Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1903-03-11

lows him all his days. How il
blasts his character and his life. All.
how keenly his family and his friends
feel the disgrace. The soul in the
prison house of sin is in disgrace. He
is afraid TO meet God. He sinks off
into the dark places. Christ de-
clared: Men love darkness, rather
than light, because their deeds are
evil" And the soul in prison, while
it is clinging willfully to sin, never
wants to meet God. 1t is in dis
grace, and it knows it.
Being in prison means hardship.
The way of The transgressor is
hard" oh. what hardships sin in
fiicts. 1t throws man out of a
job. IT puts rags on his back. 1t
robs him OF home and family and
friends. 1t wrecks happiness. IT de-
stroys his peace OF mind. All, the
hardest, toughest, deadliest road 20
travel is the broad, smooth road Of
sin. which i easy and pleasant until
the soul gets fairly on the toboggan
slide to hell, and then it is the most
dangerous road, the one most filed
with hardships.
Being in prison means limitation.
The world of the prisoner is bound
ed by the fout blank stone walls He
seldom If ever gets even a glimpse
of the blue of heaven. What Il con-
tracted sphere he moves in. The
limitation of the soul i'm the prison
house OF sin i as great. or even
greater. The unSaved soul is limited
in time. in attainments. wealth and in
friendships. IT is limited in time be-
cause the few years of this life are
soon pas ed-they are as but a
breath. a fading flower, the whitening
ass-and it has no hope to carry it
beyond the grave. II sacrifices an
eternity with God. for a few paltry
years OF selfish pleasure and self
seeking. 1t is limited in attain
mcnts. because all heights of learn
ing, OF culture and refinement. must
be scaled during this life, and then
all is laid away in the grave Of an
eternal death. The soul saved by
Christ Jesus grows in attainments to
the point where death and the grave
are swallowed up in victory, and then
it goes on growing and attaining
throughout eternity. II is limited in
wealth. because it may heap the shin
4
it cannot carry one grain of il TO the
other side of the grave; but he who
laws ND treasure in Heaven finds his
wealth after death. and has an eter-
nifty in which TO enjoy all the riches
in Christ Jesus. And il Is limited in
friendships. because it may only win
them during the years Of time, and
here friends fail, friends desert us,
but the saved man finds his heart
being knit together with those Of
like faith with himself and he looks
forward to the unlimited friends hips
of Heaven, of meeting friends and
loved ones gone before, of meeting
Old and New Testament heroes. Oh,
he soul in prison is in n terrible po-
sition! Oh, that YOU would awaken
to the awfulness of your position. O
unsaved soul. and let Jesus set YOU
freci
Three questions spring to the lips
on meeting the Man in Prison. How
came lie in prison? How may he
gain his freedom? What will he
do when he gets out? We need not
dwell on the first question. We all
know how the soul gets into the
prison house of sin. Sin FORCES the
chain, sin builds the wall sin locks
and bolts the door.
How May He Gain His Freedom?--
Not by anything he himself can do.
Sins prison house never vet was
broken out Of by the efforts of tie
one impris oned within Jails which
man builds are not always able to
hold their prisoners. but the prison
which sin rcars is as impregnable 10
human efforts to break and destroy
as is the rock Gibraltar to the at
tacks Of the most powerful fleets Of
the world. Jesus only is able to de-
liver from this prison, but IF lie
shall make YOU free. We shall he free
indeed" The Man i'm Prison at Phil
ippi. a. he realized his prcdicament.
cried: what must do to be saved? p"
And Paul gave him the whole Go~pel
in nutshell. when hc said: Relieve
ON the Lord Jesus Christ. ard thou
shall bc saved IT YOU ever want to
feel the prison walls of your soul go
tumbliug 10 the ground. YOU must
turn your eyes in the direction Of the
only One who can deliver; Won must
let the only hegotten Son Of God .ct
YOU free, then shall You nc free, IT.
deed
What viii He Do When He Gets Out?
That is AN important question. study
the idilrr after he cmergc- from his
prison house. oh. what changed
man. The hard heart which knew no
feeling before and could thrust
bleeding and dcfcuScless men into tie
inner prison. now feel, the throb Il
l Al
viour'- wounded hands which have
Just set him free. and he takes Paul
and Silas from their prison. lie
tcndcrlv washes the blood from the
cruel cuts ON their backs. and puirS
i'm the healing oil He sets meat be-
fore the men who had been shut