Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1897-07-13


| minfon. With the scratch of pen he
may advance a benefcent institution
or balk railway confiscation. BY APP
pointments he may bless or curse every
hearthstone in the city. Ii in the Epis-
! copal churches, by the authority of the
Litany, and in our non-Episcopate
churches, We every Sabbath pray for
the president of the United States, why
not, then, be just as hearty in our sup
plications for the chief magistrates OF
cities, for their guidance, for their
health, for their present and everlast-
ing morality?
My word now is to all who may come
to hold any public position of trust in
any city. You are Gods representa-
tives. God, the king and ruler and
Judge, sets you in his place. oh, be
faithful in the discharge of all your
duties, so that when all our cities are
IL ashes. and the world itself is a red
scroll OF flame, you may be, in the
mercy and grace of Christ, rewarded for
your faithfulneSs. 1t was that feeling
which gave such eminent qualifications
for office to Neal Dow, mayor of Port
land, and to Judge Mclean, of Ohio,
and to Benjamin +. Butler. attorney
| general of New York, and to George
Briggs, governor of Massachusetts. and
| to Theodore Frelinghuysen, senator OF
the United States, and to William Will
berforce, member of the British parlia-
ment. You may make the rewards OF
eternity the emoluments of your Office.
| What care you for adverse political
criticism If you have God on your side?
| The one, or the two, or the three years
OF your public trust will pass away, and
all the years of your earthly service.
and then the tribunal will be lifted,
before which you and | must appear
May God make you SO faithful now that
! the last scene shall be to your eXhil-
aration and rapture. | wish now TO
eXhort all good people. whether they
are the governors or the governed. TO
make one grand effort for the salvation,
the publication, the redemption OF our
American cities. Do you not know
that there are multitudes going down
to ruin, temporal and eternal. dropping
| quicker than words from my lips?
| Grogshops swallow them up Gam
| bling bells devour them. Houses OF
shame are damning them. Oh, let rs
toll, and pray, and preach. and vote
until all these wrongs are righted.
What We do We must do quickly. With
our rulers, and on the same platform.
We must at last come before the throne
of God to answer for what we have
done for the lettering of our great
towns. Alas! if on that day it will be
found that your hand has been idle and
my pulpit has been silent Oh, We who
are pure and honest, and Christian. go
to work and help to make the cities
| pure, and honest, and Christian.
! Lest it may have been thought that
| am addressing only what are called
the better classes, my final word is to
some dissolute soul to whom these
words may come. Though you may be
covered with all crimes, though you
may be smitten with all leprosies,
| though you may have gone through the
whole catalogue of iniquity. and may
not have been in church for twenty
years, you may have your nature en-
tirely reconstructed, and upon your
brow, hot with infamous practices and
| besweated with exhausting indulgen-
cies, God will place the flashing coron-
ct of Saviors forgiveness. "Oh, no!'
you say, IF you knew who | am and
where | came from, you wouldn't say
that to me. l don't believe the Cog
pei you are preaching speaks OF my
case" Yes, it does, my brother. And
then when you tell me that, | think of
what st. Teresa said when reduced 10
utter restitution, having only two
pieces of money left, she jingled the
| two pieces of money in her hand ana
said: st. Teresa and two pieces of
money are nothing; but st. Teresa and
two pieces Of money and God are all
things" And l tell you now that
while sin and sinner are nothing. a
sin and a sinner and an all forgiving
and all compassionate God are every
thing.
Who is that that / see coming? I
know his step. / know his rags. Vino
is it? A prodigal. Come, people OF
God; let us go out ana meet him. Get
the best robe va can find in all the
wardrobe. Let the angels of God fill
their chaiiccs and drink to his eternal
rescue. Come, people Of God, let us 20
out to meet him. The prodigal is COM
ing home. The dead is alive again,
and the lost is found.
Pleased with the news, the saint below
In songs their tongues employ;
Beyond the skies the tidings go,
And heaven is filed with joy.
Nor angels can their Joy contain,
But kindle with new fire;
''rhe sinner lost is found" they sing.
And strike the sounding Tyre.