Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1909-04-15
THE PULPIT.
AN ELOQUENT SUNDAY SERMON BY
=. DR.. CURTIS LEE LAWS.
Theme: Backsliding.

Brooklyn, N. Yin tho Greene
Avenue Baptist Church, Sunday, the
pastor, the Rev. DR.. Curtis Lee Laws,
preached a strong sermon on Back
sliding" The text was from Proverbs
14:14: THE backslider in heart
shall be filled with his own ways"
DR.. Laws said:
Do you recall your early expert
ences in the service Of the Lord? Do
you remember the day and hour
when the burden Of sin rolled off
your heart, and when you could look
up for the first time into the face Of
your heavenly Father, rejoicing in
His presence and in His love? Do
you not recall how the whole world
suddenly became more beautiful and
how your heart yearned over your
friends and enemies as never before3
There was on old man converted to
Christ down In Washington some
time ago. He was a rugged old fell
low, his esthetic nature had not been
much cultivated, and he did not have
an artists eye. The morning after
his conversion, when his wife came
down to breakfast, he was standing
out at the desolate winter scenery.
He turned and said: wife, come
here and look, come here and look:
the very trees are cfapping their
hands in praise to God!" All, in the
days gone by there has been many an
echo of those words in many q heart
here.
To me after I found God, the whole
world was more beautiful; the sky
was bluer, the grass was greener, the
breeZes were softer, the sun was
warmer and all mankind were dearer
to me.
What is the meaning Of all this?
It mean that I had found that which
was the complement Of my whole be-
ing. AS Augustine said: 30 Lord,
Thou hast made us for Thyself, and
we are restless till we rest in Thee"
It means that in God I had .ound the
satisfaction which this world had
never afforded me, for as the ocean
only a. fill the oceans bed, SO God
alone can satisfy the mind of man.
Blessed is the man who has been rec
onciled to his heavenly Father, who
has returned like the prodigal to his
Fathers love.
I turn now to the dark side Of the
picture. How few of us have kept
this early JOY, and have continued in
this blessed peace? OF course you
know the story of the lost chord? A
woman, in the shadows of the twi-
light, when her heart was sad, gently
touched the keys Of a glorious organ.
She did not know or care what she
was playing; her fingers fingered idly
but caressingly upon the keys. Sud-
denly she struck a chord, and Its won
drous melody as it filled the room
woC 1inliffin0 Qnd fro nSfOrroin ~ 4
heavenly.
It flooded the crimson twilight.
Like the close of an angels psalm.
And it lay on her fevered spirit
With the touch of infinite calm.
It quoted pain and sorrow,
Like love overcoming strife;
It seemed the harmonious echo
From our discordant life.
It linked all perplexed meanings
Into one perfect peace,
And trembled away in silence,
AS If It were 10th to cease.
Something disturbed this woman
and called her from the organ. AS
To- as possible she hurried back and
began to play, but this divine chord
was gone, and though she kent on
playing she could not bring Il back
again.
How similar to our experience az
the children OF God and yet how op-
poslte! Many of us have lost our
peace, our JOY, our rapture, but bless
God, we can all have this heavenly
music in u souls again, If we are
willing, for God is willing to heal ou1
backsliding.. Backsliding is sd com.
mon among Christians as to be almost
universal. OF course, there are diff.
ferent degrees of backsliding. Some
have gone only a little way. while
others have gone SO far that the re.
turn will be difficult, but thank God
not impossible.