Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1906-08-18

IL
sleep TO 90 forth to do Tie chores and
TO care for the cattle
"NDw. what has the u"ht aud morn
Ing cloud - do with our yupury re-
peutanc"?" sOlue one asks Why. 10
you not sccf Tie darkness OF tie night
represents terror or the punishment OF
sin. The morning cloud represents the
short lived repentance which comes TO
some OF us Just after We have been
punished. our morning cloud repent
ances are 4 great deal Ike that Of
King PharOah and his courtlcrs when
the plaques of Egypt came upon them.
God said unto lharoah Let uY PEG
pie 20" Pharoah would not Then the
river Nile was turned into river Of
blood and every challcc the king lifted
10 his lips seemed To be- lllcd To the
briiu with the refuse OF the public
slnughterhOuse. Iheu the frogs came
leapng up the palace stairs and crowd
ed into every nook and corner. and. as
cobblcStoncs, they covered every street
and they filled every hallway aud bed
room. Then came the plague u ulur-
rain. which killed the cattle Then
came the falling hail and huZziuy To-
Gusts. Then came the plngue Of dark
ness 50 dark was ii that all men had
To feel their way around like blind men.
Then came the death of the HrStborn
in every house No sooner did these
plaques come than Pharaoh would
cry out Enough. enough. enough, o
God OF Israel ! have suffered enough!
| will ict thy people go But ~ loon
as the night of suffering and VI pun
lshncnt ended the beautiful morning
clouds Of his repentance only fingered
4 little while and then they We're gone
and gone forever. DO you not see the
beautiful sim!lc OF the repentances OF
our lives which come only because We
are being punished for our past sins?
But there is another fact about these
morning clouds you ought to cousid
cr They live very near to tlic earth.
rhey are the lowest clouds We have
IN the heavens II might use yul-
gar illustration. they smell OF the com
mon soil You know When you were
housckccper in the east every spring
time you would carefully put away
your winter garments. that Tie moths
could not get AT them. II they were
turs, you were especially careful and
wrapped them around and around.
| Then inside OF these bundles you put
lot of camph0r Then. IN iAc fall
| the oIor from that camphor IN those
garments was slcAening When you
unrollcd the bundles you al once shook
the garments out and hung them up
to air upon linz" Having beeu wrap
ped up for months In cauphoT the gar
ments smcletl ~ tho camphor Thus
arc these morning clouds ~ repent
ance. They live so near to the earth
that they never learn what repentance
In Christ truly means Let me ca
plain more Ia detail.
Not Enough.
Here Tor Instance. r. q MAN who Las
been drumkard for fifteen years His
wife NJ last makes VI her mind that
for her own sake and for the sake ~
her children She viii not stand the
misery amy longer, With that the hus
band begins 10 plead aud beg Tie
says Il repent. viii sign the pledge.
| promise promise promise.
Well, man. what do YOU PROMISE: on
| promis. | will not get drunk ANY
more" IL that all you promise: Why
yes What more DO you want me 10
promiset" or here Is woman who
enters d rescue home. She says Il
IA
promise? why | promise that | will
cease TO hc social outcaSt" Is that
all YOU promise: Yes, that Is all
What more do YOU want NC 10 prom
sei Is not that my hcsettinR sin|'
Nay. my friend may. that Is not your
besctting sin. That Is mere result
OF your bcSetting sin. Your boscttiug
sin Ia that you do not throw yourself
upon the mercy Of Jesus Christ and
have him cleanse YOU wholly. ana then
he will give you strength TO resist all
sin. The gospel Of Jesus Christ Is not
mere matter of negation II does not
consist OF n long succession OF "dou'ts"
don't DO this and don't do that and
don't 10 the other things. But II does
consist in one positive asscrtlNe uct,
and then all the other attributes OF
Christian life shall be yours. Seek
We first the Kingdom of God and His
righteousness, and all things will De
added unto you" The great trouble
with our morning cloud" repcntances
is that they live too near the soil and
they smell OF the earth earthly
Are you ready to here and now seek
first the kingdom OF God and bis right
eousness and have all things added
unto YOU; John Cough, the temperance
orator. used 70 tell this pathetic story
In Edinburgh many years ago there
was n clubhouse rented for the pur
pose OF carin" for reformed drunkards
One night there staggered into that
house man who was appalliugly
drunk do you know what place this
is r. the superintendent said This is
not a saloon This il a teetotalers
club" II know IT," said the man
and am teetotalcr." You tee
totalcr? Why. You are heastly drunk