Milford chronicle., 1906-10-12

tbem clothed in purple and fine linenT'
Nav. that is not Christ's command. He
saws .sIf YOU would seek my messen-
gers. you shall find then clothed IN
rags and with the pinched cheeks OF
want and wandering around from
street to street as did John Howard
PAYNE, piteously looking at the firesiue
of happy homes and yet with no homes
Of their own" Have you not read the
parable: "When saw we thee an-hun-
gered and fed thee or thirsty and gave
tbee drink? When saw we thee
stranger and took thee in or naked and
clothed thee?" And the King shall
answer and say unto you. "lnasmuch
as We have done it unto one OF the
least of these. my brethren, We have
done it unto me-" Does not CHRIST
mean by these words that when you
look after the poor you are looking
after his messengers and caring for
him?
Then he described how one night a
LOT of thieves clothed as soldiers came
70 his fathers house and literally took
everything away. They drove his
mother out in the winters cold and
She died as a result of the exposure
They put rope about his father
neck and dragged him about ana
threatened to lynch him. With the
bntt end of a gun they mashed one OF
,,;e foot so that he was q cripple for
life. Then they drove away every
horse and COW and pig and chicken
and burned up all the grain ana tne
fences and the outhouses and left only
the bare fields. what did you DO!
asked. ~Well." he said, i was only
q bov Of fourteen. But my brother
ana myself Joined the bushwhaekers-
We each took gun and vowed that
we would kill every northern man we
met" "What then happenedF l ask
ed Then the old man looked at me
and answered: "The most important
mart of nv life. In st. Charles county
there lived an old minister by the name
of Rev. Mr.. Blackwell. He was
northern man and a Republican, lie
heard what we two boys had done ana
he knew that if we continued as bush
whackers we would end up in a life OF
crime as did the james boys, who
started out as criminals because thef
father and mother were treated as my
parents had been treated. l used TO
know Jesse James parents well. Ana
I know that what 1 say is true. SO al
The risk of his own life Rev. Mr.. Black
we'll a Republican and northerner,
went into the mountains and hunted
M our camp and said: Boys, | have
come to save you. Come back and live
with me. Because thieves and scoun-
drels have robbed your parents and
killed your mother do not become Grim
inals yourselves and die at the end OF
a hangman's noose' And, sir, as the
result Of his plea we went back to
Blackwelrs home and went back Il
honesty and truth and right"
Saved His Life.
"What became Of Mr.. Blackwell?'
asked "He lived to be very old
man." was the answer. "a few years
ago l went back to Missouri and hunt
ed him up and begged him to come ano
live with me, but he was too old tc
come" Then a faraway look came into
the old AIissourian's eyes as he said
ooh. 1 can never forget that man. By
his willingness to lay down his life fol
me he saved my life and my brothers.
Friends. are you men like thisf WoulC
YOU risk your lives to save another IRON
sin and death? When men and womel
are being prosecuted and outrageousll
treated and are trembling upon thu
brink Of sin, are you ready to reach ou
your hand and say: Brother, sister
come to me. Come into my home
Come and sit by my fireside. What
have is thine" II you will, you shal
not only receive angelic visitors, wh'
will bring a mighty blessing to you
home, but you will save men and wo
men and boys and girls for Christ
Your arm, your voice, your self saeri
fee. may mean the temporal and IN
eternal salvation Of immortal souls ]
in Christs name you go to their aid
They are Gods angels whom you ma.
entertain, as Abraham thought be wa
greeting the three travel stained, home
less and perhaps prosecuted and exile
strangers.
But stepping out into the broader IN
terpretation OF my text, we assert tina
angelic messengers can approach ou
homes with the scowIing visage Of hat
and with the clinched nst OF anger, q
well as In the nutering rags Of til
pauper and the distorted. terror 'strich
en- cOuntenances OF the prosecuted
"Oh, no." you answer: "that cannc
be. An angel Is not a demon. An ange
is one who would lead us to the highe
life. How can the sullen brow Of a
enemy do this? Well, my friend, Il
us turn again to the Bible. Study ther
the most powerful and the most fani
lar sermon ever deliyeFed-namelT, N
sermon on the mount, spoken
short distance from Lake Galile'
What did Christ say7 Did he IL
down the great doctrine that we shoul
be kind to others just in proportion
others are kind to us9 Die he sal
ssAFen he inst tn friend and foe. Neve