The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1897-09-23
r. IIIl@S aHDiT SERMON
AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE.
Strong Words OF Hope and Promise For
Discouraged Toiiers In the Lords vine-
yard Christian Workers. Like the
stars, shine In Magnitude Forever.

sr0ng WOruo OF nope and Promise EOl
Discouraged Toilers In the Lords Vine
yard - Christian Workers. Like tn,
stars, shine In Magnitude Forever
TEXT: "They that turn many to right
sousness shall shine as the stars foreye,
and er."-Dani xiii, 8.
Every man has a thousand roots and 4
thousand branches. His roots reach dowI
through all the earth. His branches
spread through all the heavens. He speak.
sith voice, with eye, with hand, with foot
His silence often is loud as thunder and hi.
life is dirge or a doxology. There is nc
such thing AS negative influence. We ar
all positive In the place we occupy, making
the world better or making 1t worse, on the
Lords side or on the DEVILS, making ur
reasons for our bessedness or Punishment
and We have already done work In peoplinr
heaven or hell. l hear people tell of what
they are going to do. man who has
burned down a city might as we'll talk OF
some evil that he expects to do, or a man
who has saved an empire might as well tall
of some good that he expects to do. BY
the force Of your evil influence you have
already consumed infinite values, or YOU
have by the power OF a right influence wor
whole kingdoms for God.
II would be absurd for me. by elaborate
argument, to prove that tho world Is Off the
track. You might as well stand at the foot
OF an embankment, amid the wreck of a
eapszed rail train, proving by elaborate
argument that something Is out OF order.
Adam tumbled over the embankment sixty
centuries ago, and the whole race, in one
long train, has gone on tumbling in the
same direction. Crashl Crash! The only
question now Is, BY what leverage can the
crushed thing be lifted? BY what hammer
may the fragments be reconstructed? !
want to show you how we may turn many
10 righteousness and what will bs our
future pay for 50 doing.
First. we may turn them by the charm of
Alright example. A child coming from n
filthy home was taught at school to wash
its face. 1t went home SO much improved
in appearance that its mother washed her
face, and when the father OF the household
came home and saw the improvement In
domestic appearance he washed his face.
The neighbors, happening in, saw the
change and tried the same experiment, un-
til all that street was purified, and the next
street copied its example, and the whole
city felt the result Of one schooltoy wash
Ing his face. That is fable by which we
set forth that the best way to get the world
washed OF its sins and pollution is to have
our own heart and life cleansed and puri-
fed. A man with grace In his heart and
Christian cheerfulness In his face and holy
consistency in his behavior Is perpetual
sermon, and the sermon differs from Others
in that it has but ono head and the longer
II runs the better.
There are honest men who walk down
Wall street making the teeth of iniuuity
chatter. There are happy men who 90 in
to sickroom and by q look help the broken
bone to knit and the excited nerves drop
to a.calm beating. There arespure men
whose presence silences tho tongue Of un-
cleanness. The mightiest agent OF good on
earth is a consistent Christian. | like the
Bible folded between lids OF cloth or calf
skin or morocco, but like 1t better when.
In the shape OF aman, 1t goes out into the
world Bible Illustrated. Courageis beau
tiful to read about, but rather would see
man with all the world against him conf
dent as though all the world were for him.
Patience is beautiful to read about, but
rather would l see buffeted soul calmly
waiting for the time OF dellverance. Faith
Is beautiful to read about, but rather would
] find man in the midnight walking
straight on as though he saw everything.
Oh how many souls have been turned to
God by the charm Of bright example!
When, in the Mexican War, the troops
were wavering, general rose In his stir
rups and dashed into the enemy's lines.
shouting, Men, follow mel' They, seeing
bis courage and disposition. dashed on af-
ter him and gained the victory. What men
want to rally them for God Is an example
to lead them. All your commands to others
TO advance amount to nothing as long as
you stay behind. To affect them Alright
you need to start for heaven yourself, look
nnlv m Df hn rtt 80
Men, follow!"
Again, We may turn many to righteous
ness by prayer. There is no such detective
as prayer, for no one can hide away from
1t. 1t puts its hand on the shoulder OF a
man 10000 miles Off. 1t alights on ship
m!datlantic. The little child cannot under
staad the law OF electricity, or how the
telegraph operator, by touching the instru-
ment here, may dart message under the
sea to another continent, nor can we, with
our small intellect, understand how the
touch oil n Christians prayer shall instantly
sNike soul on the other side OF the earth.
lou take ship and go to some other coun-
,ry and get there at II o'clock In the morn
ing You telegraph to America and the
message gets here at O'Clock the same
morning. In other words, 1t seems to ar
liVe here five hours before 1t started. Like
mat is prayer. God says, Before they
call will hear" To overtake loved one
On the road you may spur up lathered
sized until he shall OUTRAGE the one that
Drought the news to Ghent, but prayer
snail catch 1t at one gallop. A boy
running away from home nav take
.ne midnight train from the country
village and reach the seaport in time to
gam the ship that sails on the morrow, but
mothers prayer will be on the deck to
ueet MIN, and In the hammock before he
swings into 1t, and at the capstan before
.e winds the rope around, and on the sea,
against the sky, as the vessel plows on
toward It: There is mightiness In prayer.
neorse Muller prayed a company Of poor
poys together, and then he prayed up an
asylum IN which they might be sheltered.
ne turned his face toward Edinburgh and
f,ayed, and there came fi000. He turned
,h ,hs iace toward London and prayed and
, ,uels came flOOO. He turned his face to-
SusH S,noo Dublin and prayed and there came
al awp The breath Of Elijah's prayer blew
M. %.. .he clouds Off the sky, and It was dry
MAJ. r,oa.hef, The breath OF Elijahs prayer
we, v,e~ all the clouds together, and it was
wss wss weather. Prayer, In Daniels time,
"aked the cave as lion tanner. 1t reached
stp r anu TOOK the sun by its golden bit and
and stopped II. ~ "'- Wv
,,. we nave all yet to try the full power OF
"ser; rsH Inc time will come when the Amer.
tha clurch will pray with its face toward
c;,l0 west, and all the prairies and inland
w,,e VIII surrender to God and will pray
sna au iace toward the sea, and all the islands
anu ships will becoma m r,stian pna.