Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1901-05-10


Christian ty. But afterward some Chris
tian booi.s came into his hands and glo-
riously changed his mind and made him a
most ardent friend of the Bible and man
of prayer A letter in Mr.. Lincolns own
handwriting is in my house, the letter in
response to some resolutions passed by
Methodist conference, saying; In response
to your address allow me TO attest the ac-
curacy OF its historical statements, in
dorse the sentiments it expresses and
thank you in the nations name for the
sure promise it gives. Nobly sustained as
the Government has been by all the
churches, l would utter nothing which
might in the least appear invldlous against
any. Yet without this it may fairly be
said that the Methodist Episcopal
Church. not less devoted than the best,
is by its great numbers the most inn
portant of ALL 1t is no fault in others
that the Methodist church sends more
| soldiers to the field, more nurses TO the
hospital and more prayers to heaven
than any. God bless the Methodist
church. bless all the churches, and blessed
be God, who in this, our great trial, Civ
eth us the churches"
What great thing it was that the
| Christian books which Mr. Lincoln read
oblterated from his mind the in6dcl
literature! William Carey became a
missionary by reading The voyages OF
|
Holy Living and Dying" There are
books in your library or lying on your
| parlor table or secreted in some place by
your child that will decide for two worlds,
this and the next, the character of its
reader.
When bad book is printed, you do well
to blame the publisher, but most of all
blame the author. The malaria rose from
his inkstand; the poison that caused the
moral or spiritual death dropped in the
fluid from the tip of his pen. The manu-
facturer of that ink could tell you that it
is made of tannin and salt of iron and nut
gals and green vitriol, but many an author
has dipped from his inkstand hyper
criticism and malevolence amid SANDER
and salaeiousness, as from a fountain Of
death.
Among the most important are the edi-
torial and reportoral inkstands. The
thick ink on the printers roller is differ
ent from the ink into which the writer
dips his pen and is compounded of linseed
oil and lampblack and made thick by
boiling or burning. But the editorial and
reportorial pens are responsible for that
which the printers ink roller impresses
upon the flying sheets. Where one man
| reads a book, 5000 men read a newspaper.
What change of opinion in regard to the
printing press since the day when the
| great Addison wrote concerning it, Zone
cannot but be sorry that such pernicious
machine is erected among them" and
when, under the reign of Charles H., only
one newspaper the London Gazette. was
allowed to be printed and that only on
Mondays and Thtfrsdays Not until the
judgment day. when the forces which have
influenced the world shall be compared
and announced, will be known the power
of the modern newspaper.
Thomas Guthrie dipped into it and
brought up "The Gospel In Ezekiel" John
Cumming dipped into it and brought up
"rhe Apocalypse" Oh the opuence of
Christian lterature Oh, the mighty
streams of evangelistic power that have
poured from the writer's nkhorn that ap-
peared in Ezeliefs vision!
While you recognize the distinguished
ones who have dipped into the inkstand
of the worlds evangelizaticn do not for.
get that there are hundreds of thousands
OF unknown men and women who are en-
gagged in inconspicuous ways doing the
same thing. How many. anxious mothers
writing to the boys in town! How many
sisters writing encouragement to brothers
far away! tiow many invalids bostered
mp in bed, the inkhorn on the stand at
their side, writing letters of coincidence
to those worse off than themselvesl They
are flying, all the time kind words, gospel
words, helpful words. saving words
Call the evangelistic inllhorn into serv-
ice in the early morning. when you feel
well, and you are grateful for the protec-
tion during your sleeping hours, and write
before you retire at close of day to those
who all night long will be saying, "Would
to God it were morning." How MANY
bruised and disappointed ana wronged
souls of earth would be glad to get let
ter from you, Stir up that consolatory
inkhorn.
All Christendom has been waiting for
great revivals of religion to start from
the pulpist ard prayer meetings. 1 now
| aHTgV hat .N,.A III
time may start from concerted and or
ganized movement through the inlho1ns
Of all Christendom, each writer dipping
from the lnkhorn nearest him letter oil
gospel invitation, gospel hope, gospel warn.
ing, gospel instruction. The ink is all
ready on a hundred thousand tables, and
beside 1t are the implements with which
to dip it out, Why not through such
process have millions of souls brought to
God before next summer? By letter you
could make the invitation more effective
than by word of mouth. The invitation
from your lips may be argued back, may
evoke querulous reply, may be answered
by Joke, but good, warm, gospel letter
written in prayer, and started with prayer
and followed by prayer, will be read over
and over again and cannot be answered in
u frivolous way.
Within arms reach of where you sit
there may be fluid that you may put or
wing with message of light and love. Oh
for the swift flying angel of mercy which
Ezekiel saw in vision with writer's ink
horn by his side"
The other angels spoken of in my text
were destroying angels, and each hac
what the Bible calls slaughter weap
on" in his hand. 1t was a lance or bat
tleaX or a sword. God hasten the time
when the last lance shall be shivered, anc
the last battleax dulled, and the last
sword sheethed and the angel of the text
who Matthew Henry says was the Lore
! Jesus Christ, shall from the full inkhorr
OF His mercy give a saving call to all ma
tions. That day may be far off, but it i!
helpful to think of its coming.
As Dr. Raleigh declared that when thir
ty-siX miles at sea off the coast of New
England the cattle on board the ship a.
well as himself scented the clover on The
New England hills S we amid all the toss
ing waves of the worlds controversies in
; hale the redolence of the white lilies o
universal peace.
If our Bible is true-and no other bool
that was ever printed is as true as tha
book, which Moses began and JOIN
linished-then the time will come when al