The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-11-14

DO not know anything about this UNI
less you have learned that when a
man tries to return from evil courses
OF conduct he runs against repulsions
innumerable.
We say OF some man, "He lives a
block or two from the church, or half
a mile from the church. In all 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 responsibility though thou
sands perish. Christ sat with publ
cans and sinners, but If there come to
the house Of God a man with marks
of dissipation upon him people are al
most sure to put up their hands in
horror, as much as to say, "Is it not
shocking?"
How these dainty, fastidious Christ
ians in all our churches are going to
get into heaven l do not know, unless
they have an especial train of cars
cushioned and upholstered, each one a
a to himself. They cannot go with
the great herd of publicans and sin
ners. oh, 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
today among the cultured, and the re-
fined, and the Christian, you might
have been a crouching wretch in a
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 cir
cles and watched by Christian parent
age should not be so hard on the
fallen.
First Get Ashore.
Why, 1t reminds me Of a man
drowning in the sea, and a lifeboat
puts out for him, and the man in the
boat says to the mar in the water,
Now, If / get you ashore, are you
going to live in my street," First get
him ashore and then talk to him about
the nonessentials of religion. Who
cares what church he joins if he only
joins Christ and starts for heaven?
Oh, you, my brother of illumined face
and a hearty grip for every one that
tries to turn from his evil way, take
hold of the same hymnbook with him,
though his dissipation shake the book,
remembering that he that "converteth
a sinner from the error of his ways
shall save a soul from death and hide
a multitude of sins"
Now, l have shown you these OBJ
stacles because T want you to under
stand I know all the difficulties in the
way. But l am now going to tell you
how Hannibal may scale the Alps and
how the shackles may be unriveted
and how the paths of virtue forsaken
may be regained. First of all, throw
yourself on God. Go to him frankly
and earnestly and tell him these habits
o have and ask him, if there is any
help in all the resources Of omnipo-
tent love, to give it to you. Do not go
on with a long rigmarole, which some
people call prayer, made up Of obs and
abs and forever and forever amens! Go
to God and cry for help.
Healing Balm for Wounds.
I remember that while living in Phil
adelphia, at the time I spoke of a
minute ago, the Master Street hospital
was opened, and a telegram was re-
ceived, saying: There will be 300
wounded men tonight. Please take
care of them" From my church there
went out twenty or thirty men and
women. AS the poor wounded men
were brought in no one asked of them
from what state they came or what
was their %parentage. There was a
wounded soldier, and the only question
vas how to take off the rags most
gently and put on the cool bandage
and administer the cordial. And when
a soul ONE to God he does not ask
where you came from or what your
ancestry a Healing balm for all
your wounds; pardon for all your
guilt; comfort for ali your troubles!
Then, also, I counsel you, if you want
to get back, quit all your bad asso-
ciates. One unholy intimacy will fill
your soul with moral distemper. In
all the ages of the church there has not
been an instance where a man kept
one evil associate and was reformed
among the 1000, 900, 900 of the race. not
one instance. Give up your bad COM
panions or give up heaven. It is not
ten bad companions that destroy a
man nor five bad companions nor three
but one
What chance is there for the young
man I saw along the street, four or
five young men with him, in front OF a
g%rogshop, urging him to go in, he re-
sisting, violently resisting, until after
awhile they forced him to go in? 1t
was a summer night, and the door was
left open, and l saw the process. They
held him fast, and they put the cup to
his lips. and they forced down the
drink. What chance is there
for such a young man?
s~urrendering to God.
Soma Of voI, lilo mvuo1f u,oro Inv,