The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1902-1905, 1904-03-18

the joy of becoming like Jesus
Christ.
1t is Gods purpose that all his
children shall be joyGul-full of joy.
"These things have | spoken unto
you that my joy may be in you, ard
that your Joy may be full" How
different the feeling of Christi, IS
soul A visitor who was calling on
the great General Bismarck express
ed the hope that he might live many
days, and this was Bismarck's reply,
HThero is only one happy day left
for me. 1t is the one on which |
shall not wake up again"
aged friend, how is it that an
old man can be so merry and cheer
ful?'' asked one man of another.
because | belong to the Lord"
Are no others happy at your time
of life?"
mo, not one" Then straighten-
ing up, and with a glow of hope upon
his countenance, he said, Listen,
please, to the truth from one who
knows; then tell it everywhere, and
no man of threescore and ten can be
found to gainsay 1.-THE devil has no
happy old men,"
3. Not to be n christian costs the
sacrifice of success in life. Every
one wishes to make the most of him
self, but that is impossible unless he
yields his life to Christ. God has
plan for every mans life, and this
plan alone ensures his highest sue
cess. Does not God know what is
for the creatures good better than
4, hinNpnlrO 10 al
one to think that he can live In Gods
world and achieve success, and yet
disobey the laws of God. Remeln-
Der that money and popularity and
power do not constitute success.
One may have all these and yet be n
consummate failure. The object of
life is to know Gods will and do it,
and the Christless soul misses that
completely.
4. Not to be a christian costs the
loss of ones soul. Man was made to
know God, to enjoy Him, to become
like Him. This capacity however,
weakens by disuse and may be utter
ly lost. Charles ID; irwin sa d in early
life, II believe God will reveal him
self to every individual soul, but one
can easily lose all belief in the spirit
ual, by giving up the thought and
care for spiritual things" Near the
end of his life he said, "In my young
err days | was deeply religious, but |
made my mind a kind of machine for
grinding out general laws in the ma
terial world, and nv spiritual nature
atrol HE'D" His |; st days were cloud
ed with sadness and spiritual gloom.
l. Lot I,at tt, IN RI n
rather than what he ought to do. "All
we like sheep have gone astray; we
have turned every one to his own
way" This habit of having his own
way grows upon the sinner until even
God is unable to change it, Neither
entreaties, nor warnings, nor threats
can subdue his stubborn will. Indif-
ference to God is followed bv disobe-
dience, defiance, and sometimes the
soul even curses God to His face.
Not only does the capacity to know
God and enjoy Him, weaken by dis
use, but sin eats out every trace of
the divine image until there is moth
ing left bat "the mark of the beast"
nothing but the spirit of satan, to
whom the sinner has yielded his life,
instead of unto God. When all trace
of the divine image is gone, there is
nothing left for God to love, and all
He can do is to cast it out.
Some time ago jeweler in New
York had very hard diamond to
polish. Usually the stones are plac-
ed OIL a wheel under pressure of
two or three pounds. This stone was
put under pressure of forty pounds.
M y N, b,,,I WAC unaa5o1 nm tn tyyontv
eight thousand revolutions minute,
and the stone was kept on the wheel
for a hundred days. At the end OF
that time no impression had been
made upon the stone, and all that
had been accomplished was to throw
the lapidary into nervous prostration.
The revolutions of that wheel were
equal to three circumference of the
globe. The jeweler gave up the job
in despair, and sent it to the histori-
cal society as specimen of diamond
too hard to be polished. Even so
God keeps this world spinning round
on its axis not only hundred days,
but seventy long years, in vain at
tempt to conform some souls to his
image, and finally, sick at heart, is
compelled to cast them away saying,
"Ephraim is joined to his idols: let
him alone"
5. Not to be a christian costs the
loss of heaven. The penalty of hav-
ing ones ownway here, is to be con-
signed hereafter to q place where
everyone has his own way, which is
He'll. That is what makes it hell.
Heaven is place where no one has
his own way, but all delight to do
Gods will. That is what makes it
Heaven, The Christless soul has no
hope of Heaven, and even if he had,
he could not enjoy it. Heaven
would be He'll to one who is not
heavenly minded, to one who does
not love Jesus, and who does love
sin.
The Christless soul must prepare
to part forever from all his dear
ones who have chosen Christ; his
mother who taught him to pray, his
faithful wife, his children whose
little hands perhaps have long been
reckoning, TO WOO him home to
heaven When Dwight L. Moody
died he looked up and said, ais this
death? If so, it is glorious. Earth
is receding, heaven is opening, God
is calling me-" Instead of this well
come, the Christless soul will hear
the sad words, depart from me. .
Yes, it does cost something to be
christian. 1t may cost you the
sacrifice of some pleasure, some com
panions, some money, but not to be
a christian will cost you the loss of
peace, joy, and real success. 1t
will cost you the loss of your soul.
1t will cost you Heaven. Are you
prepared to pay the price?
"What shall it profit a man if he
gain the whole world and lose his
own soul?"
The attendance at these meetings