The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1909-06-17

the robbers on the way from Jerusa-
lem to Jericho treated the traveller.
1t cuts and bruises, leaving them half
dead. They are surprised. overtaken.
in fault. Almost before they know il
they are attacked and hurt. With other
backsliders sin is a deep.seated dis.
ease, and needs constitutional treat.
ment Blessed fact It is that Jesus
Christ is surgeon for the wounded.
and physician for the diseased. His
blood is equally good for wound and
disease. We need not stop TO discuss
the different methods of treatment.
The fact that healing is possible is
the thing which interests us now, and
we can safely leave the methods TO
the physician in whose hands we have
placed our case.
Love.
Il will love them freely" The word
freely" means that he loves OF him.
self, not because he sees traits of
character that call forth his love, but
Just because he cannot help Il. II is
his nature. The backslider is apt to
be discouraged by the thought that
God does not love him, because by his
sins he has made himself so unlovely.
1t is true, my friend, that a back
slider is an unlovely character. but
take heart. God does not love you be-
cause you are lovely. but because he
| is loving.
Quiet Gentleness.
IT will be as the dew unto Israel"
| The dew does fits work by gentle con
/ tact, and Il is quiet In its working
/ There is no sound of saw or hammer
1 God is as the lion against those who
| refuse to repent He is as the dew
/ unto every penitent soul reviving
weak and struggling life. But" says
/ the backslider. II am I'm the dark.
have no comfort" Yes, but remember
the dew does its work in the dark II
distills in the night. In the night OF
your penitent grief let God deal with
/ you in gentleness and love.
HE shall grow as the lily" The
! lily grows rap44ly And when a back
| slider has truly repented, he may
/ grow in grace with great rapidity.
While living in sin he has not grown
a particle. He has been stunted and
withered. But, with a consciousness
/ Of being healed, and loved freely, and
now enveloped In Gods care as the
| plant is enveloped in the refreshing
dew. he cannot help growing like the
lily.
! Stability.
"He shall cast forth his roots like
! Lebanon" The lily Is frail. You can
break It or uproot IT with your finger
I But not so with the cedar of Leb-
anon. Its roots go deep into the earth
and wrap themselves around the
rocks. It can stand in the face OF the
storm and defy its fury. SO the peni-
tent backslider while he grows rapid
ly like the lily, will become stable
like the cedar He fell because he
lacked stability. but his sad expert
ence has taught him not 20 rely at all
! upon his own strength, while he leans
with all his weight upon the strength
| of God. Peter. by his unhappy fall at
! the trial of Christ, was cured Of all
Boosting, but>he never fell again. He
has now become truly a rock In his
resistance of evil
Beauty.
"His beauty shall be as the olive
tree" The beauty Of the lily is in its
texture and coloring. A touch or a
blot will mar II, and, once marred, II
can never be restored The backsllder
need not expect to recover the virgin
beauty OF the lily which he had before
sin blurred and bruised him. The
scars of sin will remain even after
the wound has been healed. The olive
! tree, on the other hand, is often
gnarled and crooked. It's beauty is in
| its fruitfulness. When the tree is full
/ OF olives you forget the unsightliness
| of its trunk and branches, while you
gaze at the beauty OF its fruit. So
| the penitent backslider, while he
mourns the loss OF the lily's beauty,
may rejoicein the beauty Of the olives
fruitfulness,
Influence.
"They that dwell under his shadow
shall return" He Is apt to say to
himself in despair: There is no need
Of my trying again to live a Christian
! life for have lost all my influence"
So you have, my brother, but If you
will truly turn to God, with full con-
fession OF sin, receive his healing, be-
gin again to grow like the lily. in
touch with the dew, in the grace of
| God, be stable like the cedar and
fruitful like the olive. you will regain
your lost influence, and those who
dwell under the shadow Of that infiu-
ence will return to God. All whom
you have led away you may lead back
to God. Life need not be a failure.
In Jesus Christ, there is mercy even
for the backslider. saving him, not
only from hell, but from a blasted