The Iola register., 1901-11-15


destroying his health. The man re-
plies: 81 can stop that habit easy
enough" He quits the use of the weed.
He goes around not knowing what to
do with himself. He cannot add up a
column of figures; he cannot sleep
nights. II seems as il the world had
turned upside down. He feels his busi-
ness is going to ruin. Where he was
kind and obliging he is scolding and
fretful. The composure that charac-
terized him has given way to a fret
full restlessness, and he has become a
complete fdget What power is It
that has rolled a wave OF woe over
the earth and shaken portent in the
heavens? He has quit tobacco. After
awhile he says: 81 am going to do as
| please. The doctor does not under
stand my case. I am going back to my
old habits" And he returns. Every
thing assumes its usual composure.
His business seems to brighten. The
world becomes an attractive place to
live in. His children, seeing the diff
ference. hail the return of their ia
theirs genial disposition. What wave
and greenness into the mountain foil
age. and the glow of sapphire into the
sunset? What enchantment has lift
ed a world of beauty and JOY on his
soul? He has resumed tobacco.
The fact is, we all know in our own
experience that habit is taskmaster.
As long as we obey 1t it does not chas-
tise us; but let us resist, and we find
that we are lashed with scorpionwhips
and bound with ship cable and thrown
into the track of bone-breaking Jug
gernauts.
suppose a man of five or ten or
twenty years of evldoing resolves to
do right, why are all the forces of dark
ness allied against him? lie gets down
on his knees in the midnight and cries:
"God help mel" He bites his lip. lie
grinds his teeth. He clinches his fist
in a determination to keep to his pur-
pose. lie dare not look at the bottles
in the window of a wine store. 1t is
one long, bitter. exhaustive, hand-to-
hand fight with infamed, tantalizing.
merciless habit. When he thinks he is
entirely free, the old inclination
pounces upon him like pack Of
hounds, all their muzzles tearing away
at the tanks Of one poor reindeer.
In Paris there is sculpturcd rep
resentation of Bacchus. the god of
revelry. He is riding on a panther
at full leap. oh, how suggestive!
Let every one who is speeding on
bad ways understand he is not rid
ing a docile and well-broken steed,
but that he is riding monster wild
and bloodthirsty and going at a
death leap.
/ have also to say if a man wants
to return from evil practices society
repulses him. The prodigal. wishing
to return. tries TO take some profes-
sor 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 a firm grip of the hand
offers him the tip end of the longer
fingers of the left hand. which is
equal to striking a man in the face.
Oh. how few Christian people under
stand how much gospel there is in a
good. honest handshakingl Some
times when YOU have felt the need
OF encouragement and some Chris
tian 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 was just what you needed?
The prodigal, wishing to get into
good society, enters a prayer meet
ing. Some good man without much
sense greets him by saying: "Why,
are you here? You are about the
last person that | expected to see in
a prayer meeting. Well, the dying
thief was saved, and there is hope
for You" You do not know anything
about this unless you have learned
that when a man tries to return
from evil courses of conduct he runs
against repulsions innumerable.
| think, also. that men are often
hindered from returning by the fact
that churches are anxious about
their membership, too anxious about
their denomination, and they rush
out when they see man about to
give up SIN ana return TO NtOu ana
ask him how he is going 10 be hap
tized whether by sprinking or i'm
mersion and what kind Of church
he is going to join. II is a poor time
to talk about Presbyterian catechism
and Episcopal liturgies and Metho-
dist love feaSts and Baptist INNER
sions when a man is about to come
out of the darkness of sin into the
glorious light Of the Gospel.
Why, it reminds me of a man
drowning in the sea, aud lifeboat
puts out for him, and the man in the
boat says to the man in the water:
Now, il | get you ashore. are you
going 10 live in my street," First
get him ashore. and then talk to him
about the noneSsentials of religion.
Who cares what church he joins Il
he only joins Christ and starts for
Heaven? Oh, you, my brother of
illumined face and hearty grip for
every one that tries to turn from his
evil way, take hold of the same hymn-