The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1894-10-24

50 many tenptailOnS Tor Young peOpIf
as there are now. The literary and th;
social II rhusnces seem to be against thei
spiritual interest. Christ seems to b'
driven almost entirely from the schoo
and the pleasurable conccurse, yet Coz
knows how anxious we are for our chill
dren, We cannot think of going int
heaven without item. We do not wan
| to leave this lie whilo they are tossing
on the waves Of temptation and away
from God. Fcom which Of them coult
| we consent to re e;ernallg separated
| Would it be the son? Would it be the
daughter Would it be the eldest? Would
1t be the Youngest? Would it be the ons
that is well and stout Or the one that is
sick? On, I hear some parent saying
tonight: 81 have tried my best to brinG
my children to Christ. l have laid hole
OF the oars until they bent in my grasp
and I have hraced myself against the
ribs of the boat, andI have pulled fol
their eternal rescue, but I can't get them
to Christ" Then ask you to lmltats
the men of the text and cry nightly
unto God. We want more importunats
praying for children such as the fathel
| indulged in when he had tried to bring
his six sOas to Christ, and they hac
wandered eff into dissipation. Then be
got down IL his prayers an! sad, "C
| God, take away my life If through that
means my sons may repent and be
brought to Christi and the Lord start
liugly ans Hered the prayer, andln q lew
weeks the father was taken away, and
through the solemnity the six sons lied
unto God. Ga, that father could afford
to die for the eternal welfare OF his chill
dren! He rowed hard to bring them tc
the land, but could not, aDd then ne crlse
unto the Lord.
There are parents who are almost dis
couraged about their children. Where
ia your son tonight? He has wandered
off perhaps to the ends of the earth. 1t
seems as if he cannot get far enough
away from your Chistian counsel. What
does he care about the burrows that
come to your brow; ABOUT the quick
whitening of the hair; about the tact
that your back begins to stcop with the
burdens? Why, ne would not care much
if he heard you were dead. The black
edged letter that brought the tidlngs ne
would put in the same package with
other letters telling the story OF bis
shame. What are you going to dc? Both
paddles broken at the middle OF the
blade, how can you pull him ashore? l
throw you one oar on which | oei!eVe
you can bring him into harbor. 1t ls
the GLORIOUS promise, ST will be a God
to thee and to thy seed after there" GA,
broken hearted father and mother, you
have tried everything else, now mako au
appeal for the help and omnipotence OF
the conveuant keeping God> and perhaps
at your next family gathsring-perhsps
on Thanksgiving day, perhaps next
Shristmas-she prodigal may be home,
and if you crowd on his plate more luxu'
ries than on any other plate at the table
I sm sure the brothers will not be jeal.
GUS, but they viii wake up all the music
in the house, s'pecause the dead is alYe
AGAIN, and because the lost is found" "
Perhaps your prayers nave ben answer.
ed already. Ths vessel may be coming
hopasWard, and by the light of this nights
stars that son may be pacing the deck OF
the ship anxious for the time to come
when be can throw his arm around your
neck and ask for forgiveness for that he
has been wringing you: old hesrt so
long. Glorious reunion that Will Do TOO
sacred for outsiders to look upon, but l
would just like to look through the win
dow when you have all got together
again and ere seated at the banquet.
Though parents may in covenant be
And have their heaven in view,
They are not happy till they see
Their children happy too.
Again I remark that the unavalling
effort of the Mediterranean oarsmen has
counterpart in the effort which we are
| making to bring this world pack 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 ons oar, aud Carey
took mold OF another oar, and Adoniram
| Judson took hold of another oar, and
Luther took hold of another oa-, and
John Knox took hold OF another oar, and
they all pulled until they fell back dead
from exhaustion. Some dropped IN the
ashes of martyrdon, some on the scalp
ing knives of ssvages and some Into the
plague struck room Of the laZaretto, and
still the, chains are not broken anc
still the world.ssis unsaVed. What then:
Put down the oars and make no effort:
7 do not advise that. But [ want you,
Christian brethren, to understand thai
the church, and the school, and the col
Ileee, and the missionary society are only
the instrumentalities,a and if this work is
ever done at all God must do it, and be
will do it in answer to our prayer. ''ThsJ
rowed hard to bring it to the land, but
they could not, wherefore they crlet
unto the Lord"
Again the unavailipg efolt Of those
Mediterranean oarsmen has counter
part in every man that IS trying to row
his own soul into safety. When ths
eternal spirit flashes upon Us our condl
ton, We try to save ourselves. we say
"Give me stout oar for my right hand
give me stout oar for my left hand, ant
| I will pull myself into safety" No. a
wave of sin comes and dashes you ont
way, and wave of temptation comes
and dashes you in another way, ant
there are plenty of rocks on which te
founder, but seemingly no harbor int
which to sail. Sin must be thrown over
board, or we must perish.
There are men who have tried afo
years to become Christians. They be
| lieve all say in regard to future world
They believe that religion is the first
the last, the Infinite necessity They d.
everything but trust in Christ. The.
make go strokes in minute. They
| bend forward with all earrestness, anC
they lie back until the muscles are dis
tended, and yet they have not made on
inch IN ten years toward heaven. Wha
| is the reason2 That IS not the way t.
60 to work. You might as well take
frail skif, and put it down at the foot O
Niagara and then head it up toward th
, 4 Ia &c