Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1902-07-03

WHAT VIC reap III oiio TO-
,vonder ia we have had SO little discipline.
"Reckon up the prayers YOU ought 70
have offered and never spoke; the DEEDS
Won ought to have done and never accom-
nlshed: reckon up all neglects, all OIL
fences against God and man; all weakness
Of character and the wonder, Is that we
have not been cut off altogether. buI J.
summon you to the we'll Of the covenant
and bid you open it up. what II we naso
discipline and trial when VIC. stana Wy, Nh,
who declares, 1T will be with thee, ana
also explains to us, "That our light allie
tons are but for a moment" and that as
they tarry, "they work for us far more
exceeding and eternal weight of glory" !
bring YOU good cheer this morning., III
God be for us, who can be against u.s."
ii.
But YOU will notice that Isaac ,digged
again the wells of water which emphasizes,
nv subject, "a Revival of Ola Customs;
| am very sure that there are some ola
customs which in these days we need TO
have revived. -,
First-Thc old custom of making the
home a haven of rest, type. OF hcaVeh,
and a place of refuge for all the members
Of the family circle. We greatly undercs
innate the powerful influence of home upon
a Young life. When Isaac went out to ilve
for himself you will notice that he pitched
his tent by the well Laharoi. | think this
must have been because in his childhood $
days with Hagar, his nurse, and lshmael,
his half-brother he tarried there where
Hagar must have told him the story Oh
! Jehovah, and it is just the natural incllna-
ton of his heart in his manhood days to
go back where he may be reminded OF the
happy scenes of his childhood.
You doubtless know of the boy sent as
n waif from our city who was found in his
new western home tearing the lining out
of his cap, and when asked why he did IT.,
he said at was my mothers dress ana
she loved me-" have preached every
where to men in this country and L have
| always found that there was one name that
couli stir tho heart of the murderer in his
! cell, the gambler in his den of iniquity, the
| outcast on the street, and that name was
"N1other." Nero's mother was murderess,
| and gave to the world the most cruel man
| in history Lord Byron's mother was a
proud. intellectual, worldly minded woman
| and she gave to the world the most intel.
| lectual autocrat of his day. George Wash
ington's mother was good, plain, senSi-
| bic woman and gave to America the
| father of his country.
We need better homes to-day. Our
homes for our children should be as our
parents homes were for us. If We 90
| back to our homes to-day and study our
| children we will find that they have not
a fault or virtue that their parents have
not got Oh, for a revival Of the old GUS
tom of having family altar in home
where the father acts rs priest and the
mother as saint; we could stir the whole
country for Christ.
One of my dearest friends was proiigatc
until he is man grown In great west,
ern city he had determined to take his
| life, threw himself down on his bed to col.
| lect himself before the awful deed. and
| Jared n little book off from a shelf just
| above his bed and it struck him in the face.
With an oath he threw it from him, and
! then it dawned upon him that it was his
mothers Bible given him to read. lie
walked across the room to pick 1t up Just
to show her some mark OF respect, and
read upon the fly leaf written in her own
hand, Dear boy, you can never get away
| from your mothers prayers Instead OF
| being a self.murdcrer he became one OF the
| country's greatest preachers. wish that
we might dig again the well that our faith
crs digged before Us and make our homes
| like heaven.
There are some wells that have been
| filed in in the past by those who are
| worldly wise and this morning L seek to
| open them.
| First would open the well of the way
! of salvation The Scripture declares that
man is a sinner and deserves to die, but
the same Scripture states that Jesus took
our place and died in our stead. a heather
| on account of his sins had walked Tor
miles with pebbles in his shoes that he
might do penancc, sat down to rest be-
meath a tree and heard a missionary
preaching of Jesus. and cried out. That
is what / want; give me jesus On, Ii L
could but omen this well from which our
fathers drank and make you see the Saa'
viour treading the wine press alone, SUI,
feriur for YOU until His heart strings all
but snapped. dying in agony for you upon
the cross, the man OF sorrows and ac,
ouainted with grief. Let us open this old
we'll and drink of its waters. And then l
would open the well of consolation Tor the
afflicted. 'Why do you mourn Tor your
baby?" said woman to her friend. lie
is better off. Suppose he had lived and
become n prohigate and broken your heart
with his sin" Away with all such consol91-
ton, falsely 50 called. Your baby Is with
Him, in His presence, who took httie
babies in His arms and blessed them, Is
singing His praises, who said, Their an,
gels do always behold the face of My
Father which Is in heaven. Your child Is
with the King, rejoice; he cannot come to
YOU, but you may go to HIM. All things
work together for good to them that love
God" Stoop and drink this morning and
go away refreshed.
Then ! would open the well of the
preaching of the gospel. DR.. Talmagc has
said in one of his sermons on this same
text that we have stopped singing, Come
We sinners poor and needy for we have
reached the time when men do not count
themselves sinners | would to God that
we might revive the old custom of preach.
ing as men who preached in other days.
When Livingstone preached the sermon
that led 500 souls to Christ he was de-
scribing the human heart in its unclean-
ness. When Edwards preached the SER
mon that stirred all New England his
theme was, SINNERS in the hands of an
angry God" When Whitfield preached
the sermon, the power OF which is still felt
in our country, his text was, I'VE must be
man to me, chat men are lost without
Christ, and are you not afraid in con-
gregation like yours that they will become
otfended" Preach it, certainly | preach
it. / would be afraid that God would be
offended If | did not preach it. Now hear
me, We men of wealth and women of posi-
ton, without Christ you are lost. 1t is
not an easy statement to make, but the
WORD of the Lord has spoken it. Oh, that
men would stop trihing with Gods word,
twisting its statements so as to draw forth
and oh that men would stop trihing with
God, treating Him as if what He had said
in His word was not true when He de.
clared chat all men are sinners and need
a Saviour"
TutN