The Detroit times., 1916-09-21

~ EAxtf sprKHuAs Score. DICK
Doess. ssking ter hiss text. Thy own
oDAx&ness sAAn correct thee. Thy
ocAssStinx shall rePToye thee
s nov sherssore and see that u IL an
EU00 thing and after that thou hast
y.1ken the Lord thy God ard that
- fear 10 not In thee. saith the
Enr1 Of Hosts Jeremiah 2;l9
III ever arm nj loss 10 know on
& Nat subject TO preach. and IL | Sc
1T some tex. - Scripture that
NDoAls with backsliders. won't go
~ wrong; for. In all likelihood. a
\ majority OF my hearers will be out
r. touch with God and will need
Donne one TO sound warning OF
heir danger" he said.
''Some people think backsliding Is
~ slight thing. but my text tells you
\ nd I tell you. that IL is serious
oRence against God.
~: ''In Imagination have seen
\ lately ship sailing from port. her
seeks crowded with passengers. As
4 1Ae moves away from her slip and
saU1oaves the foam. flecked tide the
X Doople on board wave signals of
Xnrewell and those on the shore
EAout Bon voyageH
The waters are calm. the sky is
i Hue above and all believe that the
1Duyney Is to be one OF profit or de.
rGht.
~But Just beyond the harbor the
4 ny blackens and become as ada
mAnt. the wind rises to gale and
/, ne gale rises TO hurricane, and
\ ne waters are dashed into mighty
raves and the ship wallows Ike
\ Monster In distress
"The lookout. high In his tossing
nest, cries: Breakers ahead and
( he order 10 change the course.
Hard aport!' Is shouted 10 the
hoImsmsn.
'sBut II Is too late. The great
ship strikes upon the reefs and IL
1ost, and on the next day only the
&frciing gulls that ny about the
!: yrcckage tell the story OF the vessel
4 rome down with all on board. IN.
wept and unsung. We are sad when
We read In the newspapers OF the
AWFUL loss OF life. but II IL sadder
lsOk1ll when souls are lost on the
\ breakers OF sin.
ssChristian life under smiling skies
and upon smooth waters. but as
they sail out az the harbor the sky
BECOMES dark and the craft OF their
religion crashes upon the rocks. At
\ nrrt they are enreful 10 obey the
oommands OF God. but after the re
Sival they neglect their duties and
S0nAlly come 10 wreck.
The Sin OF 5acksilding
~0od speaks much OF the sin OF
baeksliding and in the Bible has
spoken OF II in many places. There !
nrv several kinds OF backsliding.
~First, there Is the careless kind.
The Invitation Is never given at the
spsvival. but there are those who will
3roapond TO II and for time will
i've as Christians should.
Then, when the revival is over
and the routine OF everyday life be
Htns. they slip gradually back into
their former ways. They become
Negligent and drift back 10 the old
haunts and the old gang
"They are like the ground hog
When spring comes the ground hog I
aawakens from his winters sleep and ;
emergcs into the sunlight. and lives I
an active life until the storms OF 4
winter come again. Then ne \
crawls into his hole OF Information I
and falls into a sleep OF months
"Ob IL Is easy 10 think Of things I
divine when the revival Is on and I
there ls inspiration on every side
and the bands are playing and the
crowds are marching. These ground I
hog people have family prayer then,
and they attend 10 their religious \
duties faithfully. but when the re-
viyal is over they begin 20 relapse I
into their old ways
''I've sometimes thought, almost, |
that II might be godsend TO many i
community IL 1t could only be !
swept by typhoid fever or pneU |
monia or scarlet fever Just after
good revival and before the people !
had a chance 10 slide back.
''Read the Pentateuch from begin.
ming OF Exodus TO the end. and see
how many times you lose patience
with the old pig-headed Jews. God
was always doing something for
them, and was feeding them and
they had the assurance OF the prom
ised land. but they were never salts
ned.
x Not Satisfied with Gods Glf,s
"They said TO Moses: Moses.
what's the matter with you? Were.
mt there graves In Egypt? Think Of
the good things we had down there
1.-The melons and the leeks. They
were of backsliding stuff.
IF you are Methodist, look
at the Presbyterians II you are
Presbyterian, look al the Baptists:
II you are Baptist. look at
the Lutherans; II you are a
Lutheran, look at the Episcopalians
land you will see whether people
are any better now.
''The people aren't satisfied with
what God has given them. They
nibble at this and that. He has
spread before them the bounties OF
His goodness, but they have billy
goat appetites and must have cards
and dancing.
"Some stationary engineers were
hired 10 break n railroad engineers
strike. and one OF them got on
locomotive 20 take II into the round
house. He didn't know much about
q locomotive engine. so he ran her
In and didn't know how 10 stop her
and nearly sent her thru the wall
But he knew how 10 reverse her
I and did Out went the engine again
and had nearly wrecked a turnta