Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1901-11-15
a man tries to return from evil courses OF
conduct he runs against repulslons innu-

between them and the house OF God'
The fact is we must keep our respecta.
bility though thousands perish; ;Chrlss
sat with publicans and sinners but II
there come to the house OF GOD man
with marks of dissipation upon INN peopie
are almost sure to put up their i nanus IN
horror, as much as to say Is IL ho'
shocking" o,..:
How these dainty, fastidious Christians
in all our churches are going to. get into
heaven T do not know unless they nave
an especial train of cars cushioned and W.
boIstereq. cacn one car TO himself lney
cannot 90 with the great herd Oh puDh
cans and sinners. A.
o We who curl your lip of scorn on the
fallen, 1 tell you plainly that II YOU had
been surrounded by the same influences
instead of sitting to-day amid tho cui-
tured and the refined and the Christian
YOU might have been a crouching Wretcn
in stable or ditch covered with Min aAu
abomnation II
1t is not because we are naturally any
better, but because the mercy OF 0od mas
protected us. Those tina: are brought up
in Christian parentage should not DE 10
hard on the fallen. -.
| 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 denomlna'
tions, 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 10
going to join. m
Oh, despise not parental anxiety The
time will come when you will have neither
father. nor mother. and you VIII 20
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 Tor
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
ers heart! Better that he had never been
born. Better if in the first hour OF bis
life, instead of being laid against the
warm bosom of maternal tenderness, lie
had been cofined and sepulchered.
There is no balm powerful enough to
heal the heart of one who has brought
parents to a sorrowful grave, and who
wanders about through the dismal GENE
terry rending the air and wringlng the
hands and crying: Mother! Mother"
On, tnat To-Day, Dy an Ihe hei,o %
the past and by all the hopes of fhe fu..
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 moment. In
many a case hesitation is the loss OF all.
At the corner of a street | saw tragedy.
A young man evidently doubted as TO
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 a
bad angel conttending for the mastery OF
his spirit, and there were a good angel
and a bad angel struggling with that
young mans soul at the corner of the
street. Come along with me" said the
good angel; 81 will take you home. | will
spread my wings over your pillow. | will
lovingly escort you all through life under
supernatural protection. | will bless
every cup you drink out of, every couch
you rest on, every doorway you enter. l
will consecrate your tears when you weep,
your sweat when You toll, and at the last
| will hand over your grave into the hand
of the bright angel OF Christian resurrec'
ton. | have been sent of the Lord to be
your guardian spirit Come with me-"
said the good angel in voice of unearthly
symphony. 1t was music like that which
drops from lutte of heaven when a ser.
aph breathes on it.
ooh, no." said the bad angel, come
with me. I have something better to Of.
fer The wines l pour are from chalices
of bewitching carousal. The dance / lead
is over floors tessellated with unrestrained
Indulgence. There is no God to frown on
the temples OF sin where / worship. The
skies are italian. The paths l tread are
through meadows daisied and primrosed
Come with me-"
The young man hesitated at time when
hesitation was ruin, and the bad angel
smote the good angel until it departed,
spreading wings through the starlight,
upward and away until door swung open
ished That was the turning point in that
young mans history, for, the good angel
flown, he hestated no longer, but started
On a pathway which is beautiful at the
opening, but blasted at the last. The bad
angel led the way through gate after gate,
and at each gate the road became rougheI
and the sky more lurid, and what was pc.
culiar, as the gate slammed shut it came
to with jar that indicated it would never
open. Past each portal there were q
grinding Of locks and showing of bolts,
and the scenery on each side of the road
changed from gardens to deserts, and the
June air became cutting December blast.
and the bright wings of the bad angel
turned to sackcloth, and the fountains
that at the start had tossed with wine
poured forth bubbling tears of foamine
blood. And on the right side of the road
there was a serpent, and the man said tc
the bad angel, "What is that serpent?"
And the answer was, "That is the serpent
of singing remorse." On the left side Of
the road there was lion, and the man
asked the bad angel. What is that lion?"
The answer was, "That is the lion OF al
dcvouring despair" A vulture flew
through the sky, and the man asked the
bad angel, "NVhat is that vulture" The
answer was, THAT is the vulture waiting
for the carcasses of the slain"
And then the man said to the bad an.
gel, "What does all this mean? I trusted
in what you said at the street corner;
trusted it ALL Why have you thus de
ceived me-" Then the last deception fell
of the charmer and he said, 81 was sent
from the pit to destroy your soul
watched my chance for many long year
When you hesitated that night at the
street corner l gained my triumph. Now
YOU are here. Ha, ha! You are here!
Come, now, let us fill the chalice anc
drink to darkness and woe and death
Hail, hail!'
Oh, young man, will the good ange
sent forth by Christ or the bad angel sent
forth by sin get the victory over YOU
soul? Their wings arc interlocked thii
moment above you, contending for your
soul, as above the Apennines eagle ant
condor fight in midsky. This hour de
cides eternal destinies.