Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1895-02-15

bOluO fOAJ 'ho ehAhSS Az Ae' AON DSAAS'O
that the Scriptural description Of Eden
was only an allegory. There are so
things that believe that you do not be-
lieve And yet you are an accommodate
ing man. Everybody that knows you
says that of you. If | should ask you to
do a kindness for me, or if any one elso
should ask of you kindness, you would
do it. Now, have kindness to ask Of
you today. 1t is something that will
cost you nothing and will give me great
delight. want you by experiment to
try the power Of Christ's religion. If |
should come to you, and you were very
sick, and doctors had given you up and
said there was no chance for you, and l
should take out bottle and say: Here
is a medicine that will cure you 1t has
cured 30 people, and it will cure you,"
you would say, II have no confidence
in it" would say, Won't you take
it to oblige mes" WELL" you would
say, "if it's any accommodation to you,
I'll take it," My friend, will you be
just as accommodating in matters Of re-
ligion? There are some Of you who have
found out that this world cannot satisfy
your soul. You are like the man who
told me one Sabbath after the service
was over: 81 have tried this world and
found it an insufficient portion. Tell
me Of something better. " You have
come to that. You are sick for the need
Of divine medicament
Ready to Obey.
Now / come and tell you Of physi.
clan who will cure you, who has cured
hundreds and hundreds who were as
sick as you are. "Oh, you say, "Ihave
no confidence in him." But will you
not try him? Accommodate me in this
matter; oblige me in this matter; just
try him. am very certain he will cure
you. You reply, II have no especial
confidence in him, but if you ask me as
a matter Of accommodation introduce
him." So do introduce him-Christ,
the physician who has cured more blind
eyes and healed more ghastly wounds
and bound up more broken hearts than
all the doctors since the time Of Kscula-
Plus That divine physician is here.
Are you not ready to try him? Will you
not, as a pure matter Of experiment, try
him and state your case before him this
oury Hold nothing back from him II
you cannot pray, if you do not know
how to pray any other way, say: 20
Lord Jesus Christ, this is strange thing
for me to do. know nothing about the
formulas of religion. These Christian
people have been talking so long about
what thou canst do for me | am ready
to do whatever thou commandest me to
Go. am ready to take whatever thou
ne to take. If there be any
power in religion, as these people say,
let me have the advantage Of it," Will
you try that 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 preiudiced in the mat
ter; perhaps we may be hypocritical in
our utterances; perhaps our advice Is
not worth taking. Then take the coun-
sci Of some very respectable laymen, as
John Milton, the poet; as William Will
berforce, the statesman; as Isaac New
ton. the astronomer; as Robert Boyle,
the philosopher; as Locke, the meta
physician. They never preached or pre-
tended to preach, and yet putting down.
one his telescope, and another his par
liamentary scroll, and another his elec-
trician's wire, they all declare the adapt
edness of Christ's religion to the wants
and troubles of the world. II you will
not take the recommendation Of minis
ters Of the gospel, then take the recon-
mendation of highly respectable laymen.
o 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. l 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, l have
doubted the Immortality Of the soul, l
have doubted my own existence, have
doubted everything, and yet out OF that
hot desert of doubt l have come into the
broad. luxuriant, sunshiny land OF gos-
pei hope and peace and comfort, and so
| have confidence in preaching to you
and asking you to come in. However
often you may have spoken against the
Bible. or however much you may have
caricatured religion, step ashore from
that rocking and tumultuous sea. II you
20 home today adhering to your iniideli-
ties. you will not sleep one wink. You
do not want your children TO come up
with your skepticism. You cannot AFFORD
to die in that midnight darkness, can
you? II you do not believe in anything
else. you believe in loye-a father s
love. a mothers love, a wife's love, a
child's love. Then let me tell you that
God loves you more than them all On,
YOU must come in. You will come inl
The great heart Of Christ aches to have
you come in, and Jesus this very mo-
ment-whether you sit or stand-looks
into your eyes and says, "Other sheep l
have which are not of this fold.
A Cry For Help.
Again | remark that the 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 a prodigal as
lost There are those who talk as though
the grace Of God were a chain OF 40 OF
80 links, and after they had run out
there was nothing to touch the depth OF
a very bad case. If they were hunting
and got of the track of the deer, they
would look longer among the brakes ana
bushes for the lost game than they have
been looking for that lost soul. People
tell us that il a man have delirium tre-
mems twice he cannot be reclaimed; tha'
after a woman has sacrificed her integri-
tv she cannot be restored. The Bible has
distinctly intimated that the Lord Al
mighty Ia ready to pardon 4so times
that is. 20 times Z. There are men be-
fore the throne Of God who have wal