Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1904-03-05

Err, SNOW HILL, MD.
collection &c small evils may accom-
plish. In the Teester valley OF the
Himalayas he found a small leech. no
thicker than IL knitting needle. But.
though very small. this little leech was
a pest. As an enemy of man and
beast it was reaching forth for its ami
mai victims from every twig and leaf
and blade OF grass. No sooner would
ii touch your flesh than il drove in its
little lance and began sucking ont the
lifeblood. That little leech. though
small. had literally dcpopulatcd that
valley of every beast and bird and rep
tile The huge elcphantine monsters
and the striped AMI furred tigers. as
we'll as the small rabbits and the grace
full fawns. had fled before its attacks
So in church work. the little frictions.
the little bitterneSSes the little fault
findings" like the fatal lcechcs of the
Teestcr valley. can destroy the spiri
tual life of any church. Christian
friends. as with Christ when he took
his Samaritan journey. pray hard. sac
rificc. plead. apologize. overlook fan
cied insult. do anything and everything
in your church family that is honora
BILE rather than have one pew IN
christianity find fault with another
pew. A forgiving layman bowling ut
the mercy seat is just as essential for
church harmony as a forgivins minis
ter breaking the bread and pouring out
the wine at the table of the holy com
munion.
The Shortest Way Best.
Lastly think Christ took this
Samaritan journey to prove that the
shortest way in life's work is generally
the best way. This is not absolutely
an invariable rule, but il holds good
in nearly every case. The country
of Samaria lay directly between Jeru-
salem and Galilce. IL was as much
between these two regions as the
states of Indiana and Ohio lie in the
direct line between New York and
Chicago. But because the Jew hated
the Samaritan he would not go through
the Samaritan land. Therefore he
made big detour In one sense he
made as big a detour as the traveller
coming from New York TO Chicago
would make If he went by the way of
Louisville. Ky. instead of by the way
Of Buffalo or Pittsburg. Christ in
journeying to Galilee simply took the
straight path. He went as bird
would fly overland. He went to Gal
lice through Samaria.
The straight path is nearly always
the right path. When that young
for position. If you have not any
vacant place for him tell him So Do
not say TO yourself. Now | do not
want to hurt that young mans feel
ings. therefore | will tell him to come
back next week or next MONTH" BY
such an answer you are doing an injus-
tice to the young man. and you are
doing an injustice To yourself. The
shortest way out of difficulty is gen
orally the right way. Even for sur
geon il is never n pleasant act to drive
knife into the quivering flesh to cut
out the virulcnt cancer. Neither is IL
always pleasant task 10 tell a person
OF his faults. But when that young
girl who is doing wrong comes 10 you
for advice tell her the truth Warn
her as you would like some one TO warn
your morally endangered child. The
direct way ont of n difficulty is gen
orally the right way. So. my brother,
when You yourself have done wrong
wrong TO your fellow men and wrong
to God-be Christian man and
straighten out the wrong and make
restitution for your moral Deficiencies
Confess your sins To God. The short
est way out Of difficulty is generally
the right way-the Christian way.
Therefore. o man. o woman. will you
not today at the Samaritan well seek
Christ and ask his pardon for your
sins: Will you not do as did the so
cial Outcast who at the Samaritan well
found there her Saviour many CEN
turtles ago:
A ChristIy Refuge.
The word .'Samaria' as II chriStly
refuge in all probability will always
mean more TO me than Ia any one else
gathered today within these walls. On
the afternoon of Oct. Pc. 1894. with a
brother minister. g. r. Trout by name.
l was resting among the Palestine