Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1902-08-18

heed to be aroused from your spiritual
lethargy and to realize your awful dam
ger. / would especially plead with you
to surrender your sins and dedicate
your life to Jesus Christ by joining
the church because, in your heart, you
know well what you ought to do. I
have always shrunk from the thought
that people who were born in sin and
ignorantly reared in sin and who ig-
norantly died in sin and unrepentant
were totally lost. 1t has always been
question in my mind whether some
of those poor, loathsome creatures who
were reared in the slums Of a great
city and who never heard the name Of
Jesus except in blasphemy might not
| in Gods mercy be made as fit for the
| celestial city as some who, having
| been born in Christian homes, have led
very different Christian life. God
will never condemn one who is born
| blind because he cannot see. He will
never destroy one who is born deaf
and dumb because he cannot speak or
hear; but, my brother, though there
may be some excuse for those born in
/ luc BILL VI CluAuO VI q SAOoe lily LII AOt
renouncing their sins and joining the
| church, there is no excuse for you.
| You were born in a Christian home,
YOU were reared amid Christian sur
rOundings, you were started out with
Christian prayers, and the mere fact
that you made such an excuse as you
have proves that the Holy Spirit is
nightly striving with you today to
confess Christ and join the church the
Saviour founded on earth.
You are in exactly the same position
as was DIR. Farley when he was dis
sipated college student. One morn
ing, when he was trying to sleep off
the debauch of the previous night, a
classmate came into his room and, sit
ting upon the bed by his side, said:
"Parley, l have been thinking Of what
you are doing. You are wasting your
life for time and eternity. Now, Par
ley, it does not matter much what hap
pens to me. / am a nobody, but you
have the best brain in college. Besides
that. you were born of good blood.
You have praying mother and a
praying father. Unless you stop your
sins shall cut your acquaintance"
So today all the Christian influences
which surround your past life, all the
Christian influences which surround
your present life, all your hopes for
eternity, are pleading and begging you
in Christ's name to turn from your
sins. They are pleading with you to
come into the church of Jesus as re-
pentant sinner because you know and
feel-you intensely feel today = that
. you ought to come. Are you man
enough in Christ's name to come to his
!. altar now?
J Your Duty to the Church.
But there is one answer yet to the
question of my text. This answer
comes from many a troubled heart
You say to me: "Mr. Talmage, l do not
despise the church except by my ac
tons in a public way. The reason
: do not join the church is because
: have so many home duties that l can
; not do my share In church work, If
should join. In few years | expec
to take my place as a member at the
church altar" Now. my friend, wan
you to realize this great truth: Coo
never ordained that one duty SHOULD
conflict with other duties. He neve
wants a mother to leave the bedside O.
> her sick child in order to attend a mis-
I sionary meeting. He never compels
T man to do for the church more thai
: he can conscientiously do. But Chris
does demand this: He does deman,
: that you profess and confess his low
before men. And you cannot do tina
! In better way than at the church al
tar. Then let the most imminen
$ Christian duty decide what you ough
: to do thereafter.
[ And l would especially plead witt
you to confess Christ in the church be
e fore men because, as you have other
depending upon you, your present &C
tons will probably decide how you
loved ones will act and feel toward tn
y church of Christ's establishment. Thi
i fact was demonstrated some years ag
y liz Smyrna. Two sailors for som
) weeks had been attending the missio
Il services. One night, in answer to tn
y invitation to come forward and comics
2. Christ and join the church, one of tn
| SdllOIS lQIucu anu S1lO, w Ciis w i
IS come if Bill will" But Bill would nc
[ come. But the night before the shi
II was to sail the two sailors came fol
ward and gave their hearts to Chris
and joined the church. Then the Chris
II tan workers in Smyrna asked Bill ho'
lie it was that he came to join the churcl
ot In rough sailor fashion he said: ''Wel
20 l liked to attend your meetings b.
u cause they made me feel good. | use
:" to think of the old times when on SUI
Id day afternoons in the old home at Ne
y Bedford we used to sing the sam
at songs. Mother was there and my 81
Sc +orc ond hrothars and father were a