and Cry
nightly unto God. We want more i'm
Fortunate praying for children, such as
the father INDUCED i'll when he had
tried to bring his six sons to Christ and
they had wandered off into dissipation.
Then he got down in his prayers and
said, 80 God, take away my life, if
through that means my sons may re-
pent and be brought to Christ, and the
Lord startlingly answered the prayer,
and in a few weeks the father was taken
away, and through the solemnity the
six sons fled unto God. Oh, that father
could afford to die for the eternal well
,f III al, To 10
bring them to the land, but could not
and then he cried unto the Lord.
ProdigaI sozss.
There are parents who are almost dis
couraged about their children Where
is your son tonight? He has wandered
off perhaps to the ends Of the earth. I6
seems as II he cannot get far enough |
away from your Christian counsel.
What does he care about the burrows
that come to your brow, about the quick |
whitening Of the hair, about the fact |
that your back begins to stoop with the
burdens? Why, he would not care
much if he heard you were dead! The
black edged letter that brought the It'd
ings he would put in the.same package
with other letters telling the story Of
his; shame. What are you going to do?
Both paddles broken at the middle Of |
the blade, hOE7 can you pull him ashore?
throw you one oar now with which /
believe you can bring him into harbor.
1t is the glorious promise, = will be
q God to tIlee and TO thy seed after
thee. Oh, broken hearted father and
mother, you have tried every thing else;
now make an appeal for the help and
r. inn nc ho
God, and perhaps at your next family
gathering - perhaps OH Thanksgiving
day, perhaps next Christmas day-the
prodiGal may be home, and If you crowd
on his plate more luxuries than on any
other plate at the table [ am sure the
brothers will not be jealous, but they
will wake up all the music in the house,
because the dead is alive again and be-
cause the lost is found. - Perhaps your
prayers have been answered already.
The vessel may be coming homeward,
and by the light of this nights stars
that absent son may be pacing the deck
of the ship, anxious for the time to
come when lie can throw his arm around
your neck and ask for forgiveness for
that he has been wrlnging your old heart
so long. Glorious reunion, that will be
too sacred for outsiders to look upon, but
would just like to look through the
when you have all got together
again and ace seated at the banquet.
Though parents may in covenant be
And have their heaven in view,
They are rot happy till they see
Their children happy too.
Telling For Souls.
Again, I remark that the unavailing
effort of the Mediterranean oarsmen has
= counterpart in the effort which we are
making to bring this world back to God,
ais pardon and safety. If this world