Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1895-04-05

drawn, but his soul is not picked up IL
fed behind a swifter courser into the
great futsre. Dead, and outside the ark
Or some night he wakes up with dis
tress that momentarily increases until
be shrieks out with pain. The doctors
come in, and they give him 20 drops, but
no relief; 40 drops, 80 drops, 60 drops,
but no relief. No time for prayer. No
time TO read one Of the promises. No
time to get a single sin pardoned. The
whole house is aroused in alarm. The
children scream. The wife faints. The
pulses fail. The heart stops The soul
flies. Dead, and outside the ark
l have no doubt that derision kept
many people ont Of the ark The world
laughed to see man 90 in and said:
Here is a man starting for the ark.
Why, there will be no deluge. If there
is one, that miserable ship will not
weather it. Aha, going into the ark
Well, that is too good to keep. Here,
fellows, have you heard the news? This
man is going into the arkp' Under this
artillery Of scorn the mans good resolu-
ton perished.
And so there are hundreds kept ont
by the fear Of derision. The young man
asks himself: "What would they say at
the store tomorrow morning if should
become a Christiany When | go down
to the clubhouse, they will shout, Here
comes that new Christian. Suppose you
will not have anything to do with US
now. Suppose you are praying now.
Get down on your knees, and let Us hear
you pray. Come, now, give Us touch.
Will not do it, eh? Pretty Christian, you
arep" Isitnot the fear Of being laugh
ed at that keeps you out Of the kingdom
Of God? Which of these scorners will
help you at the last? when you lie down
on a dying pillow, which Of them will be
there? In the day of eternity will they
bail you out?
An Invitation. -.
My friends and neighbors, come in
righ. away. Come in through Christ,
the wide door-the' door that yings
out toward you. Come in, and be saved.
Come and be happy. "The Spirit and
the Bride say, Come" Room in the ark
Room in the ark
But do not come alone. The text in
yites you to bring your family. 1t says,
Thou and thy sons and thy wife. You
cannot drive them in.J If Noah had tried
to drive the pigeons and the doves into
the ark, he would only have scattered
them. Some parents are not wise about
these things. They make iron rules
about Sabbaths, and they force the cate
chism down the throat as they would
hold the child's nose and force down
dose of rhubarb and calomeL You can
not drive your children into the ark.
You can draw your children to Christ,
but you cannot coerce them. The cross
was lifted not to drive, but to draw.
IF be lifted up, l will draw all men
unto me. 4" AS the sun draws up the
drops Of the morning dew so the sun Of
righteousness exhales the tears Of re-
pentance.
Be sure that you bring your husband
and wife with you. How weuld Noah
have felt IL, when he hear d the rain pat
tsring on the roof of the ark, he knew
that his wife was outside in the storm!
No; she went with him. And yet some
Of you are on the ship outward bound"
for heaven. But your companion is un-
sheltered. You remember the day when
the marriage ring was set. Nothing has
yet been able to breaki Sickness came,
and the finger shrank, but the ring staid
on. The twain stood alone above the
ohild's grave, and the dark mouth OF the
tomb swallowed up thousand hopes,
but the ring dropped not into the open
grave. Days Of poverty came, and the
hand did many a hard days work, but
the rubbing Of the work against the ring
only made it shine brighter. Shall that
ring ever be lost? Will The iron clang
Of the sepulcher gate crush it forever!
| pray God that you who have been mar
ried on earth may be togsther in heav-
en-. Oh, by the quiet bliss Of your earth
ly home, by the babe's cradle, by all
the vows of that day when you started
life together, beg you to see to it that
you both get into the ark.
For the Whole Family.
Come in, and bring your wife or your
husband with you-not by fretting about
religion or dingdonging them about re-
ligion, but by consistent life and by
compelling prayer that shall bring the
throne Of God down into your room. Go
home and take up the Bible and read 1t
together, and then kneel down and COM
mend your souls to him who has watch
ed you all these years, and before you
rise there will be a fiuttering Of wings
over your head, angel crying to angel
Behold, they prayl"
But this does not include all yo1r
family. Bring the children too. God
bless the dear childrenl What would
Jur homes be without them? We may
save done much for them. They have
3one more FOR US What salye for
gounded heart there is in the soft palm
of a child's hand Did harp or flute ev-
sr have such music as there is in
,hild's "good nightr" From our coarse
rough l:ss the angels Of God ate often
driven back. But who comes into the
nursery without feeling that angels are
lowering around. They who die in in
fancy 20 straight. into glory, but you.
are expecting your children 70 grow up
in this world. Is it not question. then, :
that rings through all the corridors and
winnings and heights and depths Of your
soul. what is to become of your sons and
daughters for time and for eternity!
"Oh," you say, Il mean to see that
they have good manners. Very we'll
al mean to dress them we'll, if l have
myself to 90 shabby" Very good. II
shall give them an education; i shall
leave them fortune. Very well. But
Is that all? Don't you mean to take
them into the ark! Don't you know that
the storm is coming. and that out OF
Christ there is no safety, no pardon, no
hope, ne heayens
How to get them in? Go in yourselfl
II Noah had staid out, do you not sup
pose that his sons--Shem, Ham and
Japheth-would have staid out? Your
a-k 49,. .rtlI ha ant 70 0O