The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1917-07-19
THE PEOPLES FORUM.
Roll Away the Stone.

NOdu, 81 Sudli IL Ue az lnG emu Oh the
world or age.
The rocking earth and fleeing heavens
seek place to hide, but there is nc
place given them, for all the immensely
of space lies open before Him who de-
scends in awful grandeur and terrible
majesty. What see the Babe of
Bethlehem, the carpenter, the despised
Galilean the man of SORROWS? Is he
the man that was arrested, condemned,
buffetted, crowned with thorns and ex-
ecuted as criminal on the cross? Yes.
but how changed! Plate, condemn the
King of the Jews now, will you! Now
ye despisers of his mercy raise the cry,
Cruelty Him! o ye scoffers and in
fidels can you dispute his divinity now?
Laugh at his threatenings if you can! All,
how courage fails them and terror sur
rounds them like armed men.
The Judge has descended, and anxious
millions await their doom. See that host
going off the right hand. They have spot
less robes, crowns and palms of victory.
We ask who are these and He answers,
"These are they who have washed their
robes in the blood of the Lamb. Some
of them were once vile, or drunkards,
or gamblers, but now they are with the
throng in white. These are my jewels
and they shall be mine," and then l
hear the solemn declaration, "as it was
in the days of Noah. so shall it be in
the days of the Son of Man." The
righteous shall be saved. But who are
these who constitute the great
host on the Lords left hand? Shall
any of my readers be among that num-
Der, trust not. Alas, it is to be feared
there are families in our midst who will
be on the left. Will that line be drawn
through our community, or churches or
| families and place some On the left? 1t
/ is heart rendering thought, that some
of the members of our families may be
with that crowd. And what is the
character of those who compose it? |
look again and there | see the drunkard
and hear him calling for rum. but there
is no rum in hell. | see the debaucher
and hear him call for debauchery that
fed the fires of his lust on earth, but
the shrieks of the damned answer, lost,
lost. | hear the intidel uttering his
blasphemous declarations that Jesus
Christ is only man and pretender to
divinity, and then | hear the whole host
exclaim, He is divine, and would have
saved US had we only been willing.
| hear the scotfer plying his art,
when the lost denounce him as a fool,
and bid him hush, as he only adds to
their misery. There's the liar and de-
frauder, the whoremonger and idolater;
the profligate and profane swt arer, the
gambler and the thief and with that
class see a lot of respectable looking
persons who passed for good people on
earth; who were models in many re-
spects-t then there is the moralst too,
with that motley crew, and worse than
all wonder are some who named the
name of Christ here. They dedicated
themselves to his service and yet de-
MED Him before men and now He has
denied them before his Father and the
Holy Angels and they too must take
up their abode with the lost o, how
they bewail their doom! Like Dives
they cry, take me out of this place of
torment. But their cries fall back upon
their head, echoing no deliverance now.
Send US one drop of water to cool our
parched hps-just drop-but there is
no respite now. Too late! Ye knew
your Masters will but did it not. You
would not believe my word when on
earth! Ye despised my offers of mercy
and would none of my reproofs,
therefore will laugh at your calamity
and mock when your fear cometh
Ye seekers of pleasure more than of
God, you would not believe would
come in person but | did and caught
you unprepared.
uG Oiu WOIlu was IcNGllDS III SIN,
Sodom was stepped in iniquity. So the
earth will be full of SIN when Jesus
comes a second time and We shall be
overtaken with judgments if We be
leve not the record God hath given of
His Son Judgments came then and
the wicked persisted. He will come in
power to mete out justice and judg-
ment and all who believe not on the
Lord Christ shall perish eternally.
You may not believe it, that does not
alter the case. You may fatter your
self that God is very merciful, so He
is, but He is just and mercy shall have
been withdrawn and justice allowed full
sway. Turn then. 0 backsliding
children, for am married unto you.
and I will heal your backslidng. saith
the Lord. But in that day the wicked
shall be turned INTO hell and all the ma
tons that forget God"
! In tho pavt upa cbolI oons;dox Loz. "a