Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-02-05
SIDE TRACKED"
Rev. +. NJ. Merrell's Topic at
the NJ. e. Church.
STICK TO TIE MAIN LINE,

a Discourse Devoted 10 Railroad Men,
Who sre Exhorted tn Make no Dev,s.
tion Prom the Main Liae.
Rev. 7. W. Mcrrell held special
services at the First NJ. F.. church
last evening, for railroad men, and
the church was crowded to its ut
most capacity. The service started
with two musical selections, Mrs. j.
W. Crandall singing the solo in the
second. entitled "Etcrnity." u. II.
Cubbcrly. swiichman for the C.. L.
l.. Il T.. railroad company. being
followed by the choir singing an an
them. Rev. Merrcll taking for his
subject ''Sidc Tracked cxl,orted
he railroad men To stick to the main
track and keep straight ahead. He
set forth the dangers Of being ..sidc
tracked" and pointed out the main
line as the only direct road to re-
demption. urging them to travel it
as the only safe way.
The text from which Mr.. Mcrrell
spoke was from the First Kings,
1913:
And they mcrrned ever him. saying, Alas,
While passing along the rail-
road" said Mr.. Merrcll. Zone NAV
see u number Of cars on the side.
track. They are useless. The
prophet. whose death is source of
grief in the tcNt. is the man that was
sidc-tracked. The pastor then spoke
u; King Jercboan. and the prophet
about rs follows: king Jereboan,
king of the tribes. after the division
cf the empire of Bethel. following
the reign Of Solomon. was dcdica:-
ing an altar in Bethel for idolatrous
purposes. when the prophet of God.
from Juda. confronted the king. and
prophcs:cd the destruction of the al
tar. and in consequence the king an
gcrcd. and thrus; out his hand to
seize him. and Immediately his arm
was palsied. and was healed only at
the prayer Of the prophet.
The king cndeavorcd to side-track
the prophet by asking to stay with him
and his people. but he had been COM
mandcd by God to eat no bread. nor
TO drink any water, in Bethel. and
to return to Juda by different road.
However. after he departed. an old
man. one of the prophet living in
Bethel. followed him and persuaded
him to return. saying he lad re-
ceived Il command from God to that
end. but. OF course. he was living.
and so he returned. and the prophet
of God was side-trackcd. and the
swift destruction of God came upon
him in the shape of death"
Lessons Drawn.
Mr.. Mcrrell next drew several les
sons from the text and subject as
follows:
The first lesson; God has n plan
and mission fer every life. and it is
our privilege to know that plan and
understand that mission. This is
true for the great of life. rs well as
of the obscure and lowly.
The second lesson: When we de-
part from the conviction of duty we
are side-tracked; we are off he main
line where God intended us to run,
just as Jonah got off the main line
and started for Tarshish. The
speaker then related experiences of
his own. He spoke of how men are
side-tracked: the love of riches. or
the pleasure or the cares of the
world. or bold disObedience, or
Sights, or any sin will side-track n
man. The dangers on the side track
were taken up. II is usually and
generally thought that the danger is
not on the main line, but the danger
is on the side track.
The Lord has ordained that in the
highway nothing can hurt or de-
stroy. and il man stays on the main
line no danger will come to him, and
great many indeed are off the main
line and on the side track. The
speaker then closed, exhorting his
hearers to get off the side track and
get on the main line.