Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1894-10-20

fhorc Of safety. They are no nearer that
point than they We're 20 years ago. EOu
think you have got them almost TO the
shore. when you are 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 ap-
pealed-the Gotl who could silence the
tempest and bring the ship in safety to
the port tell you, my friends. that
there has cot 10 BE- 81 good deal of pray
ing before oar families are brought TO
Christ. All. il is IN awful thing to have
half household on one side the line
and the other part Of the household on
the other side of the line, 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 Spccks on the hori-
Zon, aud then they are lost to sight for.
ever!
Dangers to the Young.
have to tell you that the unavailins
efforts of these Mediterranean oarsmcn
have u counterpart in the efforts SOME
of US are making to bring our children
60 the shore of safety. There never were
SO many temptations for young people
rs there are now. The literary and the
social influences seem TO he against their
spiritual interests. Christ seems to be
driven almost entirely from the school
and the plcasurablc concoursc, yet God
knows how anxious we are for our chill.
dren. We cannot think of going int
heaven without them. We do not want
to leave this life while they are tossing
OH the waves of temptation and away
from God. From which of them could
we consent to he cternally separated:
Would it be the son: Would il be the
daughter? Would it be the eldest:
Would it be the youngest: Would it he
the one that is well and stout or the one
that is sick: Oh. hear some parent say.
ing tonight: II have tried my best tc
bring my children to Christ. l have laid
hold of the oars until they bent i'll my
grasp, and / have braced myself against
the ribs of the boat, and i have pulled
for their eternal rescue, but / can; get
them to Christ Then / ask You &c
initiate the men of the text and cry
nightly unto God. We want more I'M
Fortunate praying for children. such as
the father indulgcd i'll when he had
tried to bring his six sons to Christ and
they had wandered off into dissipation.
Then he got down i'll his prayers and
said, 20 God, take away my life, il
through that means my sons may re-
pent and be brought to Christ" and the
Lord startlingly answered the prayer,
and i'll few weeks the father was taken
away, and through the solemnity the
six sons fed unto God. Oh, that father
could afford to die for the eternal vel
fare of his children! He rowed hard tc
bring them to the land, but could not,
and then he cried unto the Lord.
Prodigal Sons.
There are parents who are almost dis.
couraged about their children. Where
is your son tonight: He has wandered
Off perhaps to TIE ends of the earth. 1t
seems us if 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, how can you pull him ashore:
/ throw you one oar now with which
believe you can bring him into harbor.
1t is the glorious promise, Il will be
o God To thee and to thy seed after
thee" Oh, broken hearted father and
mother, you have tried everything else;
now make an appeal for the help and
omnipotence of the covenant keeping
God, and perhaps ut your next family
gathering perhaps on Thanksgiving
day, perhaps next Christmas day-the
prodigal may be home, and if you crowd
OH his plate more Injuries 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 he can throw his arm around
your neck and ask for forgiveness for
that he has been wringing your old heart
SO long. Glorious reunion, that will be
too sacred for outsiders to look upon, but
I would just like to look through the
window when you have all got together
again and are seated at the banquet
Though parents may in covenant be
And have their heaven in view.
They are not happy till they s.r
Their children happy ino.
Toiling For Souls.
Again, ! remark that the unavailing
effort of the Mediterranean oarsmen has
a counterpart III the effort which we are
making to bring this world back To God,
his pardon and safety. If this world
could have been saved by human effort.
it would have been done long ago. John
Howard took hold of one oar, and Carey
took hold of another oar, and Adoniram
Judson took holt Of another oar, and
Luther took hold of another oar, and
John Knox took hold of another oar,
and they pulled until they fell back
dead from the exhaustion. Some drop
ped i'll the ashes of martyrdoni, some on
the scalping knives of savages and some
into the plague struck room of the laza-
retto, and still the chains are not broken,
and still the dcSpotisms are not dcmol-
ished, and still the world is unsaved.
What then: Put down the oars and
make no effort: lido not not advise that.
But want you, Christian brethren. TO
understand that the church, and the
school, and the college, and the mis-
sionary society are only the instrumcn-
talitieS. and if this work is ever done at
all God must do it, and he will do it i'll
answer to our PRAYER. They rowed hard