The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1896-03-04
ALL HAVE SINNED.
Jesus Christ Offers Us Full
Pardon.
He VIII Bear All Our Burdens and savo
Us From the Penalty of OR
Transgresslons If We
Ask Him.


forting sermon to an immense audi
ence in Washington on Sunday morn
ing from the text: "All we, like sheep,
have gone astray; we have turned
every one to his own way, and the
Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity
of us all. Isaiah IS: 6.
Once more l ring the old gospel bell.
The first half of my next text is an in
dictment. All we, like sheep, have
gone astray. Some one says: Cant
you drop that first word? that is too
general; that sweeps too great cir
cle." Some man rises in the audience
and he looks over on the opposite side
Of the house, and says: "There is a
blasphemer and understand how he
has gone astray. And there in another
part of the house is defaulter, and ne
has gone astray. And there is an i'm.
pure person, and he has gone astray."
Sit down, my brother, and look at
home My text takes us all in. 1t starts
behind the pulpit, sweeps the circuit OF
the room and comes back to the point
where it started, when it says: All we,
like sheep, have gone astray. can very
easily understand why Martin Luther
threw up his hands after he had found
the Bible and cried out; "Oh! my sins,
my sins!" and why the publican, accord
ing to the custom to this day in the
east when they have any great grieS,
began to beat himself and cry, as he
smote upon his breast, "God be merci-
full to me, a sinner" l was, like many
of you, brought up in the country, and
Llznow some of the habits of sheep, and
how they get astray, and what my text
means when it says: "All we, like
sheep, have gone astray." Sheep get
astray in two ways-either bytrying to
get into other pastures, or from being
scared by the dogs In the former way
some of us get astray. We thought the
religion of Jesus Christ put us on short
commons. We thought there was bet
ter pasturage somewhere else. We
| thought if we could only lie down on
the banks of a distant stream, or under
great oaks on the other side of some
hill, we might be better fed We wanted
other pasturage than that which God
through Jesus Christ, gave our soul,
and we wandered on, and we wandered
on, and we found garbage. The far
ther we wandered, instead of finding
rich pasturage, we found blasted heati
and sharper rocks and more stingine
nettles No pasture How was it IL
the club house when you lost you
child? Did they come around and hell
you very much? Did your world.
associates console you very much? Di'
not the plain Christian man who cam
into your house and sat up with you
darling child give you more comfor
than all worldly associates? Did al
the convivial songs you ever hear
comfort you in that day of bereave
ment so much as the song. they sang t
you-perhHps the very song that wa
sung by your little child the last Sal
bath afternoon of her life.
There is happy land,
Far, far away,
Where saints immortal reign,
Bright, bright as day.
Did your business associates in tina
day of darkness and trouble give yo
any especial condolences? Business e1
asperated you, business wore you ou
business left you limp as rag, bus
ness made you mad. You got dollar
but you got no peace. Godhave mere
on the man who has nothing but bus
ness to comfort him! The world a
forded you no luxuriant pasturage.
famous English actor stood on the stag
impersonating, and thunders of al
plause came down from the gallerie
and many thought it was the proude'
moment of all his life; but there W;
man asleep just in front of him, an
the fact that that man was indifferer
and somnolent spoiled all the occasic
for him, and he cried: "Wake up, wal
up!" So one little annoyance in Ii
has been more pervading to your mir
than all the brilliant congratulatiol
and success. Poor pasturage for yol
soul you find in this world. The wor
has cheated you, the world has BELT
YOU, the world has misinterpreted yo
the world has prosecuted you. 1t nev
comforted you. Oh! this world is
good rack from which Il horse ms
pick his food; it is a good trough fro
which the swine may crunch their mes
but il gives but little food to so
blood-bought and immortal. What is
soul? 1t is hope high as the throl
of God. What is a man? You sa
'It is only man." 1t is only mi
pone overheard in sin. 1t is only
man gone overheard in business Iii
What is a man? The battle-ground
three worlds, with his hands takil
hold of destinies of light or darkne'
A man! No line can measure him.
limit can. bound him. The archane
before the throne cannot outliye hi
The stars shall die, but he will wat
their extinguishment. The world W
burn, but he will gaze at the conhagi
tion. Endless ages will march on;
will watch the procession. A mani L
masterpiece of God Almighty. Yet y
say: ut is only a man." Can natu
like that be fed on husks Of the Wild
ness?
Substantial comfort will not grow
On natures barren soil
All we can boast till Christ we know,
Is vanity and toll.
Some of you got astray by looki
for better pasturage; others by bel
scared of the dogs The hound g
: over, into the pasture field. The pc
: things fly in every direction. In f
: moments they are torn of the hede
and they are FLASHED of the ditch, a
the lost sheep never gets home unl'
the farmer goes after it. There
Ion4 NJ N l.