Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1901-11-28
of the left hand, which is equal to strik-

and some Christian 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 prayer meeting. Some
| good man without much sense greets him
| by saying: why are you here? You are
| about the last person that | expected 20
see in 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 inuu-
| merabie.
We say of some man, He lives a
| block or two from the church, or half
| 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 respecta-
| bility though thousands perish. Christ
| sat with pub,icans and sinners, but if
| there come to the house of God man
| with marks of dissipation upon him people
| are almost sure to put up their hands in
horror as much as to say, rs it not
| How these dainty fastidious Christians
| in all our churches are going to get into
| heaven | do not know unless they have
| an especial train of cars cushioned and up
| holstered. each one a car to himself. They
cannot go with the great herd of publ
cans and sinners.
0 We who curl your lip of scorn on the
| fallen, l tell you plainly that if you had
| been surrounded by the same influences
instead of sitting to-day amid the cul-
tured and the refined and the Christian
you might have been crouchng wretch
in 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 .parentage should not be so
| hard on the fallen.
| think also that men are often him
| dered from returning by the fact that
| churches are anxious about their member
| ship, too anxious about their denomina-
tions, and they rush out when they see a
| God and ask him how he is going to be
| baptized, whether by sprinkling or INNER
sion, and what kind of church he is
| going to join.
Oh, despise not parental anxiety! The
time will come when you will have neither
| father nor mother. and you will go
around the place where they used to
watch you and find them gone from the
house and gone from the field and gone
from the neighborhood. Cry as loud for
| forgiveness as you may over the mound
in the churchyard, they cannot answer.
|
| God pity the young man who has brought
disgrace on his fathers name God pity
the young man who has broken his moth
er's heart! Better that he had never been
born. Better if in the first hour of his
life, instead of being laid against the
warm bosom of maternal tenderness, he
| had been cotiined and sepulchered.
There is no balm powerful enough to
| heal the heart of one who has brought
| parents to sorrowful grave, and who
wanders about through the dismal GENE.
terry, rending the air and wringing the
hands, and crying: Mother! Mother!",
Oh, that to-day, by all the memories of
the past and by all the hopes of the fu-
ture, you would yield your heart to God!
| May your fathers God and your mothers
God be your God forever!
This hour the door of mercy swings
wide open. Hesitate not moment. In
many a case hesitation is the loss of all.
| At the corner OF a street l saw tragedy.
| A young man evidently doubted as to
| which direction he had better take. His
| hat was lifted high enough so you could
see he had an intelligent forehead He
had stout chest and robust develop
ment. Splendid young man. Cultured
young man! Honored young man! Why
did he stop there while so many We're
| going up and down? The fact is that
| every young man has a good angel and a
bad angel contending for the mastery of
his spirit, and there were a good angel
and bad angel struggling with that
street Come along with me-" said the
| good angel; Il will take you home. | will
| spread my wings over your pillow L will
lovingly escort you all through life under
supernatural protection. will bless
every cup you drink out Of every couch
you rest on, every doorway you enter. 1
| Will consecrate your tears when you weep,
| your sweat when you toll, and at the last
l will hand over your grave into the hand
OF the bright angel of Christian resurrec-
ton. l have been sent of the Lord to be
| your guardian spirit. Come with me-"
said the good angel in voice of unearthly
symphony. 1t was music like that which
orops from lutte of heaven when SER
| aph breathes on it.
| ooh, no." said the bad angel, "come
with me. | have something better to of
fer: The wines l pour are from chalices
| of bewitching carousal The dance l lead
| is over floors tessellated with unrestrained
| indulgence. There is no God to frown ON
| the temples of sin where l worship. The
| skies are Italian. The paths l tread are
| through meadows daisied and primrosed.
| Come with me-"
| The young man hesitated at time when
! hesitation was ruin, and the bad angel
| smote the good angel until it departed,
| spreading wings through the starlight,
| upward and away until door swung open
| in the sky, and forever the wings van.
| ished. That was the turning point in that
young mans history, for, the good angel
flown, he hesitated no longer, but started
on a pathway which is beautiful at the
opening, but blasted at the last. The bad
angel led the way through gate after gate,
and at each gate the road became rougher
| and the sky more lurid, and what was Pc
culiar, as the gate slammed shut it came
| to with a jar that indicated it would never
| open. Past each portal there were
grinding of locks and showing of bolts,
| and the scenery on each side of the road
| changed from gardens to deserts, and the
| June air became cutting December blast,
| and the bright wings of the bad angel
| turned to saclcloth and the fountains
| that at the start had tossed with wine
| poured forth bubbling tears of foami-.g
blood. And on the right side of the road
| there. was a serpent, and the man said to
the fad angel, "What is that serpent?"
And the answer was. THAT is the serpent
of stnging remorse." On the left side of
| the road there was a lion, and the man
asked the bad angel. "What is that lion?"
| The answer was THAT is the hon of all