Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1901-10-23

Come.
Imperial, tender and all persuatiye is
the word Come" Six hundred ana sew
enty-eight times is it found in the Scrip
lures. 1t stands at the front gate OF the
Bible as in my first text. inviting ante
diluvians into Noah's ark. and 1t st9hds
at the other gate of the Bible as In ms
second text. Inviting the postdiiuvlahs oil
all later ages into the ark OF Saviour
mercy. Come is only word OF TOUR
letters. but it is the queen of words, ana
nearly the entire nation of English Yo-
cabulary bows TO its seepter. 1t IS an
ocean into which empties ten thousand
rivers of meaning. Other words drive,
but this beckons. All moods OF feeling
hath that word Come. Sometimes y
weens and sometimes it laughs. Some
times it prays, sometimes ii tempts, anu
sometimes it destroys. 1t sounds from
the door of the church and from the
seraglios of sin, from the gates Of heaven
and the gates of hell. 1t is continent and
accrescelt of all power. 1t is the heiress
of most of the past and the almoner O.
most of the future. Come" You may
pronounce it so that all the heavens will
be heard in its cadenees or pronounce 1t
shall reyerberate in its one syllable. 1t is
on the lips of saint and proiiigate. 1t Is
the mightiest of all solicitants either Tor
good or bad.
To-day | weigh anchor and haul in the
planks an set sail on that great word
although / am sure | will not be able to
reach the farther shore. | will let down
the fathoming line into this sea and Try
to measure it's depths, and, though TIE
together all the cables and cordage
have on board, will not be able to touch
bottom. All the power of the Christian
religion is in that word Come Inc
dictatorial and commentators in religion
are of no avail. The imperative mood
is not the appropriate mood when we
would have people sayingly impressed
They may be coaxed, but they cannot be
driven. Our hearts are like our homes
at a friendly knock the door will be open
ed, but an attempt to force open our door
would land the assailant in prison. ouI
theological seminaT-ies, which keep young
men three years in their curriculum be-
fore launching them into the ministry
will do well il in so short a time they
can teach the candidates for the holy
office how to say with right emphasis
and intonation and power that one word
"Comer That man who has such eff
cheney in Christian work and that woman
who has such power to persuade people
to quit the wrong and begin the right
went through series of losses, bereaye
ments, prosecutions, and the trials o.
twenty or thirty years before they could
make ii a triumph of grace every time
they uttered the word Come"
slain by the Word come"
You must remember that in many cases
our Come has mightier Come tC
conquer before it has any effect at all
Just give me the accurate census, thu
statistics of how many are down II
fraud, in drunkenness, in gambling, il
impurity or in vice of any sort, and
will give you the accurate census or sta
tistics of how many have been slain by
the word Come" Come and clicl
wine glasses with me at this ivory bar.
"Come and see what we can win at this
gaming table, Come, enter with mi
this doubtful speculation" Come witt
me and read those infidel tracts on Chris
tiarsty." Come with me to a place o.
bad amusement" Come with me in ;
gay bout through the underground if'
of the city," If in this city there arr
twenty thousand who are down in mora
character, then twenty thousand fell I'm
der the power of the word Come"
was reading of a wife whose nus Dan,
had been overthrow by strong drink
and she went to the saloon where he wal
ruined, and she said, Give me back m,
husband" And the bartender, pointin.
TO a maudlin and battered man drowsin:
in the corner Of the barroom, said
'.There he is. Jim, wake up; here's you
wife come for you" And the woman
said: DO you call that my husband
What have you been doing with him
Is that the manly brow, is that tie clea
eye. is that the noble heart, that | mar
ried? What vile drug have you givel
him that has turned him into a fiend
Take your tiger claws off of him. Uneoi
those serpent folds OF evil habit that ar
crushing aim. Give me back my husband
the one with whom stood at the alta
ten years ago. Give him back to me-.
Victim was he, as many millions of 9th
ers have been. Of the word Gomez
Now we want all the world over t
harness this word for good as oilers hav
harnessed it for evil, and it will draw tn
five continents and the seas between
them-yea, it will draw the whole cart
back to God from whom it has wandered
1t is that wooing and persuasive wori
that will lead men to give up their sins
Was skepticism ever brought into love 0
the truth by an ebullition of hot word
against infdelity? Was ever the bias
phemer stopped in his oaths by denuncia
ton of blasphemy? Was ever the drunk
ard weaned from his cups by the TEN
perance lecturers mimicry of staggerin
step and hiccough? No. 1t was: Com
with me to church to-day and hear on
singing Come aud let ME introduce
you to a Christian man whom You vii
be sure to ADMIRE" Come with me int
associations that are cheerful and goo
and inspiring Come with me into 10.
such as you never before experienced"
Made Right tn God.
With that word which has done S
much for others / approach You to-day
Are YOU all right with God? Ne y0l
sar. Il think not: l am sometimes alarm
ed when / think of him; l fear | viii no
be ready 10 meet him Ia t3e last day; m
heart Ia not rlght with God" Come thel
and have it made right. Through tn
Christ WHO died to save you, comet VIVA
is the use in waiting? The longer 30
Tait the farther of you are and the deep
81 you are down Strike ont Tor heaven
Yen remember that few years ago
steamer called The Princess Alice, with
crowd of exeursioaists aboard, sank ]
the Thames. and there was an aWtr
sacrifice Of life. 4 boatman from n
,S.o-o r.,,e osr4 fn- t7.a ras,.s-a and ne ha