Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-08-21

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should look upon the church ms col
lection of Gods children. Therefor
we should accept and love It's mem.
bers MS our spiritual brothers and sis
tiers, children of God, and we our
selves should long to be Of the spirit.
ual household.
An old Boston merchant loved n
young man from Kentucky, who was
the friend Of his dead boy. This old
Boston merchants only son had enlist
ed for the civil war Down at the
front In 1884 he was shot. Wounded
unto death, he was carried into the
home Of a southern lady and nursed
there until he died. But just before
his death he looked up into the sweet
face of the southern lady and said: 81
am the only son Of a rich Boston mer-
chant. My father will be heartbrok en-
when be hears Of my death. After the
war Is over, and as your money is all
swept away, I want your son to go to
Boston and see my father. I want him
to tell my father that you have nursed
me for weeks aud months. Then my
father will love your son for my sake.
And the dying boy with trembling fin
gers wrote upon a slip of paper: Dear
Tather-I am dying. This young man
Is the son of the dear lady who has
taken your place and mothers. Take
her son to your heart for my sake
Time passed on, and the awful carnage
came to an end. The home of the
southern lady was swept away. One
day the young man, armed with the
dead sons letter, started for Boston
When he was ushered into the office OF
the old merchant, Mt first the latter
would not even speak to him. The old
merchant kept on Mt his desk writing
But when the young man placed the
message OF the dead boy upon the rncr
chants desk the broken hearted fathci
arose and put his arras about the younr
mans neck and sobbcd, 81 will lov
you for my boys soke-yes, for m
dead boys sake" Now, do not h
licve it Is possible for us to love Chri
unless we also love his church for n
sake. do not believe 1t is possihl
for us to love the church unless
Christs sake we also love Christ
children, who are members of tn
church, nor do believe it possible f.
q Christian man to be as good a Chr
tian outside of the church of Christ
If he were a true, hearty. active, co
scientious member Of that church
Mark you well my statement. ! dl
not affirm that there were no Christie
men outside Of the church of Jesu
Christ, but I did affirm that man car
not be as good Christian outside
the Christian church as inside. Their
may be good Christians found outsid
of the church. There may be gooi
Christians who prefer the society o.
Sabbath desecraters and worldly
pleasur seekers instead of the society
of Gods children, who love to gather
In the house of praise; but l frankly
confess have never found good Chris
tians who prefer to seek the society OF
worldly pleasure seekers to the society
of those who delight in Gods house
Jack roses may grow in cesspools. but
as rule the most beautiful roses
blush q deeper red and swing a sweet
er incense in a flower garden thar
among the thorns of a wild hedge.
One Honcst Reply.
"Well," answers another man, II will
tell you frankly why 1 despise the
church Of Cod. The reason ! do no
Join the church is because It is too
straitaced for me- and am not will
ing to give up my own way of living.
My brother, / believe you have tolC
me the exact truth. l believe ninety
nine hundredths of those who scott a
the church scott principally because
they are not ready to surrender som,
secret sin. But as you have given M
one honest answer want you to giv'
me another to a question Just as i'm
portnnt. IF you are not ready t. sur
!, render your secret sin and join tn
church, where is that sin going to SEM
you? Some time ago l stood in tn
: depot Of our national capital watching
little colored boy about five year
old asleep upon one of the benches
This little baby had card pinned t
his coat which read like this Cor
ductor, will you please see that thi
little boy is put in the right train an
sent to Atlanta, Ga, where friend
viii meet himW
AS stood there watching that littl
child | said to myself: Some peopl
seem to be sleeping in the great depo
Of sin as unconscious Of their SUI
roundlngs as that colored baby. The
care not what Is going to happen t
them. And Satan has pinned n tn
1T upon them to send them through, Xix
: ! baggage, to the great city Of eterns
IA despair"
+, My unrepentant brother, as you ar
= unwilling to join the church becaus
you are reluctant to give up your 8,
cret sin, ask you where will that 81
cret sin ultimately send you? 70
@ peed to be aroused from your spiritua
, lethargy and to realize your awful dan
. ger. l would especially plead with 20
IS TO surrender your sins and dedicat
# your life to Jesus Christ by joinin
,, the church because, In your heart, 20
"a know well what you ought to do.
!, have always shrunk from the though
n that people who were born in sin an
, ignorantly reaved in sin and who it
10 norantly died In sin and unrepentar
y were totally lost 1t has always bee
. a question in my mind whether SOU
m Of those poor, loathsome creatures VIII
- were reared In the slums Of a gres
citv and xyho nayar heard tho name &