The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1909-04-16
THE PULPIT.
AN ELOQUENT SUNDAY SERMON BY
DR. CURTIS LEE LAWS.
Theme: Backsliding

avenue balAiSk AAulNns tue
pastor, the Rev. DR.. Curtis Lee Laws.
preached a strong sermon on Back
sliding" The text was from Proverbs
l4:1i: 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 of
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 before?
There was on old man converted 20
| Christ down in Washington some
time ago He was 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 10 breakfast, he was standing
at the dining room window looking
out at the desolate winter scenery.
He turned and said: Wife, come
here and look. come here and look:
the very trees are clapping their
hands in praise 10 God" All. In the
| days gone by there has been many an
echo of those words in many heart
| here.
To me after 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?
! II means that | had found that which
was the complement of my whole be-
! ing. AS Augustine said: 20 Lord,
| Thou hast made us for Thyself. and
we are restless till we rest In Thee. :"
! 1t means that in God had found the
satisfaction which this world had
never afforded me, for as the ocean
only can fill the oceans bed, so God
I 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.
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 IL filled the room
was uplifting and transforming end
heavenly.
1t flooded the crimson twilight.
Like the close of an angels psalm,
And IL lay on her fevered spirit
With the touch of infinite calm.
II ouieted pain and sorrow.
Like love overcoming strife;
II seemed the harmonious echo
From our discurdant life.
II linked a perplexed meanings
Into one perfect peace.
And trembled awav in silence,
As if IL were 10th 10 cease.
Something disturbed this woman
and called her from the organ. AS
soon as possible she hurried back and
began to play. but this divine chord
was gone. and though she kept on
playing she could not bring II back
again.
How similar 10 our experience as
the children Of God and yet how op-
posite Many of us have lost our
peace, our JOY, our rapture. but bless
God. we can all have this heavenly
music in our souls again, II we are
willing, for God is willing TO heal our
backsliding Backsliding Is so COM
mon among Christians as to be almost
universal OF course, there are diff
ferent degrees of backr'iding. 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.
First OF all. let us consider how
men become backsliders. The word
itself is significant To 60 forward
requires effort, 20 go backward re-
uuires no effort at all. In .he Chris
tian life. II YOU cease to 60 forward
you will inevitably go backward.
This backsliding always begins I'm the
heart We may go on for time in
the outward performance OF duty, IN
the ceaseless round of Christian ac-
tivities, while In our hearts these
things are growing more and more
distasteful. The heart may therefore
be in wrong relation To a given thing.
while our actions NAV be perfectly ex-
emplary. But God knows that that
man is a backslider, and he knows IL
himself Whether others know IL
matters very little But after time
all men will know IL. for the back
slider in heart generally becomes the
hackslider In life. II Is very hard for
men TO continue long in hypocrisy.
Ordinarily mans outward life is the
expression of his inner life. mans
character may be better than his rep
utation, or a mans reputation may be
better than his chaRaster. but ordi-
narily reputation and character agree.
We call the uncouth and uncivil "dia-
monds in the rough.
We constantly say OF the man who
sins with his tongue. We'll, you
know, he is very hasty and impetuous.
and often says things which he does
not mean" But Cod saws these
tb{noc have thafr orfgfp "a Tho baa-t