Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1895-04-27

/ ~ tHf tltlc 10 BO to tilht man ana tcii MIN
how profigatc Newton came. through con-
version, 10 be u world renowned preacher
OF righteousness. Now Is the time to tell
that man that multitudcs who have been
pounded with all the fails Of sin and drag
gcd through all the sewers Of pollution ut
last have risen 10 positive dominion II
moral power.
You do not tell him hat, do youY No
You say to him: loan you money? No
You are down. You will have to- 20 10
the dogs Lend you dollar? / would not
lend You q cents to keep you from the gal
lows You are dcbauchcd. Get out Of
my sight now. Down. You will have
20 stay down. y And thus those bruised
and battered men are sometimes accosted
by those who ought 10 lift them up Thus
the last vcstigc Of hope l. taken from
them. Thus those who ought To 90 and
lift and save them arc guilty ~ stripping
the slain.
Tho point want to make Is this: Sin
Is hard. cruel and mcrcilcss. Instead II
helping n man up IL helps him down, and
when, like saul and his comrades, you lie
ON tho field. IL will como and steal your
sword and helmet and shield. leaving you
TO tho jackal and crow
satan's Work.
But tho world and satan do not do all
their work with tho outcast and abandon
cd. a respectable impcnitcnt man comes
TO die. He Is fiat on his back. He could
not get mp II the house was on flrc. Adroit-
est medical skill and gcntlcst nursing
have been failure. He has come 10 his
last hour What does satan do for such
u mnnY Why, he fctchcs up all the inapt,
a 1lanar 4
life. Ho says: do you remember those
chances you had for heaven and missed
thcmY Do you remember all those lapscs
In conduct? Do you remember all those
Opprobrious words and thoughts and nc
tionsS Don't remember them, ehy I'll
make you remember them" And then
he takes all the past and cmptics II on
that dcathbcd. as the mailbags are emp
tied ON the postofiicc floor. The man Is sick
He cannot get away from them.
Then tho man says 20 satan: "You
have deceived me. You told me that all
would DO well. You said there would be-
no trouble at the last. You told mo II l
did so and so you would do So and so.
Now you corner mo, and hedge me up.
and submcrgo me In everything evil 8"
"Iia, ha!" says satan. II wasonly fooling
you. II Is mirth for mo To see YOU suffer.
! have been for 30 years plotting to get YOU
just where you arr. II Is hard for you now
IL Will be worse for you after awhile II
pleascs me Lie still. sir Don't finch or
shuddcr. Come, now, will tear off from
you the last raR Of expectation. ! will
rcnd away from your soul the last hope
will leave you bare for the beating of the
storm. II tismy business 10 strip the slain Z"
While men arc 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 cxigcncy. They say II Is only coward
ly women who are afraid at the last and
cry out for God "Wait TIL | come 20 die
] will show you. You won't hear me pray
nor call for n minister. nor want chapter
| rcad mo from the Bible" But after the
man has been three weeks In sickroom
| his nerves arc not so steady. and his world
ly companions are not anywhere near TO
checr him up and he IL persuaded that he
must quit life. His physical courage Is
all gone.
Hc jumps at the fall Of teaspoon in n
saucer. He shivers at the idea ~ going
away. He says; "Wifc, don't think my
infdclity IL going 20 take me through. For
Gods sake. don't bring up the children
To do as / have done II you feel like II,
wish you would read n verse or two out
Of Fannic's sabbath school hymnbook or
New Testament " But satan breaks In
and says: "You have always thought re-
ligion trash and lie. Don't give up at
the last. Besides that you cannot. in the
hour you have 10 live, get Oft on that
track. Die ns you lived. With my great
black wings shut out that light. Die In
darkness. ] rcnd away from you that last
vcstigc of hope. II Is my business to strip
the slain
a man who had rejected Christianity
and Thought IL all trash came to die He
was In the sweat Of great agony and his
wife said, I'VE had better have some
prayer" MARY, not breath of that, '"
he said. THE lightcst word Of prayer
would roll back on me like rocks ON y
drowning man. have come to the hour
Of test. had n chance, but I forfeited IT,
believed In u liar, and he has left mo In
tho lurch. Mary. bring me Tom Paine,
that book that ] sworc by and lived by,
and pitch IL into tho fire and let IL burn
and burn as myself shall soon burn :"
And then. with the foam on his lip and
his hands tossing wildly In the air. he
cried out; Blackncss Of darkncssl oh,
my God, too late" And the spirits OF
darkness whistlcd up from the depth and
wheeled around and round him, stripping
tho slain.
Sin Is a luxury now. II Is cxhilaration
now. II Is victory now. But after awhile
It IL collision. II is defeat. II Is cxtcr-
mination. II Is jackalism. 1t Is robbing
the dead II is stripping the slain. Give
IL up today-givc II up. Oh, how you have
been cheated ON, my brother, from one
thing to another, All these years you
have been under an evil mastery that you
understood not What have your compan-
IONS done for you? What have they done
for your health? Nearly ruined 1t by ca
rousai. What have they done for your for.
tune: Almost scattered 1t by spcndthrift
behavior. What have they done for your
reputation? Almost ruined IL with good
men. What have they done for your i'm
mortal soul: Almost insured Its over
throw.
ON To Shipwreck.
You are Fastening on toward the con
summation of all that IL sad Today you
stop and think, but IL Is only for a mo-
mcnt, and then you will tramp on, and at
the close Of this service you will go out.
VIII W. IlOM Nlu YOU
like the scrmon:" And one man will
say, II liked II very well, y" and another
man will say, II didn't like IL Mt all, " bur
neither Of the answers will touch the tire.
mcndous fact, that, II impcnitcnt, YOU aro
going at 80 knots an hour toward ship
wreck. Yea, you arc In battle where you
will fall, and while your surviving rcla-
iiycs will take your remaining estate, and
the cemetery will take your body, the mes
kengcrs ~ darkness will take your soul
and come and go about you stripping the
alain.
Many arr crying out, II admit am
slain-I admit H. . On what battlefield.
my brothcrsi by what wcapony Pol
lutcd imagination, says one man In
toxicating liquor, says another man.
My own hnri heart, " says another man.
DO you realize this? Then come to tell
you that the omnipotent Christ is ready To
walk across this battlefield and revive and
rcsuscitatc and rcsurrcct your dead soul
Let him take your hand and rub away
the numbncss; your head and bathc of
the aching; your heart and stop its WILD