Putnam patriot., 1908-04-17


 and lhat ee.iege fraternity werv oper @ soa The classes wsYe pretty clear ly defiussi One fraferaify was eofa posed ef aFiasiag diSSosgfe yonnx men Another MS composed of steady. sta. dtnns. moral students With whseh would snn assovlate yearsesfs While yoa were heSitatinE some old sehaa frisnd came fo you and warne,! von against the fast set and nerSmate,f you te laite with the gsisx men As yos, look tsick upon yeUr past fife. tefere God xaH ean say faat aaxt fo y,1ar mothcr's prayers that advice of yoaf old school friend was the most impoF- tant talk of your fife Yonr whole spiritual future was affected hy the de cision you made on that night when under his iunuenee sen decided the fraternity fellowship question.
 Or perhaps your moral and spiritual escape WAS Ike that of the man whe some Xears agn WIS addressing great religious meeting ia the city of Boston, ~lt was 8 dark night" said the speaker. when three young men were passing down The street of an eastern eitE. Their steps euiekened as they came near 10 a house of evil re. sort When the doorbeil xaS rnng one of these young men hesitsfed He turned and saul; Boys. I am not going in. sm going back Scared. are your said hts two companions Yes. answered the roang man. I am scared The two companions tried to persuade the falterinc one to go in- He almost yielded He went even fn the thresl. old: then he turned and broke away and ran back to his boarding house and threw himself on his knees and thanked God for saving him from fall ing Then the speaker addressing his audience. saiti: Friends. TWO of these Young men entered the honse of evil resort tlat night. ThaSe feo young mems bodies now lie in dishOnoref drunkards' graves. The third young man. who almost entered that evil house and turned ana ran away that night. gave his heart to God and en. tered the gospel ministry and is now addressing you." Oh. V men and we. men. have yaur moral and spiritual escapes been so narrow as that? Thank Goi today that. like the passengers on the Alexandrian corn ship. you have escaped Agnin and again you have morally and spiritually escaped safe tn land
 The lnaratitude of the Sailors
 But there are two other facts to which I wish 10 call your attention in reference to these soldiers and sailors escaping from the wreckaf Alexau,irian corn ship. The first was the behavior of the soldiers and sailors toward Paul when the ship was in it's greatest dani ger. Cannot you see the faces of the men and the women brighten and smile as Paul utters his words of cheer and encouragement? But did the men N he listened to Paul so thankfully in times of danger befriend him when safety was in sight! Nay. Both the sailors and the soldiers were equally ungrate- full No soouer did the ship come to anchor than the sailors said to each other. come men. let's save ourselves
  selves" Then they started for the lifeboat to pile into it and shove of. and only through PauFs warning to the soldiers were they prevented de serting the ship. But we're the soldiers any hettef: Nay. When their safety was ia sight they drew their swords and said. Come, let Us kill Paul. for if We get te shore he may escape, and fhen We H!Ii have to answer to Caesar with our lives for bis escape" Rut the centurion wanted ta sase Paul and Kept them from their purpose. Thus oi the men whom be had hefriendetl in the storm. cheering and encouraging them iD the hours of darkness, one set proposed to kill him and the others tried to desert him when refuge was in view.
 Let ns not sit lD judgment on them Rather let Hs ask ourselves how We have acted toward God. who has pre- served our lives from danger and has kept ns in the paths of righteousness Have We been eager to show gratitude to him? Have We been active in his service2 ,iage We sought for the poor and inflicted to help those less happy than ourselves. thGt in ministering to them wr may please him to whom we owe SO much anl who said "lnasmueh as ye did il unto them ye did it unto me-
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