Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1904-01-02

ance' embraces anOIncr lar reuChihS
word, "restlntOn." Therefore, IL we
are going to try to undo the many
wrongs OF the past. we must be about
out Fathers business very quickly.
God forgives those who truly repent,
| but the work OF restitution or OF atone
| ment TO our brother man who has sur
| fered In body or soul by our wrongdo-
| ing belongs to us, and we know not
how soon the opportunity Of doing that
work may pass away.
Sometimes ii is not possible for US to
undo the wrongs of the past. Mr.
| Beecher in one of his sermons related
an incident Illustrative Of this impos-
sibility. While he was living In In
dianapolIs young man was enticed
into a gambling den and there drugged
and cheated out Of all his money, some
$1,000 This callow youth begged the
robbers to give him back at least
enough to pay his car fare home. They
not only refused, but kicked him out
| into the street Under their brutal
treatment the young man was driven
to commit suicide. The owner OF that
gambling den afterward repented OF
his share of the crime. But" said Mr..
Beecher, "all his repentance could not
restore his victims life and could not
undo the wrongs of the past" In our
| lives there are thousands of wrongs we
have done to others which we can ney-
er undo. Perhaps by some sinful invi-
tatlon which we gave or by some evil
example which we have paraded in our
past life we have been the means OF
starting some young man, some young
! woman on life Of crime and have
started them on a journey which ended
in a drunkard's or a suicides grave.
All the vain regrets Of a jealousy
maddened Othello could not bring back
to life his murdered bride When the
fiendish work Of the brutal Iago was
once done, it was done forever
Restitution For Past Misdeeds.
But though we may be unable to un-
do all wrongs we have done our neigh
bors we can make restitution for many
of our past misdeeds, and one Of the
chief manifestations of true repentance
Is the expressed desire and willingness
to personally atone, as far as lies with
In our power, for past faults. The
widow of the famous artist John Opie
once said: II never saw my husband
satisfied with any of his productions
Often, very often, have seen him en-
tor my room and throw himself in an
agony of despondency on the sofa and
exclaim, L neye-, never can be paint
er as long as liver" ut was noble
despair. such as Is never felt ~ the
self complacent daubers Of slgnboards,'
commented Charles II. Spurgeon. III
was a noble despair, which bore the
aspirant up to one Of the highest inches
In the artistic annals Of his country.
The truly repentant sinner, too, has O
noble despair in his restless and un'
satisfied desire to make restitution FOL
all the evil he has done. This desire
will goad him on and on as long as he
lives. Therefore, my brother, II you
have a long and evil past, so far as
possible you should lose no time In be-
ginning the long and difficult task OF
trying to undo the wrongs you have
done. One of the self evident proofs
patent to all, that Zaccheus was truly
converted was the blunt statement he
made to the Master when he said, BE
hold, Lord, the half OF my goods | give
TO the poor, and If l have taken any
thing from any man by false accusa'
ton | restore to him fourfold." Then
Jesus said unto him, This day is sal
yation come to this house"
True repentance can never take
place without being accompanied by q
holy longing to make restitution for an
evil past. Then, my brother, you had
better make haste to repent. There
are many evil words you have spoken
which you should try to recall. There
are many bad influences you have ex
erted over your companions. There
are many, very many, sins which you
have committed in your homes the ef
fec.s of which you should try to eradl
cate from the minds and hearts of youl
children. Repent! Repent, Repent
ye Of SIM" Repent, so that you may b'
able, like Zaccheus, to return fourfoC
to those whom you have wronged
Restitution must 60 hand in hand will
repentance.
Reason For Repentance.
There is still another reason for deeI
repentance of sin. The greater oul
self abnegation the more glorious will
appear to us the forgiveness Of God
The more we stand afar of and bea
our breasts and, like the poor publican
say, God be mercful to me, sinner
the more joyous will be the Saviour
words which will welcome us Into oul
Fathers house when he says, "Son
daughter, thy sins are forgiven thee
20 in peace" Then the burden of th'
cross will not be burden. as you ant
may have anticipated. 1t will b.
such a burden as Rutherford. the evan
gelist. described it when he said: 9TH
burden of the cross is the sweete.t bur
den l ever bore. 1t is such burden a.
wings are to a bird or sails are to I
ship, to carry me forward to the har
Boz Of peace"
i Deep repentance for sin natural.
implies a corresponding gratitude to
ward Christ, who has redeemed u
from the evil results Of sin. The great
er the danger the greater the love w
have for our rescuer. was neve
more IMPRESSED with this truth thai