Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1894-04-18


''Now, my son, you will do right am sure
you will do right. You will, won't youy'
That young man happy2 Why, across every
night there fit shadows of eternal darkness
there are adders coiled ZIP in every cup there
are vultures of despair striking their iron
beaks into his heart there are skeleton
fingers of grief pinchinc at the throat.
come in amid the clicking OF the glasses
and under the flashing of the chandeliers,
and cry "Woel WoeI The way OF the
ungodIy shall perish. There is no peace
saith my God, to the wicked. The way o.
transgressor is hard" Oh. my friends
there Is more Joy in one drop OF Christian
satisfaction than in whole rivers OF sinful de-
light. Other wings may be drenched of the
storm and splashed of the tempest, but the
dove that comes in through the window OF
this heavenly ark has wings like the dove
covered with silver and her feathers with
yellow gold.
Again, remark, religion is an adornment
in the style Of usefulness into which it in
liucts a man. Here are two young men. The
one has fine culture, exquisite wardrobe,
plenty OF friends. great worldly success, but
he lives for himself. His chief care is for
his own comfort. He lives uselessly. He dies
hDregretted. Here is another young man.
His apparel may not be so good his educa-
tiOn may not be 50 thorough. He lives for
others. His happiness Is to make Others
happy. He Is as self denying as that dying
koldier falling In the ranks, when he said
/ I
Ing themselves by carrying me to the hos
pitaI. Let me die just where 1 am" So
This young man of whom speak loves God,
wants all the world to love him, is not
ashamed to carry a bundle of clothes up that
dark alley to the poor. Which ofthose young
men do you admire the better2 The one a
sham, the other a prince imperial.
Oh. do you know of anything, my hearer,
that is more beautiful than to see a young
man start out for Christi Here is some one
falling he lifts him up. Here is vagabond
boy he introduces him to a mission school,
Here is family freezing to death ;he carries
them scuttle of coal. There are 500, ,000,-
900 perishing in midnight heather darkness.
By all possible means he tries to send them
the gospel. He may be laughed at, and
he may be sneered at, and he may be carl
catured, but he is not ashamed to go every
where saying. II am not ashamed of the
gospel OF Christ. 1t Is the power of God
and the wisdom of God unto salvation
Such young man can go through every
thing There is no force on earth or in hell
that can resist him / show you three spec
tacles
Spectacle the Flrst-Napoleon passed by
| with the host that went down with him to
Egypt and up with him through Russia and
crossed the continent on the bleeding heart
of which he set his iron heel, and across the
quivering flesh of which he went grinding
the wheels of his gun carriages-in his dying
| moment asking his attendants to put on his
| military boots for him.
Spectacle the Second-Voltaire, bright
and learned and witty and eloquent, with
tongue and voice and strategem Internal,
warning against God and poisoning whole
kingdoms with his intidelity, yet applauded
by the clapping hands of thrones and en-
niraS and cOntinents-his last words, in
delirium supposing Christ standing by the
| bedside-his last words, "Crush that
| wretchr'
Spectacle the Third-Paul-Paul, insight
ficant in person, thrust out from all refined
association, scourged spat on, bounded like
wild beast from city to city, yet trying to
make the world good and heaven full an
nouncing resurrection to those who mourned
at the barred gates of the dead speaking
consultations which Light up the eyes of
widOwhood and orphanage and want with
glow of certain and eternal release I'M
daunted before those who could take his
life, his cheek flushed with transport and
his eye on heaven with one hand shaking
defiance at all the foes OF earth and all the
prncipalitfss of hell, and with the other
hand beckoning messenger angels to come
and bear him away as he says. 81 am now
ready to be offered, and the time OF my de-
parture is at hand. 1 have fought the good
fight ; I have finished my course; 1 have
kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up
for me a crown of Righteousness, which the
Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me-"
Which of the three spectacles do you most
admire? When the wind of death struck the
cOnqueror and the infldel, they were tossed
like Gulls in a tempest, drenched of the
wave and torn of the hurricane, their dismal
voices heard through the everlasting storm,
but when the wave and the wind OF death
struck Paul, like an albatross, he made a
throne of the tempest and one day foated
away into the calm, clear summer Of heaven,
brighter than the dove, its wings covered
with silver, and its feathers with yellow
gold. Oh, are YOU not in love with such q
1F1,f1 fryfN fhat do atn for
a man while he lives and SO much for a man
when he comes to die?
l suppose you may have noticed the con-
trast between the departure of a Christian
and the departure of an intiiel. Dio1orus,
dying in chagrin because he could not COM
pose a joke equal to the Joke utteret at the
other end of the table ZeuXis, dying in a fit
of laughter at the sketch OF an aged woman
"a sketch made by his own hand; Mazarin,
dying playing cards, his friend holding his
hands because he was unable to hold them
himself.
All that on one side, compared with the
departure of the Scotch Minister, who said
to his friends: Il have no interest as TO
whether l live or die. If 1 die I shall be
with the Lord and if l live the Lord Will be
with me-" Or the last words of Washington.
at is we'll" Or the last word Of McInto,h.
the learned and the great, "Happyr' Or the
last words of Hannah More, the Christian
pOetess, SOY" Or those thousands of
CnTlSIldns WHO nave gone
Jesus, receive my spirit Come, Lord Jesus,
come quicklyr' 80 death, where is thy
sting? o grave, where is thy victoryY
Behold the contrast. Behold the charm
OF the one, behold the darkness of the other.
Now, l know it is very popular in this day
for young men to think there is something
more charming in skepticism than in religion.
They are ashamed of the old-fashiOned re-
lgiOn of the cross, and they pride themselves
on their free thinking on all these subjects.
My young friends, want to tell you what l
know from observation-that while skeptic-
sm Is 4 beautiful lgnl at tho start, II y .
great Sahara desert at the last.
Years ago Il minister's son went or from
home to college. At college he formed the
acquaintance Of young man whom shall
,all Ellison. Ellison was an inildel. Ellison
scOfed Mt religion, and the minister's son
goOn learned from HIM the inadelity, and
when he went home on his vacation broke
MS fathers heart by his denunciations of
Christianity. Time passed on. and vacation
came. and the minister's son went Off to
spend the vacation and was on n journey and
came to a hotel. The hotel keeper said 'I
am sorry that tonight I shall have 10 put
you in a room adjoining one where there is
a very sick and dying man. / can give you
no other accommodation" "Oh." said the
young college student and minister's son,
THAT will make no difference TO me, except |
the matter Of OtsymP1thy with anybody that is |
suffering"
The young man retired to his room. but (
could not sleep. All night long he heard the |
CrOaninC of the sick man or the step of the |
watchers, and his soul trembied. He thought |
to himself ''NOw- tha-a is only thin wall !
between me and departing spirit. How il |
Ellison should know how l feel? How If Ell |
json should know how my heart fiutters? |
What If Ellison knew my skepticism gave
way?' He slept not.
In the morning, coming down, he said 70
the hotel keeper. "HOw is the sick MANI"
"Oh, " said the hotel keeper, che Is dead,
poor fellow. The doctors told US he could |
not last through the night" "Well." said
the young man, ''what was the sick ones
nIme-where il he from?' well" said the