Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-10-25

which he has labored all worldly Joys
nre inslpll In comparison. You may
think that those backsllding Christians
who never 20 to church now are happy
ut their card parties and in their Sab
bath dissertations and in their dance
Ialls, but they are not. AS III your old
age you look back with longing eyes to
The sweet memories Of your childhood
hours, SO they are looking back with
longing eyes TO the happy days when
they used to labor in Chrlst's vineyard.
Because the old farm where you were
born Is now neglected, its outhouses
tumbled in, Its fields covered with
weeds and its fences down, that does
not prove that the soil is not rich for
the harrow and the plow and the seed
and the harvest and the scythe. The
hearts Of these Christians have simply
been allowed to lie fallow. o man, go
10 them. Scatter there the gospel seed.
You can surely bring those delinquent
souls back to church work, IL you will
only 20 after them. Have you forgot.
ten the words Of my text? Cast your
bread upon the waters, for thou shalt
find 1t after many days.
But. lastly, think Of one Of the hard
est of all fields in which TO sow the gos-
pei seed. That is the stony heart of
the man who has stilled the pleadlngs
Of his conscience by accepting re-
ligon or a creed which will allow him
TO give free rein to his evil desires and
hot feel that he is doing wrong. And
these liberal religions or false creeds
nre everywhere. There are 80 many
that at least one Of them will satisfy
almost any condition Of sinful life and
crafty every evil desire. Some of them
will allow you to yield to all your de-
s!res and appetltes. Some will let you
live the most selfish Of lives. There is
no need Of my going into details.
mean the creed which will allow a man
to turn his back upon wife and chill
dren and start social community
where he can defy the domestic laws
and where the laws Of purity are so
liberal, 80 utterly lax, that they will
allow men to do almost anything they
will. Now, how are we to fight against
stfle the pleadlngs of conscience by
false creeds? Simply by gospel seed
planting I know the stony hearts Of
these transgressors are unpromising for
a rich harvest, but remember Gods
seeds can bring forth their hundredfold
harvest even in places where You may
think gospel sheaf can never be
gathered.
But I cannot close without asking
this one pertinent question: Is it not q
fact, after all, my brother. that the rea-
son you have not been gospel sower
In the unpromising fields Of life Is be
cause you do not hold the good seed in
your own hand? What Is the good Of a
field and sower if that sower has no
seed to scatter? Friend, why art thy
hands empty? Is it because thou hast
not vet been consecrated to the service
of Jesus Christ? Wilt thou become
one Of Gods sewers today and equip
myself for the work of his holy spirit
Wilt thou dig thy empty hands down
into the bin Of Gods promises and
bring them up full, and then plant the
0rst in your own stony heart, and then
scatter them over the fields Of the
no!ghbors' hearts? May God help NE
rs l now take n handful Of his ever
lasting promises. May lift these prom
i5es rs gospel seeds and 60 up ant
down among my people and say
Friend, this seed is for thee. Thi:
toed is for thee" Wilt thou receive
these gospel seeds and plant them il
thine own heart and here aud now fl
thyself as n gospel sower for Christ
wilt thou, friend? Art thou ready nov
10 be his sower? Cast thy bread upor
the waters, for thou shalt find it afte,
many days"
Copyright, 1866. by Louis Klopsch.l