Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1900-08-10

plOns OF all sorts, rellRlOnS Dy Cne peck, re-
ligons by the square foot and religions by
the ton, all of them devices of the devil
that would take the heart away from the
only religion that will ever effect anything
for the ! man race, and that is the
straight up and down religion written III
the book which begins with Genesis and
ends with Revelation, the religion OF the
skies. the old religion, the God given rell-
zion. the everlasting religion, which says,
Love God above all and your neighbor as
YOURSELF" All religions but one begin at
the wrong end and in the wrong place.
The Bible religion demands that we first
oct right with God II begins at the top
and measures down, while the other rell-
gions begin at the bottom and try to
measure up.
want YOU to notice this fact. that
when man gives up the straight up and
down religion of the Bible for any new
tangled religion it is generally to SUIT ms
sins. You first hear of his change OF ret
gion. and then YOU hear of some swind'e
he has practiced in a special mining sto c6c
telling some one if he will put III SlO,0O0
he can take out 100000, or he has sacrl-
feed his integrity or plunged into irremed,,
liable worldiness His sins are so broad
he has to broaden his religion, and he be-
comes broad as temptation, as broad as
the souls darkness as broad as hell. They
want a religion that will allow them to
keen their sins and then at death say to
them. "Well done. good and faithful SER
want" and that tells them. "All is well,
for there i? no hell" What glorious
heaven they hold before us. Come, let us
go in and see it, There are Herod and all
the babes he massacred There are
Charles Gliteau and Robesplerre, the
feeder of the French guillotine, and all the
liars. thieves. house burners. garroters,
nicknockets and ibertines of all the centu-
ries They have all got crowns and
thrones and harps and scepters. and when
they chant they sing Thanksgiving and
..onor and glory and power to the broad
religion that lets us all into heaven with
out repentance and without faith IN those
humiliating dogmas of ecclesiastical old
foovism"
Nv text gives me grand opportunity
of saving a useful word to ali young men
who are now forming habits for lifetime
OF what use to a stonemason or brick
lave is plumb line? Why not build the
wall by the unaded eye and hand? Be
cause they are insufficient. because II there
he a DETECTION in the wall it cannot FUR
Their on be corrected. Because, by the
law of cravitation, a wall must he straight
in order to be symmetrical and safe. A
Young man is in danger of getting defect
in his wall of character that may never be
corrected.
Hear it, men and bows, women and girls,
all the fun is on the SIDE OF right: SIN may
seem attractive, but il is deathful: and like
the manchineel. a tree whose dews are
poisonous. The only genuine happiness is
in Christian life.
There they 90. two brothers. The one
was converted wear ago in church ore
Sunday morning during PRAYER or sermon
or HYMN. No one knew it at the time.
The nersons on either side of HIM sus-
pectcd nothing, but III that ToHT,,;
mans soul this process went on: l'or"'
here | am. Young man amid TIN" tcmrta-
tions of city life and I am afraid to risk
them alone. Come and be NV pardon and
nv help. Save me from making the ms,
take some of my comrades are making. ana
save me now" And quicker than flash
God rolled heaven into his soul. lie IS
lust as Jolly as he used to he, is Just AS
brilliant as he used to be. He can STRIKE
a ball OF catch one as easily as before he
was converted. With gun or fishing rod IN
this summer vacation he is lust is skillfnl
as before. The world is brighter to HIM
than ever. He appreciates pictures, music,
innocent hilarity. social life, good Jokes
and has plenty of fun. glorious fun. But
his brother is going down hill. In the
morning his head aches from the cham
payne debauch Everybody sees he is m
rapid descent What cares he Tor right
or decency or the honor of his family
name? Turned out of employment, de-
pleted in health. cast down in spirits, the
typhoid fever strikes him in the smallest
room on the fourth story. OF tlfth,rate
boarding house, curslng God and calling
for his mother and fighting back demons
from his dying pillow, which is besweated
world, with the shrek of destroyed
spirit.
God is now throwing that plumb line
over this republic, and it is solemn time
with this nation, and whether we keep
His Sabbaths or dshonor them, whether
righteousness or iniquity dominate, whether
we are Christian or in6del whether we
fulfill our mission or refuse, whether we
are for God or against Him, will decide
whether we shall as nation go on In
higher and higher career or go down In the
same grave where Babylon and Nineveh
and Thebes are sepulchered.
But" say you, eff there be nothing but
a plumb line, what can any OF us do. Tor
there is an old proverb which truthfuliy
declares, If the best mans faults were
written on his forehead, 1T would make
him pull his hat over his eyes. what shall
we do when, according to. Isaiah, GOD
shall lay Judgment to the line and right
eousness the plummet"
All. here is where the gospel comes in
with a Saviours Righteousness to make up
for our deficits. And while | see hanging
ON the wall plumb line, | see also hang
inc there cross. And while the one con-
dennis lis. the other saves us, If only we
will hold to it.
And here and now you may be set free
with more glorious liberty than Hamp-
den or Sidney or Kosciusko ever fought
for Not out yonder or down there or IN
here, but just where you are you may get
j.. =,
The invalid proprietress of wealthy
estate in Scotland visited the continent OF
Europe to get rid of her maladles, and
she went to Baden Baden, and tried those
waters. and went to Carlsbad and tried
those waters, and went to Homburg and
tried those waters, and instead of getting
better she got worse, and in despair she
said to physician, what shall | do?
His reply was: Medicine can do nothing
for YOU. You have only one chance, and
that is the waters of Pit Keathly, Scot
land" as it possible?" she replied
"Why, those waters are on my own es'
tate" She returned and drank OF the
fountain at her own gate, and IN two
months completely recovered. Oh, sick
and diseased and SHINING and dying. why
go trudging all the world over andd. seek
ing her and there relief fol, your dlscour'
aged spirit when close by and at your very
feet and at the door of your heart, aye,
within the very estate of your own con,
seriousness, the healing waters of eternal
life may be bad and had this very hour,
this very minute! Blessed be God that
over against the plumb line that Amos
saw is the cross, through the emancipating
power of which you and | may live and
five forever!
Purple Ore from Asia.
A NnrWeeian vessel has inst hrOllph