Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1903-04-20

SuTleks Oh TIE uOOuleU anu Ine lost
There is no permanent happiness In
sin. Mark that. my brother - no real
happiness in sin,
Tell me, o drunkard. that you are
happy! No, no. ANY one who has
heard John B. Cough describe the mis-
cries of his past life knows that no
drunknrd is happy. Tell me that the
libertine is happy when by his crimes
he lost the respect of all good men and
women? Tell me that the gambler Is
happy? No, no! When he sat at the
gaming table, be not only lost his hon.
or, but his hoe, his business, his all.
He cannot even buy pair of shoes for
his feet or a coat for his back. Thorn
as Guthrie once described the cup of
sin as beautiful chalice filled with
wine, but at the bottom of the cup lay
coiled a serpent. And SO after we have
slipped for little while the cup of
pleasure, then the evil serpent will APP
pear and sting US and bite us as we put
the chalice to our lips. Let no man
consent to be a mocking fool by sup
posing that an evil life. ever brings hap
piness this side of the grave.
But how much more awful must be
the evil results of sin on the other side
Of the grave! Can a tiger change his
striped fur? Can wolf have his hair
bleached into the white wool Of a
lamb? Can a man born in sin, reared
in sin and living In sin and dying in
sin be emancipated from sin merely be-
cause his body sleeps for a little while
in The tomb? Oh, no! The soul that
sinneth is the soul that must suffer the
results Of its sins unless Christ forgives
those sins and washes them clean in
the blood Of the Lamb. And whenever
there is sin, whether in this world or
the next, there is agony. l do not care
whether you call the place of eternal
punishment lake of fire and brim-
stone," great. heaving, molten sea of
burning la~a, dungeon or the haunt
ing caverns of memory. The sinner
dying unrepentant must suffer and suf-
fer and suffer forever. The Bible de-
clares 1t. We must believe it.
Suicidal Folly of the Sinner.
The suicidal folly of the sinner who
y
his sins was wildly and impressively
| compared by Mr.. Sturgeon to a black
| smith, who at the command of an orr
| entail tyrant forged for him a long
chain. The blacksmith at his forge
worked week in and week out, month
in and month out; then he brought the
! chain to the fiend and said. Here is
i fbo hot irG
Make the chain longer" said the ty-
| rant; Longer, make 1t longer" When
| at last the blacksmith answered, Il
| cannot make the chain any longer, for
have used up all my material" the
tyrant said to his slaves. ''Take it and
| bind the blacksmith with his own chain
and cast him into a furnace of fire"
sin and by mans own acts will not
only destroy a mans life for this world,
but also for the next.
| MY brothers and sisters, who have
heretofore been hooking at sin as
have been painting for you a picture,
with the dark background of warning,
will you not let me paint in the bright
foreground sweet, divine love? Will
you not let me describe foc you the
Christ who is ready to stand between
you and all future temptation, the
Christ who will not only forgive the
past, but by his power will keep you
in the future? Who is he? The I'm
changing Rock, the Lily of the Valley
the Bright and Morning Star, the One
who is altogether lovely. the One who
is now standing by your side. Will yoJ
receive him? VIII you not let Christ
come into your heart?
Ye Knockers at sin, | would plead
with you also. Come to the fountain
of which if one drink he shall neve
thirst again. l would plead as have
never pleaded before. Why? Becaus
know that under your sneers ant
laughter you have a breaking heart.
know that you are at heart weary o
your sin and dread its punishment
Come, then, and let Christ save you
Do not be kept back by the though
that you are too bad to be saved. Io1
are invited and Christ assures you tina
none that come to him shall be cas-
out l tell you this invitation is for al
Yes, it is for all. It is for you just a
it was for that poor drunken loafe
who crawled up to the altar in Pitts
burg many years ago. What is th
good of trying to save him?' some me
said to Francis Murphy. NO good,
answered Murphy, "for me to try t
save him. but it is good to let God try.
And God did save. He put his divine
: loving. forgiving arm about Capital
Barbour and the mocker at sin becam
a redeemed child in the Kings palace
: Oh, my sinful. sorrowing friends, wi
: you cease to follow sin? Will you her
: and now surrender your life, you
broken life. into the hands of the d
T vine Master? Then, at that glad m'
ment. all the celestial chimes will rim
out the tidings that an immortal
E born again!