Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1894-10-20


point than they were 20 years ago. You
think you have got them alIaost to the
shore. when yon are swept beck again.
WHAT snail you siof rut dorm the oar:
Oh, no. do not advise that, bnt / do
advise that you appeal to that God to-
whom the Mediterranean oarsmen APP
pealed--tho God who could silence tho
tempest and bring tho ship in safety to-
the port! ! tell you, my friends, that
there has got TO be a good deal of pray
ing before our families are brought To-
Christ. All. it is an awful thing to hare
half q household on one side the line
and the ether part Of the household on
the other side of the Incl Two vessels
part on the ocean OF eternity. one going
to the right and the other to the loft
farther apart and farther apart-until
the signals cease to be recognized aibl
there are only two specks on the hori-
zon, and then they are lost to sight for
eyerl
Dangers to the Young.
have to tell you that the unavailing
efforts of these Mediterranean oarsmen
have counterpart in the efforts some
of as 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 well and stout CT the ono
that is sick? Oh. hear some parent say
ing tonight: 81 have tried my best to
bring my children to Christ. l have laid
hold of the oars until they beat III my
grasp, and have bracod myself against
tho ribs OF the boat, aud have pulled
for their eternal rescue, but ! can't get
them to Christ. Then | ask you to
initiate the men of the text aad cry
nightly unto God. We want more i'm
Fortunate praying for children, such as
the father INDUCED in 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 s;artlinsly answered the prayer,
aud in few weeks the father was taken
away, and through the solonanity the
six sons fed unto God Oh, that father
could afford to die for the eternal well
fare of his childrenl He rowed hard to
bring them to the land, but could not,
and then he cried unto the Lord.
Prodjgal Sons.
There are parents who are almost dis
couraged about their children. Where
is your sou tonight? he has wandered
off perhaps to the ends of the earth. 1t
seems as if he cannot get far enough
away from your Christian counsel.
What does he care about the burrows
that como to your brow, about the quick
whitening of the hair, about the fact
that your back begins to stoop with the
burdens9 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 lin into barber
1t is the glorious promise, II will be
God to thee and to thy seed after
thee" Oh, broken hearted father and
mother, you have tried everything else;
now make IN appeal for the help and
omnipotence of the covenant keeping
God, and perhaps at your next family
gathering perhaps on 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 ho,neward, |
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 wringing yc.lr old heart |
SO long Glorious reunion, that will be !
too sacred for outsiders to look upon, but |
| 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 IRE rot happy till they see
Their children happy too.
Toiling For Souls.
Again, remark that the unavailing |
effort CT the Mediterranean oarsmen has
a counterpart in the effort which we are
making to bring this world back to God, |
his pardon and safety. II this world |
could have been saved by human effort,
it would have been done long age. John |
Howard took hold of one oar. and Caroysl
Judson took hold of another oar, and |
Luther took hold of another oar. and |
)ohu Knox took hold of another oar
and they pulled until they fell back
dead from the exhaustion. Some drop |
ped in the ashes of martyrdom, some on |
the scalping knives of savages and some
into the plague struck room of the lsza-
letto, aud still the chains are not broken, |
and still the despotisms are not demol-
i5hcd, ard still the world is unsavod |
What then? Put down the oars and |
make 10 effort? do 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 instrument
talities, and if this work is ever done at |
all God must do it, and he will do it in |
answer to our prayer. 'They rowed hard |!
to bring it to the land, but they could !
n d