Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1895-04-27

iolly politicians and fhe dissinatinp
comrades who had heen with him.
! laughing at his iokes annlaudinp his
eloouence and plunpinp him into sin?
They have left Wby? His money is
gone. his reputation is gone. his wit is
gone. his clothes are rone--eyerythine
1 is gone WHY shouId they stay any
longer? They have completed their
work. They have stripped tho slain.
| There is another wav. however. of
doing that same work. Hero is a man
who, through his sin. is PROSTATE. He
acknowledges that he has done wrong.
Now is the time for YOU to 90 TO that
man and say. thousands Of people
have beer. ;,s far astray as you are and
| got back. . Now is tho time for Won
to 80 to that man and tell him of the
omnipotent grace Of Goek that is suffi-
cient for any poor soul. Now is the
time to go and tell how swearing John
Bunyan, through the grace of God, aft
| erward came to the Celestial CITY. Now
Is the time to go to that man and tell
him how profiigate Newton came.
through conversion, to be world re-
/ noWued preacher of Righteousness Now
| is the time to tell that man that multi
tudes who have been pounded with all
the fails of sin and dragged through all
the sewers of pollution at last have risen
| to positive dominion of moral power.
! You do not tell him that, do you? No
You say to him: loan you money? No
| You are down. You will have to go to
the dogs Lend You dollar? | would
not lend you cents to keep you from
the gallows. You are debauched! Get
out of my sight now! Down! You will
/ have to stay DOWN. And thus those
bruised aud battered men are some
times accosted by those who ought to
| lift them up Thus the last yestige of
hope is taken from them. Thus those
who ought to 90 and lift and save them
are guilty of stripping the slain.
The point want to make is this: Sin
Is hard, cruel and merciless. Instead of
helping q man up, it helps him down,
and when, like Saul and his comrades,
you lie ON the field it will come and
steal Your sword and helmet and shield,
leaving you to the jackal and the crow
Deceived.
But the world and satan do not do all
| their work with the outcast and aban-
doned A respectable impenitent man
comes to die. He is fiat on his back. He
I could not get up if the house was on
fire. Adroitest medical skill and gen
| tlest nursing have been failure. He
has come to his last hour. What does
satan do for such a man? Why. he
fetches up all the inapt disagreoable
and narrowing things in his life. He
says: "Do you remember those chances
| you had for heaven and missed them?
Do you remember all those lapses in
conduct? Do you remember all those on
probrious words and thoughts and ac-
tions? Don't remember them, eh? I'll
make you remember them" And then
he takes all the past and empties it on
that dcathbed, as the mailbags are emp
tied on the postoffice floor The man is
sick He cannot get away from them.
Then the man says to satan: "You
have deceived me. You told me that all
would be well. You said there would
DO no trouble at the last. You told me
| if | did so and so you would do SO and
| so. Now you corner me and hedge me
up and submerge me in everything evil"
"Ha, hal" says satan. Il was only fool
ing you. 1t is mirth for me to see you
suffer. | have been for 30 years plotting
to get you just where you are 1t is hard
/ for you now; it will be worse for you
after awhile. 1t pleases me. Lie still,
sir. Don't finch or shudder. Come,
now, will tear off from you the last
rag of expectation. will rend away
from your soul the last hope | will
| leave you bare for the beating of the
storm. 1t is my business to strip the
slain. "
While men are in robust health and
| their digestion is good and their nerves
are strong they think their physical
| strength will get them safely through
| the last exigency. They say it is only
cowardly women who are afraid at the
| last and Cry out for God "Wait till
come to die | will show you. You
won t hear mo pray, nor call for a min
! lister nor want n chanter raod ma from,
the Bible" But after the man has been
| three weeks in a sickroom his nerves
are not so steady, and his worldly COM
panions are not anywhere near to cheer
him up, and he is persuaded that he
must quit life His phvsical conraoe is
all gone.
He iumns at the fall of a teasnoon in
a SANGER He sbivers at tho ;dea of on.
inc AWAY He saws. "Wife do,,,t
think nv irfideIitv is roino IA take me-
throueb For Gods sake dop,t bring
mn the children tn do as I have done IF
Won feel like II wish w, ,vo,,ld rood
n verse ar two ont of Fanuie,s S,bboth
school hvmnboo, or New Testament ),
Rnt satan breaks in and saws. ..yon
have always thonpbt religion trash and
n lie. Don't give nm at the last Resides
that. Won cannot. in the bonr Won have
to live get off ON that track Die ne Won
l;vad With INV orao, bl.cl ,,,n.,s
rend away from YOU that last vestige