The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-01-03
agnosticism, then into infdeiity. H
died a disappearing, cursing, lost SOUL
Difficulty of undoing Wrong.

NJ
agnosticism. then into infdeiity. He
died a disappearing cursing, lost soul
Difficulty of undoine Wrong. :
Pardon for the past sins. No pardon
/ is promised for the future sins which
we deliberately intend to commit. Mr..
Moody, / think it was, gave this as his
testimony: For many weeks and months
he had been laboring with business
friend to give his heart to God. This
man at last said MOODY, I will do as
you ask, but upon one condition. 1t has
always been my ambition from boy to
be worth 100000 I see that my wealth
is rapidly nearing that mark. When l
have that much in the bank l shall then
! become a Christian and be true, prac-
teal Christian, as well as a processing
one" From that moment the mans
eternal destiny was sealed. His heart
| became hardened. He did reach his
100000 milestone along the pathway of
wealth, but he never reached the foot
of the cross. Pardon for sins of 1903
Yes. But God offers no assurance of
pardon for those sins which we deliber-
ate mean TO commit in 1904
Standing between the open grave of
the dying year and the cradle of the
year about to be born, we should all re-
pent of our sins. Why, again? Because
the far reaching word repentance en-
braces another far reaching word. res
titution" Therefore, If we are going to
try to undo the many wrongs of the
past we must be about our Fathers
business very quickly. God forgives
those who truly repent, but the work. OF
restitution or of atonement to our
brother man who has suffered in body or
soul by our wrongdoing belongs to us,
and we know not how soon the oppor-
tunity of doing that work may pass
away.
Sometimes it 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 impossible
ity. While he was living in indianapolis
a young man was enticed into a gam
bling den and there drugged and cheat
ed out of all his money, some $3.50.
This eallow youth begged the robbers
to give him back at least enough to pay
his care fare home. They not only re-
fused, but kicked him out into the
street. Under their brutal treatment the
young man was driven to commit sui
eide. 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 never undo.
Perhaps by some sinful invitation 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
journey which ended in a drunkard's
or a suicides grave. All the vain re-
grets of a jealousy maddened Othello
could not bring back to life the MUIR
dered bride When the fiendish work of
the brutal Iago was once done, 1t was
done forever.
Restitution for Past Misdeeds.
But though we may be unable to undo
all wrongs we have done our neighbors
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 per-
sonally atone, as far as lies within 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 l seen him enter my room
and throw himself in agony of de-
spondency on the sofa and excaim, I
never, never can be a painter as long
as / liver" 1T was a noble despair,
such as is never felt by the selfcompla-
cent daubers of signboards,' commented
Charles Fl. Spurgeon. ut was a noble
despair, which bore the aspirant up to
one of the highest inches in the artistic
annals of his country" The truly re-
pentant sinner, too, has a noble despair
in his restless and unsatisfied desire to
make restitution for all the evil he has
done. This desire will goad him on and
on as long as he lives. Therefore, my
brother, if you have a long and evil
past, so far as possible you should lose
no time in beginning the long and diff
ficult 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 state
ment he made to the Master when he
said, Behold, Lord, the half of my
goods ] give to the poor, and If / have
taken anything from any man by false
accusation l restore to him fourfold"
Then Jesus said unto him. This day is
salvation, come to this house"
True repentance can never take place
without being accompanied by a holy