Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1901-01-21

| Christ aches to have you come in, and
| he looks into your eyes this moment,
saying, "Other sheep 1 have which are
| not of this foId.''
GIOriOusIy Rescued.
Again, 1 remark that the heavenly
Shepherd is going to find great many
of the sheep among those who have
been full of evil habit. They were all
cheated into sin. The spider does not
say to the fly, '"COme into the web
where I kill insects" Oh, no. The spi-
der says, Dearest fly, come and take
morning walk with me on this SuSpen-
sion bridge of gOssamer, glittering with
diamonds of dew" Do not be hard on.
those gone astray. 1t makes me sad to
see Christian people give up a prodigal
as lost.
People tell us that if a man has de-
1irium tremens twice he cannot be re-
claimed; that if a woman has sacri-
feed her integrity she cannot be re-
stored. The Bible has distinctly init
mated that the ford Almighty is ready
to pardon 400 times. Why do [ say 400
times? Because the Bible says "70
g..
not think a man can fall times,
times, 10 times, 20 times, 100 times, 400
times and yet be saved. -Four hundred
and ninety times! There are men be-
fore the throne of God who have wal
lowed in every kind of sin, but, saw
ed by the grace of Christ and washed
in his blood, they stand there radiant
now. There are those who plunged into
the very lowest depths of the slums and
who have for hundreds of times been
lifted up, and finally, by the grace Of
God, they stand in heaven, glOriOusly
rescued by the grace promised to the
chief Of sinners.
| want to tell you that God loves
to take hold of a very bad case. When
the church casts you off and when the
clubroOm casts you off and when So
ciety casts you off and when business
associates cast you off and when ia
Their casts you off and when mother
casts you off and when everybody
casts you off, your first cry for help
will bend the eternal God clear down
into the ditch of your suffering and
shame. The Good Templars cannot
save you, although they are n grand
institution. The Sons of Temperance
cannot save you, although they are
mighty for good. Signing the temper
ance pledge cannot save you, although
L believe in it. Nothing but the grace
of the eternal God can save you, and
that will if you will throw yourself
on it.
They talk about the catacombs of
Naples and the catacombs of Rome
and the catacOmbs of Egypt, the great
burial places under the city, where the
dust of many generations passed on,
but 1 tell you New York has its cata-
combs and Washington it's catacOmbs
and all our cities their catacombs.
They are underground liquor dives,
full Of dead mems bones and all I'M
cleanness. There is no need of going
into the art gallery to see in skillful
sculpture that wonderful representa-
ton of n man and his sons wound
round with serpents. There are fami-
lies represented here today that are
wrapped in the martyrdOm of fang
and scale and venom-a living LAGOON
of ghastliness and horror.
Trust the Eternal God.
In the attempt at reformation do not 7.
put your trust in bromide of potassium
or in anything that apOthecaries can
mix. Put your trust only in the eternal
God. With some of these men it is q
periodic temptation that comes every /
six weeks or every three months, when
it seems as if the powers of darkness F.
kindle around about your tongue the
fires of the pit 1t is we'll at such a
time, as some of you do, to call on
medical counsel, but your first and
most impOrtunate cry must be to God. .
If the fiends will drag you to the
slaughter, may they do so on your
knees. O God, now that the parOXysm
of thirst is come again on that man,
help him! Fling back into the pit of
hell the fiend that assaults his soul
this moment!
There is only one class of persons
about whom l am disheartened, and
they are the gospel hardened. They
have been faithful in attendance at /
churches for 20, 80 and 40 years, yet .
never have surrendered themselves to
God. AS Christ says, "Publicans and /
harlots go into the kingdom of heaven .
before them" They have resisted all
the importantly of divine mercy and .
have gone through most powerful .
earthquakes of religious feeling, and .
they are further away from God than
ever. After awhile they will lie down
sick, and some day it will be told that
they are dead. No hope!
But I turn to outsiders with an ex-
pectation that thrills through me, body
and soul. "Other sheep 1 have which
are not Of this fold" You are not Cos
pei hardened. You have not heard
many sermons during the last few
years. You feel the Holy Ghost this