Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1898-07-21

the remaining two quarters one to
Christian work and the other to rest,
would not, i suppose. get very brill
liant reception In heaven. IL there are
any dried leaves in heaven they would
be appropriate for his garland; or IL
there is any throne with broken steps
1t would be appropriate for his corona
ton, or any harp with relaxed strings
1t would be appropriate for his finger
Ing. My brother, you give nine-tenths
OF your life to sin and Satan, and
then get converted, and then rest
awhile In sanctihed laziness, and then
go up to get your heavenly reward.
and l warrant II will not take the
cashier of the royal banking house
great while to count you out all your
dues. He will not ask you whether you
will have 1t in bills of large denomina-
ton or small. l would like to put one
sentence OF my sermon In italics, and
have II underscored, and three ex-
clamation points at the end Of the sem
tence; and that sentence Is this: AS
we cannot live our lives over again,
| the nearest we can come to atone for
the past is by redoubled holiness and
industry in the future. II this rail-
| train Of life has been detained and
switched off and is far behind the time
table, the engineer for the rest OF the
way must put on more pressure OF
steam and go a mile minute in order
20 arrive at the right time and place,
under the approval of conductor and
directors.
/ invite you to quit all that and be-
gin new life Roland went into bat
tie. Charlemagne's army had been
driven back by the three armies of the
Saracens, and Roland almost in des-
pair took up the trumphet and blew
three blasts in one Of the mountain
passes and under the power OF those
three blasts the Saracens recoiled and
fed in terror. But history says that
when he had blown the third blast Ro-
lands trumphet broke. | take this
trumphet Of gospel and blow the first
blast: "Whosoever will" i blow the
second blast: Seek We the Lord while
he may be found" l blow the third
|
But the trumphet does not break. 1t
was handed down by our fathers to US
and We will hand it down to our chill
dren, that after we are dead they may
blow the trumphet, telling the world
that we have a pardoning God, low
ing God, a sympathetic God, and that
more to him than the throne on which
he sits in the JOY of seeing q prodigal
putting his thumb on the latch of his
fathers house. | remember that there
were two vessels on the sea, and in a
storm. 1t was very, very dark, and
the two vessels were going straight for
each other, and the captains knew 1t
not. But after awhile the man on
the lookout saw the approaching ship
and he shouted hard -a-larboardE
and from the other vessel the cry went
up, hard -a-larboard!" And they turn
ed just enough to glance by and passed
in safety to their harbors. Some Of you
are in the storm Of temptation and you
are driving on and coming toward fear
full collisions unless you change your
course. "Hard-a-larboard!" Turn ye,
turn We! for why will we die. oh, house
of Israeli"
Young man, as you cannot live life
over again, however you may long to
do So be sure to have your one life
right. There is some young man who
has gone away from home, perhaps un-
der some little spite or evil persuasion
of another, and his parents know not
where he is. My son. go home! Do
not go to seal Don't go tonight where
you may be tempted to go. Go home!
Your father will be glad to see you;
and your mother need not tell you
how she feels. How l would like to
make your parents a present OF their
hayward boy, repentant and in his
right mind. l would like to write them
letter and you to carry the letter,
saying: by the blessing Of God on
my sermon l introduce to you one
whom you have never seen before, for
he has become a new creature in Christ
Jesus" My boy, go home and put
your tired head on the bosom that
nursed you SO tenderly in your child
hood years.
young Scotchman was taken cap
i've in battle by band Of Indians,
and he learned their language and
adopted their habits. Years passed on,
but the old Indian chieftain never for
got that he had in his possession a
young man who did not belong to him.
Well, one day this tribe of Indians
came in sight Of the Scotch regiments
from whom this young man had been
captured, and the old Indian chieftain
said II lost my son in battle, and
| know how a father feels at the loss
of son. Do you think your father
is yet alive?" The young man said: II
am the only son of my father, and I
hope he is still alive" Then said the
Indian chieftain: Because Of the loss
Of my son this world is a desert You
go free. Return to your countrymen.
Revisit your father, that he may rejoice
when he sees the sun rise in the morn
ing and the trees blossom in the
spring" SO l say to you, young man.
captive Of waywardness and sin: Your