Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1895-02-16

hour? Hold nothing back from him. IL
you cannot pray. if you DO not know
how to pray any other way, say: 80
Lord Jesus Christ, this is strange thing
for ne 70 do | know nothing about the
formulas of religion. These Christian
people have been talking SO long about
what thou canst do for me | an ready
to do whatever thou commanded ne to
Go. | am ready to take whatever thou
commanded me 70 take. if there be any
power in religion, as these people say,
let mo havo tho advantage Of it.. !" VIII
you try .hat experiment now? do not
at this point of my discourse say that
there is anything in religion, but sim
Ply say try it, try it. Do not take my
counsel or the counsel of any clergy
man, if you despise clergymen. Perhaps
we may be talking Professionally; per-
haps we may be prejudiced in the mat
ter; perhaps we may be hypooritical ii
our utterances; perhaps cur advice is
not worth taking. Then take the coun-
! sci Of some very respectable laymen, as
John Milton, the poet; as William Viii
! berforce, the statesman; as Isaac New
/ ton, the astronomer; as Robert Boyle,
/ the philosopher; as Locke, the meta
I physician. They never preached or pre-
tended to preach, and yet putting down,
one his telescope, and another his par
hamentary scroll, and another his cleo
| trician' wire, they all declare the adapt
edness Of Christ's religion to the wants
and troubles of the world. If you will
not take the Recommendation of minis
tiers of the gospel, then take the recon-
mendation Of highly respectable laymen.
| 0 men, skeptical and struck through
with unrest, would you not like to have
some Of the peace which broods over
our souls today? know all about Your
doubts. | have been through them all.
have gone through all the curriculum.
| have doubted whether there is God,
whether Christ is God, | have doubted
| whether the Bible was true, | have
doubted the Immortality CT the soul, /
have doubted my own existence, have
doubted everything and yet out Of that
| hot desert Of doubt have colnointo the
broad, luxuriant, sunshiny land Of Cos
! pei hopo and peace and comfort, ard so
have confidence in preaching TO you
and asking you to come in However
often you may have spoken against tbs
Bible, or however much you may have
caricatured religion, step ashore from
| that rocking and tumultuous sea. II you
go home today adhering toyour iniideii-
ties, you will net sleep ore wink You
do not want your children to come up
with your skepticism. You cannot afford
to die in that midnight darkness, can
you? If You do not believe i'll anything
else, you believe in Iowa fathers
love, mothers lore, wife's love,
child's love Then let me tell you that
God loves you more than them all. Oh,
you must come in. You will come in
The great heart Of Christ aches to have
you come in, and Jesus this very mo
ment-whether you sit or stand-looAs
into your eyes and says, 'Other sheep
have which are not of this fold. -
a Cry For Help.
Again | remark that tho heavenly
shepherd is going to find a great many
sheep among those who have been flung
Of evil habit. 1t makes me sad to sec
Christian people give up prodigal as
lost. There are those who talk as thorgh
the grace Of God were chain of 40 or
so links, and after they had ran cHt
there was nothing to touch the depth OF
q very bad case. If they were hunting
and got off the track of the deer, they
would look longer among the brakes and
bushes for the lost game than they have
been looking for that lost soul People
tell US that if man have deiirium tre-
mems twice he cannot DO reclaimed; lhat
after woman has sacrificed her integri-
~ she cannot be restored The Bible has
distinctly intimated that the Lord Al
mighty is ready to pardon 400 tines
that is, 20 times z. There are men ha.
fore the throne Of God who have wal
lowed in every kind of sin, but saved by
the grace of Jesus and washed ia his
blood they stand there radiant now
There are those who plunged into the
very lowest of all the hells III New York
who have for the tenth time been lifted
up, and finally, by the grace OF God,
they stand in heaven Gloriously rescued
by the grace promised to the chief Of
sinners. | want to tell you that God
loves to take hold of very bad case.
When the church casts you off, and
when the clubToom casts you Off, and
when society casts you off, and when
business associates cast you off, and
when father casts you off, and when
mother casts you off, and when every
body casts you off, your first cry for help !
will bend tho eternal God clear down
into the ditch OF your suffering and
shame.
The Good Templars cannot save you, /
although they are grand institution.
The Sons of Temperance cannot save
you, although they are mighty for good. I
Signing tho Temperance pledge cannot |
save you, although ] believe in it. Moth |
ing but the grace Of the eternal God can /
save you, and that will if you will throw |
yourself on it. There is man in IL |
house who said to me: UNLESS God (
helps me / cannot be delivered | have |
tried everything, sir, but row | have
got in the habit Of prayer, and when /
come to a drinking saloon pray that /
God will take me safe past, and pray I
until am past. He does help me. Fer I
every man given to strong drink there /
are scores Of traps set. and when he goes /
out on business tomorrow he will be in /
infinite peril, and no one but the every
where present God can see that man |
through. Oh, they talk about the cata-
combs of Naples, and the catacombs of 1
Rene, and the catacombs of Egypt-the 4
burial places under the city where the /
dust of great multitude lies-but tell
you New York has its catacombs, and
Boston its catacombs, and Philadelphia
its catacombs. They are the under
ground restaurants, full Of dead mems
bones and all uncleanliness. Young
man, you know it. God help you. There
is no need of going into the art gallery
TO see in the skillfnl sculpture that won
dorful representation Of a man and his
sons wound around with serpents There
sre families represented in this house
hat are wrapped in the martyrdom of
'ang and scale and yenom-a living