Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1897-07-10

pillow, Saying, II WIS SICK and il prison,
and you visited me" Yea, l take The
suggestion of the Apostle Paul and ask
you to pray for Ill who are i'll authority,
that We may lead quiet and peaceful
lives i'll godliness and honesty.
Gods Representatives..
My word now is to all who may
come to hold any public position of
trust in any city. You are Gods repre-
Eentatives God, the King and Ruler and
Judge, sets you in his place. Oh, be
faithful in the discharge of all your du
ties, so that when all our cities are in
ashes and the world itself is red scroll
of fame you may be in the mercy and
grace of Christ rewarded for your faith
fulness. 1t was that feeling which gave
such eminent qualifications for office to
Neal Dow. mayor Of Portland, and to
Judge Mclean of Ohio, and to Benja-
min f. Butler, attorney general of New
York, and to George Briggs, governor
Of Massachusetts, and to Theodore Fro
linghuysen, senator of the United
States, and to William Wilberforce,
member of the British parliament You
may make the rewards of eternity the
emoluments of your office. What care
you for adverse political criticism if you
have God OIL 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 I must appear May God make
you SO faithful now that the last scene
shall be to you exhilaration and rap
ture I wish now to exhort all good peo-
pie, 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 eter-
nal, dropping quicker than words drop
from my lips? Grogshops swallow them
up. Gambling bells devour them.
Houses of shame are damning them.
Oh, let US toll and pray and preach
and vote until all these wrongs are
rightedI Whatwe do we must do quick
ly. 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 be
found that your hand has been idle and
my pulpit has been SILENT Oh, ye 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 l
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 cata-
logue of iniquity, and may not have
been in church for 20 years, you may
have your nature entirely reconstructed,
and upon your brow, hot with infamous
practices and besweated with exhaust
ing indulgences God will place the
flashing coronet of a Saviour's forgive
ness. "Oh, no, you say eff you knew
who am and where came from, you
wouldn't say that to me. Idon't believe
the gospel you are preaching speaks of
my case" Yes, it does, my brother.
And then, when you tell me that, l think
of what St. Teresa said when reduced
to utter restitution. Having only two.
pieces of money left, she jingled the
two pieces of money in her hand and
said, "St. Teresa and,two pieces of mon
ey are nothing, but St. Teresa and two
pieces of money and God are all things. !"
And 1 tell you now that while sin and
sinner are nothing, sin and sinner
and an all forgiving and all compass
sionate God ere everything.
Who is that that see coming? 1 know
his step. know his rags. Who is it? A
prodigal Come, people Of God, let US
go out and meet him. Get the best
robe you can find in all the wardrobe.
Let the angels of God fill their chalices
and drink to his eternal rescue. Come,
people of God, let is so out to meet
him. The prodisal is coming home.
The dead is alive again and the lost Is
found.
PLEASED With the news, the saints below
In songs their tongues employ;
Beyond the skies the tidings so,
And heaven is filled with joy.
Nor angels can their JOY contain,
But kindle with new fire;
"The sinner lost is found, they sing,
And strike the sounding Tyre.