The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1901-12-20


track of bone breaking Juegenauts.
In Paris there Is a 8culptured repreaen
tation OF Bacchus, the god Of revclry. He
is riding on a panther 40 full leap. Oh
how uggeslivel let every one who b
speeding on bad ways understand be u
not riding a docie and well broken ateed,
but that he is riding a monster wild and
bloodthirsty and going at a death leap
/ have also 20 say If a man wants 90
return from evil practices society repulsea
him. The prodigal, wishing to return,
tries to take some professor Of religion
| by the hand. The professor of religion
looks at him. looks at the faded apparel
and the marks of dissipation. and instead
Of giving him firm grip OF the hand Of
fers him the tip end Of the longer fingers
Of the left hand, which is equal to strik-
ing a man in the face.
Oh, how few Christian people under
stand how much gospel there Is in a good,
honest handshakingl Sometimes when
you have left the need Of announcement
and some Christian man has taken YOU
heartily by the hand have you not felt
thrilling through every fiber Of your body,
mind and soul an encouragement that Waa
just what you needed?
The prodigal, wishing to get into good
society, enters prayer meeting. Some
good man without much sense Teets him
ny hhyAuBs " ny are YOU hEIEs gu arc
about the last person that / expected 20
see in a prayer meeting. Well, Che dying
thief was saved, and there is hope for
you" You do not know anything about
this, unless you have learned that when
man tries to return from evil courses Of
conduct he runs against repulsions innu-
merabe.
We say Of some man, "He lives a
block OF two from the church, OF half a
mile from the church" In al our great
cities there are men who are 5000 miles
from church-vast deserts Of indifference
between them and the house Of God.
The fact is we must keep our respecta.
bility though thousands perish. Christ
sat with publicans and sinners, but If
there come to the house of God a man
with marks of dissipation upon him people
are almost sure to put up their hands in
horror, as much as to say, "Is it not
shocking?"
How these dainty, fastidious Christians
in all our churches are going to get into
heaven l do not know unless they have
an especial train of cars cushioned and up
holstered. each one car to himself They
cannot go with the great herd of publ
cans and sinners.
! 0 We who curl your lip of scorn on the
| fallen, / tell you plainly that if you had
! been surrounded by the same influences
| instead of sitting to-day amid the cul-
! tured and the refined and tirs Christian
! you might have been a crouching wretch
in stable or ditch covered with filth and
! abomination!
1t is not because we are naturally any
better, but because the mercy of God has
! protected us. Those that are brought up
in Christian parentage should not be so
hard on the fallen.
I think also that men are often hin.
! dered from returning by the fact that
churches are anxious about their member
ship, too anxious about their denomina-
lions, and they rush out when they see
man about to give. up sin and return to
God and ask him how he is going to be
baptized, whether by sprinkling or INNER
sion, and what kind of a church he is
going to join.
Oh, despise not parental anxiety! The
time will come when you will have neither
father nor mother, and you will go
around the place where they used to
watch you and find them gone from the
house and gone from the field and gone
from the neighborhood. Cry as loud for
forgiveness as you may over the mound
in the churchyard, they cannot answer.
Dead! Dead
God pity the young man who has brought
disgrace on his fathers name! God pity
the young man who has broken his moth
er's heart Better that he had never been
born. Better if in the first hour Of his
life, instead of being laid against the
warm bosom of maternal tenderness he
had been cofined and sepulchered.
There is no balm powerful enough to
heal the heart of one who has brought
parents to sorrowful grave, and who
wanders about through the dismal ceme-
terry rending the air and wringing the
hands and crying: Mother! Mother"
Oh, that to-day, by all the memories of
the past and by all the hopes of the flu
ture, you would yield your heart to God!
May your fathers God and your mothers
God be your God forever
This hour the door of mercy swings
wide open. Hesitate not a moment In
many case hesitation is the loss of all
At the corner of street l saw a tragedy
young man evidently doubted as tc
which direction he had better take. His
hat was lifted high enough so you could
see he had an intelligent forehead. He
had a stout chest and a robust develop
ment Splendid young man! Cultured
young man! Honored young man! Why
did he stop there while so many were
going up and down? The fact is thai
every young man has good angel and {
bad angel contending for the mastery O.
his spirit, and there were a good ange
and bad angel struggling with tina
young mans soul at the corner of tn,
street. Come along with me" said tn,
good angel; II will take you home. will
, spread my wings over your pillow. viii
lovingly escort you all through life unde
supernatural protection. | will bles
every cup you drink out of, every coucl
you rest on, every doorway you enter.
will consecrate your tears when you weep
! your sweat when you toll, and at the las
! | will hand over your grave into the han,
| nE the hrinht annal Of a Ch1.istian ras11rrao