The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1897-12-18

thdI, anu On, Loru, give me some
thing else" and we do not expect to
get 1T, or, getting it, we do not
know we have it. We have no
anxiety about it. We do not
watch and wait for its coming. AS
erchant you telegraph or you write
to some other city for bill
Of goods. You say, "Send me
by such express, or by such
steamer, or by such a rail train"
| The day arrives. You send your
wagon to the depot or to the wharf.
The goods do not come. You immedi
ately telegraph: "What is the matte,
with those goodsp We haven't re
ceived them. Send them right away.
We want them now. or we don't want
them at ALL" And you keep writing,
and you keep telegraphing, and keep
sending your wagon to the depot,
or to the express office, or to
the wharf, until you get the goods. In
matters of religion we are not so wise
as that we ask certain things to be
sent from Heaven. We do not know
whether they come or not. We have
not any special anxiety as to whether
they come or not. We may get them,
and may not get them. Instead OF at
o'clock in the morning saying, "Have
l got that blessing?" at IL o'clock
MONDAY, as king, "Ilave l got that
blessing?" at o'clock in the evening
saying: "liave l received that bless
ing?' and not getting it. pleading,
pleading begging, begging asking,
asking until you get it. Now, my
brethren, is not that common sense?
II we ask a thing from God, who has
sworn by His eternal throne that He
will do that which we ask, is it not
common sense that we should watch
and wait until we get it?
When | was lad l was one day in
village store, and there was large
group of young men there full Of roll
licking and fun, and II Christian man
came in, Il very good Christian man,
and without any introduction of the
subject, and while they were in great
hilarity, said TO one of them: George
what is the first step to wisdom?"
George looked up and said: "Ev cry
man to mind his own business Well,
it was n very rough answer, but it was
provoked. Religion had been hurled
in there rs though it was a bombshell.
We must be natural in the presenta-
ton of religion to the world. Do YOU
suppose that Mary, in her converse
tions with Christ, lost her simplicity?
or that Paul, laundering from Mars Hill,
took the pulpit tone? Why is it people
can not talk as naturally in prayer
meetings and on religious subjects as
they do in worldly circles? For no one
ever succeeds in any kind of Christian
work unless he works naturally. We
want to initiate the Lord Jesus Christ,
who plucked poem from the grass of
the field. We all want TO initiate Him
who talked with farmers about the
man who went forth to SOW, and
talked with the fishermen about
the drawn net that brought
in fish of all sorts, and talked
with the vine-dresser about the idler
in the vineyard, and talked with those
newly atfianced about the marriage
supper, and talked with the man
cramped in money matters ABOUT the
two debtors, and talked with the
woman about the yeast that leavened
the whole lump, and talked with the
shepherd about the lost sheep.
Suppose in Venice there is Raphael,
u faded picture, great in its time, bear.
ing some marks of its greatness. His
tory describes that picture. 1t is nearly
pity that SO wonderful a picture by
Raphael should be nearly defaced!n
After awhile u man comes up, very un-
skillful in art, and he proposes to re-
touch it. You say: stand off! l
would rather have it just as it is; you
will only make it worse"
After awhile there comes an artist
who was the equal OF Raphael. He
says: Il will retouch that picture and
bring out all its original power" You
have full confidence in his ability. He
touches it here and there. Feature af-
ter feature comes forth, and when he
is done with the picture i is complete
in all its original power.
Now, God impresses His images on
our race, but that image has been de-
faced for hundreds and for thousands
OF years, getting fainter aud faint ter.
Here comes up divine Raphael-I
shall call him a di vine Raphael. lie
says: Il can restore that picture"
He has all power in Heaven and on
earth. lie is the equal Of the one
who made the picture, the equal of
the one who drew the image
of God in our soul. lie touches
this sin and it is gone, that transgres-
sion and it is gone, and all the deface-
ment disappears, and "wherc sin
abounded grace doth much more
abound" Will you have the deface-
ment, or will you have the restoration?
1 am well persuaded that if | could by
touch of heavenly pathos in two
minutes put before you what has been
done to save your soul, there would DO
an emotional tide overwhelming
Mamma" said IA little child to her
mother when she was being put to bed
at night, mamma, what makes your
hand so Scared and twisted and unlike
other peoples hands?' swell, ;" said the
mother, my child, when you were
younger than you are now. years ago,
one night after 1 had put you to bed,
l. n