The Portland daily press., 1895-03-27


do not believe that there is one who has
wandered from fathers house to far
country who is i'll contented frame of
mind. I do not believe that one who
has fed at the fathers table will be long
content to feed on husks.
Then the words apply to the moral
man. I have nothing to say against
morality. but God wants a man to be
righteous. 1t is to be at once your
righteousness, and that of God. What
God wants is TO have the life pure, to
take out self and to put in Christ. The
self righteous man is self deceived He
has not come to the point where with a
great hunger in his soul he has turned
to God. There are two classes of the
self righteous. There is the morally
good man. The one who goes to church,
who puts money in the box who pays
his debts, who is a good man in his
home. / appreciate all that and yet !
say that is "w licked man." He is not
right with God. love such man. l
covert him for the church. To such Christ
is saying "One thing thou lackest. !"
Hon. Amos Kendell, ex-postmaster gen.
chucrh when he was 70 years old and
said al have confession to make. Pve
been wicked man." People opened their
eyes and wondered if Amos Kendall had
violated public trust. II have been
wicked man," he said because l have
mr. Nv oSEi1 tI,rsict u
L hen told how on his death bed a
young man had said that he thought if
Amos Kendell could be a good man out
of the chucrh he could, and SO had put
off eternal things too long. He was right.
He had been wicked man. The relig-
ion of Christ is positive, not negative 1t
is your duty to throw all your influence
in favor of the cause of righteousness in
the earth. not against it.
The other class is made up of those
whose righteousness neither God nor man
knows much about, and yet they are
always boasting how good they are, and
telling about bad church members. To
one such stammering brother said,
We're not mu-mu-much, but we're
tht-h-the best you've go-go-got." AS
my father used to say, real estate in
Sodom wasn't worth much after Lot
moved out. A city without churches
would be city in which you would not
want to live. The church of Christ has
the right to point to multitude of evil
dences of her love, and then to say to the
objector, For which of these do We
stone me?" When you speak of the
church follow the example of the artist
who painted the picture of King Philip
and who made the king rest his head on
his hand SO that the extended fingers
might cover the scar on the face. Pride
is as bad as lust. | believe that the
snarling dog in the manger of the church
is worse than the poor fellow who COLI
trolled by desire TO drink is wallowing
in the gutter. There is still another
class, the Indifferent. They do not feel
the burden Of their sins, and SO they are
easy a bout them. The lack OF sensation
is the sign of death. Are your hands
cold on winters day, and then does
the pain pass? Do all you can to restore
the pain, for that means restored cir
culation. But you say, II want to get
rid of my sins. Can you tell me how to
do it," and 1 reply, ayes" Then you
say, "But are you sure of that?" and |
again reply, Yes. Give them up." If
you'll do the repenting God will do the
regenerating. You are not asked to I'M
derstand some abstract doctrine but to
forsake your sins. Do what God wants
you to do. The name of Goa is love, but
he has done all he can for you. 1t may
be you have praying wife, devoted
son, warm Christian friends, and an an
ious pastor, but all they can do is to
invite you to Christ. The wicked must
forsake his ways.
But fayorite occupation with some
people is forsaking the sins of others.
1t is easy for some not TO yield to some
form of temptation. A man with only
one leg has no difficulty in giving up
dancing. Too many are like the little
| girl who didn't take pie one day because
mamma don't want me to eat pie" and
was ready to take it the next day be-
cause it was a kind of pie she liked. Ii
everyone in this hall would only give up
all his sins there would go out an in
fuence that would be felt over the State.
Are your ready to say, SEARCH me, God
and know my thoughts?" Will you all
offer this prayer, Help me to forsake
my sins?" You pass by house and
| notice that it is going to pieces, that the
windows are out and the roof has fallen
in, and you say look at that poor old
deserted house, What do you mean?
This The outward signs show that the
people who once lived there have gone
out, and that they don't intend to come
back. Forsake your sins, and then let
| it be made plain to the world.
| Said soldier wounded in battle, How
tuy finger aches," and the nurse said, "It
isn't on your hand. A bullet took it off. ="
| But he replied. Don't tell me that. l
can feel it ache" If you do not forsake
your sins they will go with you, some
before you to the judgment, others with
you to the judgment, but all with you