The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1895-07-05

again, anu ySD tilC PlcuJ VI u1iO luJ 10
such namby pamby sort of thing that
you cannot even quote Scripture with
out making somebody restless, AS long
as this holy imbecility reigns in the
church of God, sin will laugh you to
scorn. | do not know but that before the
church wakes up matters will get worse
and worse, and that there will have to
be one lamb sacrificed from each of the
most carefully guarded folds, and the
wave of uncleanness dash to the spire of
the village church and the top of the
cathedral tower.
Prophets and patriarchs and apostles
and evangelists and Christ himself have
Numbered against these sins as against
no other, and yet there are those who
think we ought to take, when we speak
of these subjects, tone apologize. I
put my foot on all the conventional rhet-
ORIG on this subject, and I tell you
plainly that unless you give up that sin
your doom is sealed, and world without
end you will be chased by the anathemas
of an incensed God / rally you to
beslegement of the gates of hell. We
want in this besieging host no soft SEN
tlmentalsts, but men who are willing
to take and give hard knocks. The gates
OF GAIA were carried off, the gates of
Thebes were battered down, the gates
of Babylon were destroyed, and the gates
of hell are going to be Frustrated.
The Christianized printing press will
be rolled up as the chief battering ram.
Then there will be long list of aroused
pulpits, which shall be assailing for
tresses, and Gods redhot truth shall be
the flying ammunition of the contest,
and the sappers and the miners will lay
the train under these foundations of sin,
and at just the right time God, who
leads on the fray, will cry, down with
the gatesp' and the explosion beneath
will be answered by all the trumpets of
God on high, celebrating universal vic
tory.
But there may be one wanderer that
would like to have a kind word calling
homeward. I have told you that society
has no mercy. Did hint, at an earlier
point in this subject, that God will have
mercy upon any wanderer who would
like to come back to the heart of infinite
love?
A Lost wanderer.
A cold Christmas night in farm
house. Father comes in from the barn,
knocks the snow from his shoes and sits
down by the fire. The mother sits at the
stand knitting. She says to him, "Dc
you remember it is the anniversary to-
night?" The father is angered. He new
er wants any allusion to the fact that
one had gone away, and the mere sug-
gestion that it was the anniversary of
that sad event made him quite rough,
the tears ran down his cheeks.
The old house dog that had played with
the wanderer when she was a child comes
up and puts his head ON the old mans
knee, but he roughly repulses the dog.
He wants nothing to remind him Of the
day.
A cold winter night in city church.
1t is Christmas night. They have. been.
decorating the sanctuary. A lost wan
lerer of the street, with thin shawl
about her, attracted by the warmth and
light, comes in and sits near the door.
The minister of religion is preaching of
him who was wounded for our trans
yressions and bruised for our iniquities,
md the poor soul by the door said
why, that must mean me Mercy for
he chief of sinners; bruised for our in
quities; wounded for our transgres-
ions. "
The music that night i'll the sanctuary
brought back the old hymn which she
lsed to sing when, with father and |
mother, she worshiped God in the vii
age church. The service over, the min
ster went down the aisle. She said to |
i'm: "Were those words for me?
Wounded for our transgressions. Was
hat for me?" The man of God under
TODD her not He knew not how to COM
ort a shipwrecked soul, and he passed
n, and he passed out. The poor wander
r followed into the street.
Return of the Lost.
"What are you doing here, Meg?"
aid the police "What are you doing
ere tonight?" ooh" she replied, 81
7as in to warm myself And then the
attling cough came, and she held to the
ailing until the paroxysm was over
he passed on down the street, falling
rom exhaustion, recovering herself
gain, until after awhile she reached the
utskirts of the city, and passed ON into
le country road. 1t seemed so familiar.
he kept on the road, and she saw in the
istance a light in the window. All.
lat light had been cleaning there ey-
~ night since she went away On that
ountry road she passed until she came
the garden gate. She opened it and
assed up the path where she played in
hildhood. She came to the steps and
'oked in at the fire on the hearth. Then
ne put her fingers to the latch. Oh, if
lat door had been locked she would
ave persisted ON the threshold, for she
as near 10 death But that door had
ot been locked since the time she went
way. She pushed open the door. She
ent in and lay down ON the hearth by j
he fire. The old house dog growled rs
saw her enter, but there was some
ing in the voice he recognized, and he
lsked about her until he almost pushed
n down in his JOY. s
La the morning the mother came &
lWn. and She saw q bundle Of rags on