Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1916-07-07

a turning away from things in which
they now find profit or pleasure.
They do not reckon on the fact that
when they truly believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ they will receive clean
heart and have renewed, within them
a right spirit. When a man is thus
regenerated he no longer wishes to
do the things he used to do and finds
it easy to follow Christ.
In their struggle to put off the day
of decision they frame various ex-
cuses, like the man of the text who,
when our Lord said unto him: Fol
low me- replied: Lord l will fol-
low thee, but let me first go bid them
farewell, which are at my home"
Ordinarily there could be no objection
to a mans doing that, but on this
occasion the command of Christ was
peremptory, and the mans action
would determine at once whether he
preferred his family to Christ. There's
comes time in every mans life when
he must decide this question, and de-
termine in the presence of his own
soul and in the presence of God
whether God comes first or not.
Hypocrites in the Church.
1. Some say there are SO many hyp-
oerites in the church, forgetting that
tt ere are many hypocrites in the
business or profession by which they
earn their livelihood, and yet they
do not renounce that business or pro-
fession.
A good way to meet this objection
. is to ask whether they think hypo-
critics will go to heaven? AS they
will certainly answer, no. then it
might be asked whether they them
selves can go to heaven without
Christ. AS they must reply to this
question, as we'll as to the other, in
the negative, they will be brought
20 see that they must dwell with hypo-
critics throughout eternity unless they
become saved.
The inquiry brings to mind the case
of certain man who was always CIV
ing this reason for not accepting
Christ And yet his faithful wife
heard him cry in the night more than
once God, be me cifu1 to me, a
sinner 1t is a sad thing for a soul
under conviction of sin, to cast away
the hope of salvation for so f1imsy a
reason as the presence of hypocrites
in the visible church.
Giving Up or Taking On, Which?
2. Others hesitate to accept Christ
| because they think they will have so
much to give up. But they are ig-
norant of the fact that the Christian
life is from every point of view gain
rather than loss. You give up sin.
! but you take holiness. You give up
sorrow, but you take joy. You give
up death but you take life. You give
up self, but you take God.
D. L. Moody used to tell of soar
manufacturer who was under convic
tion Of sin, but hesitated to accept
Christ. He pressed him for a rea
son, and at last he said it was his
business that kept him back. THAT
SOAP said he, will. do everything
claim for it, but the fact is it will de
stroy the clothes. Now if l accept
|
Here was a plain issue which many
another man has had to face, but
what folly it is to hesitate a monenI
which way to decide! Moreover
many a man has given up his business
for Christ and found afterward tha
Christ had great deal better bust
ness to give him than he had evel
dreamed of; for, as the Bible says
"Godliness is profitable unto al
things, having promise of the life tha
now is and of that which is to come.
8. 81 am afraid l went hold out,
is another very common excuse. Blu
the mistake here lies in the fact tina
the man is thinking of his \owl
strength instead of the strength o
the Savior.
There is Latin motto on tn,
facade of a Y M c. A. building il
. New England that sets this truth be
fore US very tersely and beautifully
The words are "Teneo ct teneor,
which means, Il hold and am held
1t suggests the picture of a stron!
man with a child in his arm ascend
ing a dangerous cliff The child il
clinging to the man, but it is becaus
the man is holding the child that tn
latter makes the ascent with safety
In like manner the faith of the believ
er causes him to cling to Jesus Christ
: but it is Jesus Christ that keeps ant
saves him to the end
Let US not be afraid to accept hin
as our Savior and follow him as ou
Lord