The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1900-10-05

"Why?" I know what It is to have .
hundred midnights pour their dark
ness into one hour. !
Awakening Tender Memories.
If l address such men and women
today, throw out no scoff. ! implead
them by the memory of the good old
days when at their mothers knee they
said, Now / lay me down to sleep
and by those days and nights of scar
let fever in which she watched you,
giving you the medicine in just the
right time and turning your pillow
when it was hot and with hands that
many years ago turned to dust soothed
away your pain and with voice that
you will never hear again, unless you
Join her in the better country, told you
to never mind, for you would feel bet
ter by and by, and by that dying
couch where she looked SO pale and
talked so slowly, catching her breath
between the words, and you felt an
awful loneliness coming over your
soul. BY all that l beg you to come
back and take the same religion. 1t
was good enough for her. 1t is good
enough for you. Nay, have better
plea than that. l plead by all the
wounds and tears and blood and
groans and agonies and death throes
of the Son of God, who approaches you
A.; - TOW hrnuu and lQnpr-
ated hands and whipped back and
saying, Come unto Inc, all we who are
weary and heavy laden, and Will give
you rest"
The Church as a Lifeboat.
The churches of God ought to be so
many life saving stations, not so much
to help those who are in smooth wa
tiers, but those who have been ship
wrecked. Come, let us run out the
lifeboats! And who will man them?
We do not preach enough to such
men; we have not enough faith in
their release Alas, If when they come
to hear us we are laboriousy trying
to show the difference between sublap-
sarianism and supralapsaranism
while they have hundred vipers Of
remorse and despair coiling around
and biting their immortal spirits. The
church is not chiefly for goodish sort
of men, whose procliyities are all
right and who could get to heaven
praying and singing in their own
homes. 1t is on the beach to help
the drowning. Those bad cases are
the cases that God likes to take hold
OF. He can save big sinner as well
as small sinner. and when man
calls earnestly to God for help he will
go out to deliver such a one. If it
were necessary, God would come down
from the sky, followed by all the ar
| tllery of heaven and a million angels
with drawn swords. Get one hundred
such redeemed men In your churches
and nothing could stand before them,
for such men are generally warm
hearted and enthusiastic. No formal
prayers then. No heartless singing
then. No cold conventionalisms then.
The Prussian cavalry mount by put
ting their right foot into the stirrup.
while the American cavalry mount by
putting their left foot into the stirrup.
| do not care how you mount your
war charger if you only get into this
battle for God and get there soon.
right stirrup or left stirrup or no stir
rup at ALL The unoccup.ed fields are
all around us, and why should we
| build on another mans foundation?
| have heard of what was called the
'thundering legion" 1t was in 179,
part of the Roman army to which
some Christians belonged, and their
prayers, it was said, were answered
by thunder and lightning and hail and
tempest which overthrow an invading
army and saved the empire. And l
would to God that our churches might
he so mighty in prayer and work that
they would become laundering legion
before which the forces of sin might
be routed and the gates of he'll might
tremble. Launch the gospel ship for
another voyage. Heave away now,
lads! Shake out the reefs in the fore
topsail! Come, 0 heavenly wind, and
fill the canvas! Jesus abroad will as
sure our safety. Jesus on the sea will
beckon us forward. Jesus on the
shore will welcome us into harbor.