Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1903-03-02

that the reason you and / do not come |
10 Christ. Ii we are not already Chris |
tians, is because we are not ready to |
give up our pet sins. We do not stand |
before God in an attitude of doubter.
We stand wrapped around by the pol
luted garment Of sin. And deliberate
sin, what is it?" once cried out Joseph
Parker. ut Is shut hand, clinched
fist, an appraised arm. the muscles to
the full tension, and the object God
Almighty's face" Sin is the cause Of
ninety-nine in every hundred refusals
to come to Christ; not skepticism, not
infidelity, not agnosticism, not doubt.
Ii / as a messenger of God come to
you with the gospel invitation and you
refuse to come, l know that in all
probability, deep down in your heart,
you are concealing some secret sin
which you refuse to give up.
Oh, the destroying power of sin!
Some years ago diver was sent down
to explore the bottom of the sea. While
there he thrust his hand into hole
which seemed to be the retreat Of
some kind of a living creature. In
stantly his arm was seized as by a
wise. The long tentacles of an octopus
wound themselves about his arm. He
dared not give the signal for the friends
overhead to pull him up because he
knew that his arm would be pulled off,
but he had presence of mind enough
to take a sharp steel knife which he
had strapped to his side and with it he
cut off the arms of that octopus, and
when the diver was pulled up attached
to his body were the arms of that oc-
topus, still clinging, one of the tenta-
Giles over eight feet long. The octopus
of secret sin has many man and wo-
man in fatal clutch. We are not will
ing to destroy that sin now. Therefore
we keep saying to the messenger Of the
gospel, Il pray thee have me excused"
The next reason why ''they all with
one consent began to make excuse"
was because they expected at some flu
ture time to accept the gospel invita-
ton. This is a most natural suppose
ton to make in interpreting the text.
They might have stayed away and
| made no excuse, but then the host
would have been offended and would
| never have invited them again. They
wanted to keep his good will SO that
| he might invite them at some future
| time. If those invited guests never
expected to accept an invitation to the
| good mans house, they would have
| said to themselves: what is the good
of my sitting down every little while
and writing to that good man that l
cannot accept his invitations? He is
becoming nothing but a perfect bore.
What l will do hereafter is just to
throw his invitations into the waste
basket. Then, after awhile, he will
cease to write and will stop his impor-
tunities." But, no. That is not the
course these invited guests took. They
practically said to themselves, II will
keep on sending my declination, year
in and year out, and then some day,
when l am old and sick and helpless
and about to die, l will just be carried
down on my sickbed and that good
man will take care of me and forgive
all the Indifference and sin of my past
|
Christ, but you keep saying to the Cos
pei messenger: mot now. Not now
Not now"
Accept the Invitation Now.
MY brother and sister invited to Je
sus Christ, am not going to force yor
to any decision. I am going to leave
the whole matter with yourself. In
stead of asking you to come to the Cos
pei banquet now am going to ask yot
when you will come. Will you come t.
Christ ten years from today? ooh, no,
you answer; 81 would not like to post
pone the gospel invitation as long al
that may never live ten years. Tel
years is a very long time. AS l lool
back over my past life I can see how
many unexpected things have hap
pened during ten years. Many Of m.
best and dearest friends have died dur
ing those ten years. They were jus
as young and strong as l am now.
cannot afford TO wait ten years" Thel
will you come in five years? mo;
will not delay it five years. That i
also too long. have had certain warn
|
There was strange pain in my heart
there was that dizzy sensation in N.
head" Then will you come next yea
or next month to the gospel banquet
NO." you answer; 81 dare not postpon
! this gospel invitation for year or eve
/ for a month. / know that the gospe
: invitation will not press itself upon N
J in a month with the same power as
is now doing. Each day postpone thi
, matter it is harder for me to come.
| Then, my brother and sister, will 20
= accept this gospel invitation now?
The ancients had beautiful custor
at every feast When the guest woul
/ ask of the host gift, he felt compelle
!, to grant his request. If guest woul
( ask for the silver chalice at his plate
!, he could have it, or if he might ask fe
4 one of the richly embroidered robes