The age-herald., 1901-11-17

publicans and sinners Oh, ye who curl your lip of scorn on the fallen l tell you plainly that if you had been sur rounded by the same influences instead of sitting today among the cultured. and the refined and the Christian you might have been a crouching wretch in stable or ditch covered with filth and abomina- tion. It is not because we are naturally any better, but because the mercy of God has protected us. Those that are brought up in Christian circles and watched by Christian percentage should not be so hard on the fallen.
 I think, also, that men are often hin- dered from returning by the fact that churches are anxious about their mem bership, too anxious about their denom- ination. and they rush out when they see a man about to give up sin and return to God and ask him how he Is going to be baptized-whether by sprinkling or im- i mersion-and what kind of church he Is going to join, It Is a poor time to talk about Presbyterian catechism and Episco- pal liturgies and Methodist love feasts and Baptist immersions when a man Is about to come out of the darkness of sin into the glorious light of the gospel.
 First Get Ashore.
 Why, 1t reminds me of a man drown ing in the sea- and life boat puts out for him, and the man in the boat says to the man in the water, Now, if I 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 H. lumined face and hearty grip for every one who 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 ''con- verteth a sinner from the error of his ways shall save a soul from death and hide multitude of sins"
 Now, I have shown you these obsta- l cles because I want you to understand know all the difficulties in the way. But I 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 l of all throw yourself on God. Go to Him l frankly and earnestly and tell Him these habits you have and ask Him if there Is | any help in all the resources of omnipo- | tent love to give 1t to you. Do not go on l with long rigamarole, which some peo- | pie call prayer, made up of chs and ahs l and forever and forever amens! Go to l God and cry for help.
 | remember that in the civil war I was | at Antietam, with other members of the l Christian commission, to look after the
 wounded. I went into the hospital after l the battle and I said to a man, Where | are you hurt?" He made no answer, but
 held up his arms, swollen and splintered. I I saw where he was hurt The simple
 fact is, when a man has wounded soul, I all he has to do Is to hold 1t up before a
 sympathetic Lord and get 1t healed. It
 does not take any long prayer. Just hold
 up the wound. It is no small thing when 1 a. man is nervous and weak. and ex-
 hausted, coming from his evil ways, to | feel that God puts two omnipotent arms
 about him and says:
 'Young man, I will stand by you. The
 mountains may depart and the hills be
 removed, but 1 will never fail you" And
 then, as the soul thinks the news is too
 good to be true and cannot believe 1t | and looks up in Gods face, God lifts his
 right hand and takes an affidavit, makes
 an oath, saying, "As l live" saith the | Lord God, q have no pleasure in the
 death of the wicked" Blessed be God
 for such gospel as this! Cut the slices