The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1897-12-09

VINO went rorto 70 0oW, ana talket
| with the fishermen about the drawn ne
that brought in fish Of all sorts. an,
talked with the vine dresser about IT,
idler In the vineyard, and talked will
those newly affianced about the mar
riage supper. and talked with the mn
cramped In money mat G. 5 ab,,u, ,It
two debtors. and talked with the wo
man about the yeast that le y. e
the whole lump. and talked with IN,
shepherd about the lost sheep.
Oh. We might gather even the stars
Of the sky and twist them like for.
getmenots in the garland of Jesus. We
must bring everything to him-the
wealth Of language. the tenderness OF
sentiment, the delicacy of morning
dew, the saffron of floating cloud, the
ruined surf of the tossing sea, the
bursting thunder guns OF the storms
bombardment. Yes, every star must
point down to him, every heliotrope
must breathe his praise, every drop in
the summer shower must fash his glo-
ry, all the tree branches OF the forest
must thrum their music in the grand
march which shall celebrate a world
redeemed.
The first fact. that sin has ruined us.
/ 1t has blasted body, mind and soul. We
want no Bible to prove that we are
sinners. Any man who Is not willing
to acknowledge himself an imperfect
and sinful being is simply fool and
not to be argued with. We all feel
that sin has disorganized our entire
nature. That is one fact Another
fact Is that Christ came to reconstruct,
to restore, to revise, to correct, to re-
deem. That Is second fact. The
third fact is that the only time we
are sure Christ will pardon us is the
present. Now, what Is the common
sense thing for us to do in view OF
these three facts? You will all agree
with me-to quit sin, take Christ. and
take him now.
Suppose some business man in whose
skill you had perfect confidence should
tell you that tomorrow, Monday morn
ing, between II and IL o'clock, you
could by a certain financial transac-
tion make $4,000, but that on Tuesday
perhaps you might make it, but there
would not be any positiyeness about 1t,
and on Wednesday there would not be
so much, and Thursday less, Friday
less. and SO on less and less-when
would you attend to the matter? Why,
your common sense would dictate:
Immediately will attend to that mat
ter. between II and IL o'clock to-mor-
row. Monday morning. for then l can
surely accomplish It, but on Tuesday
l may not, and ON Wednesday there Is
less prospect and less and less. will
attend to 1t tomorrow" Now, let us
bring our common sense in this matter
OF religion. Here are the hopes OF the
gospel. We may get them now. To-
morrow we may get them. and we may
not. Next day we may and we may
not, the prospect less and less and less
and less, the only sure time now-now.
would not talk to you in this way II
did not know that Christ was able to
save all the people. would not go In
to hospital and tear off the bandages
from the wounds IL had no balm to
apply. l would not have the face to
tell a man he Is a sinner unless | had
at the same time the authority for say
ing he may be saved.
Suppose in Venice there is Raphael
a faded picture great in its time bearing
some marks OF its greatness. History
describes that picture. 1t Is nearly
faded away. You say, "Oh, what a pity
that SO wonderful a picture by Raph-
ael should be nearly defaced!" After
awhile man comes up. very unskill-
full in art. and he proposes to retouch
it. You say: stand off, | would
rather have 1t Just as it Is. You will
only make 1t worse" After awhile
there comes an artist who Is the equal
OF Raphael. He says, II will retouch
that picture. and bring out all its Or
iginal power" You have full conf
dence in his ability. He touches it
here and there. Feature after feature
comes forth, and when he is done with
the picture 1t is complete in all its or
iginal power.
Now, God impresses his image on our
race. but that image has been defaced
for hundreds and thousands of years.
getting fainter and fainter. Here
comes up divine Raphael. l shall
call him a divine Raphael. He says,
II can restore that picture" He has
all power in heaven and earth. He Is
the equal OF the one who made the
picture, the equal of the one who drew
the image Of God in our soul. He
touches this sin, and 1t is gone; that
transgression, and 1t is gone, and all
the DETACHMENT disappears, and where
sin abounded grace doth much more
abound" Will you have the deface-
ment or will you have the restoration?
am we'll persuaded that IL could by
touch Of heavenly pathos in two min
utes put before you what has been
done to save yOur soul there would he