Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1908-02-20

yOu WIN IL silR vi btCeis lHIS lHdu,
then nearly sixty years of age, had
been dissipated In his youth. He had
once been a drunkard. But for forty
years Of his life he had lived a pure,
true. consistent Christian life. But
n day, under a hot summer sun, he
became dizzy with a sunstroke. He
stepped into a nearby drugstore for
help. The druggist not knowing his
old weakness, gave him a glass Of
liquor. That one glass revived the old
passion. He started forth from that
drug store to the nearest saloon. He
drank until he was drunk. He drank
himself into the gutter. And in six
months he drank himself into the
grave. Beware, 0 man, Of that old
sin!
When I was a boy I heard John p.
Cough talking along the same line.
There he stood before me, an old gray
haired man. I suppose he had per-
suaded more people to sign the tenn
perance pledge than any man who has
ever lived. He was not only a leader
Of men, but the leader of leaders in the
temperance reform. And yet that
man, who for forty years had been
pleading the temperance cause, said:
"Man. If you have once been n drunk
ard never dare trust yourself with
this sin. 1t has been nearly half a
century since the old passion, by the
grace Of God, lost its hold on me. But
the old passion is still there. 1t is
manacled and kenneled, but it IL there.
l would no more touch a glass Of liquor
than I would dare. take n dagger and
drive 1t in my heart. | would no more
dare touch a piece Of branded mince
pie than I would dare touch n lighted
match to n %gunpowder magazine. 1t is
there. The old slumbering passion is
there. ready to be awakened at n
word" And yet some people suppose
that because they have been resisting
sin ten, twenty. forty, fifty years the
old forces Of sin are dead. Beware. o
man. The relapse Of sin Ia always
more dangerous than, the first condi-
ton. The passion Is still there. 1t Is
there in your sinful hart.
Whom We Are Not Afraid.
1t is when we are not afraid Of sin
that the dangers Of sin become four
fold. Travellers tell us that the wolves
Of Mexico have a strange way OF
catching the wild horses. These horses
have the speed Of the wind. 1t is al
most impossible for a single cowboy to
catch one. The cowboys when they
wish to run them down have relays OF
pursuers. First one set Of cowboys
will chase the horses; then another re-
lay will take up the run: then another
and another, until Mt last the horses are
caught by the lasso. Blu IL Is only
when they are completely tired that
they are caught; therefore 1t would be
impossible for the wolves to catch
them unless they used strategy. for the
wolves fight is not as swift as the
horses.
This is the way the wolves kill the
wild horses Of the Mexican plains:
First a couple Of wolves come out Of
the woods and begin to play together
like two kittens. They gamhol about
each other and run backward and for
ward. Then the herd Of horses lift
their startled heads and get ready to
stampede. But the wolves seem to be
SO playful that the horses, after watch
irg them awhile, forget their fears and
continue to Craze. Then the wolves in
their playing come nearer and nearer,
while other wolves slowly and stealthily
creep after them. Then suddenly the
enemies surround the herd and make
one plunge. and the horses are strug-
CLING with the fanss Of the relentless
foes gripped in their throats. In a
similar way our old sins cunningly at
tack us. They play about us and keep
playing around us, and they look SO
harmless. and we feel so strong. But
suddenly they make a plunge. and the
old wounds are reopened. and we are
helpless in the grasp Of the monsters
of sin. Beware Of that relapse into
sin. Behold. thou art made whole.
Sin no more lest a worse thing come
unto thee"
A Thrilling Incident.
But, though Christ is speaking the
same thought as Paul spoke In Corin.
thians when he said, "Wherefore let
him that thinkcth he standeth take
heed lest he fall" thank God. Christ
does not stop there. lie warns the
maj at the pool Of Bethesda, out he
also teaches the doctrine that be is the
Christ Of the backslider. When Christ
starts forth to save an immortal soul.
lie is no respccter Of persons. He can
save the backs!ider. There is an incl
dent told OF the famous Edward Irv.
ing. the eloquent preacher, When a
boy in Scotland, with his little sister
he went down on the sands Of Solw, =
Firth to meet his uncle, who was CON-
ing to visit their home. When the tia 9
comes In there 1t comes with a rush.
1t sweeps on like a flood. All the peo.
pie there know this danger OF the on.
rushing sea and guard against 1t, but
these little children forgot the time OF
the tide. They were playing in a little
pool Of water. Suddenly n horsemaL
dashed down from the mountain side.
Without n word he came up on 4 run,
grabbed the two children, flung then.
hills. Faster and faster followed this
rising tide, but at last the horsemah
and his precious load were saved.
Then the uncle saw that he had savec
his own brothers children. who had
come out to meet him. So 1t is With
Christ. 1t matters not who the sinner
nav be MOI whether he has sinneu