Frankfort Pilgrim College - Pilgrim Yearbook (Frankfort, IN)

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' 51112 4512211111-is f F I 1 :gl o ei if Ji K9 ca Q9 cj ci 22' JZ 69 Q3 Q9 S3 UN L1terary , THE POWER OF DIVINE LOVE It was a bright October afternoon. The sun in all its magnificence was about to drop beyond the horizon. The early autumn frosts had nipped the foliage of 'the forest giving a Kentucky landscape that added beauty of a hun- dred colors, tints and hues from dark green to brightest Vermillion. In the midst of all this amazing beauty, a neat little log cabin with some modern additions and improvements stood. A well cultivated garden was situated to one side of it. An old row of maple trees grew on each side and although there were some signs of thrift about, theloutbuildings indicated a retrogression from former conditions. Yet everything about the house and gardens showed great care and neatness. V From the side door odors of frying potatoes came floating through. Say, ain't cha' 'bout got my supper ready? I'm going out tonight so he mighty 'snappy' There was no love or tenderness in the' voice of the speaker but on the other hand, it was exceedingly harsh, t ' ' Yes, dearq supper is ready, come on. ' .After a few words' of grace spoken by the frail little woman, the meal was 'eaten in silence, except for an occasional wail of the whippoorwill. When he had tinished the gruff old man left without a word and jumping on his spir- ited horse, rode away. Tired, discouraged and lonesome Nancy went. to the door to watch him ride out of the distance. As he disappeared she sat down on the step. Ten years ago she had married John Rogers, a handsome young man, with no bad habits except for an occasional drink with the boys, and this she had hoped to persuade him to drop afterwards. But on the 'contrary he only became worse and it wasn't long till their cozy little home had to be sold. The world had been a hard one for her and her only source of joy and love, she found in her own little son. But alas, he was now gone and the fresh mound just a short distance from the cabin caused tears to come to her eyes-tears of sorrow because she had lost him, the little comforter, who had slipped away to heaven, and tears of joy because she had found Him, the Great Comforter, who never forsakes. After all she was happy in her new found joy that had come to her heart, yet she longed to see the one Whose love had seemingly turned to hatred. Meanwhile conscience was doing its work. Its victim, though he had been KJ intoxicated for days, wasnow quite sober and the purity and innocence of his Q once beautiful bride made him miserable as he sauntered along, he became conscious that he was nearing the old gang. T 'tWcll, Jed, hain't seen yer' in a coon's age. Goin' ter join the gang ,O tonight? We're goin' ter give the parson a little scare, laughed one of '-J the crowd. C9 P 'f'Perhaps, Bill, Jed replied. I , Q The crowd which he had now joined grew Wilder and more diabolic than ever in their plans. - - D 1 - -jj The holy humbugl Heis got no business lurking 'round here blowini' off 'is bazzoo, gettin, sap headed men and some crazy women to git on their knees an' snub around. This part of the wood got along mighty well 'fore he Q come and a few of us 'as got. our fill. fn t'And say, Jim, there ain't a speck of good in this mess they call religun. I never knowed a person yit that ,wou1du't .tly offthe handle and make, things, -102-

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Glhv CBIPMH E23 I . 5 Llterary 'Q PERFECTION-AN EXHORTATION 3 QConc1udedJ fully used you? They need to be prayed for. Don't you think so? Well, if they need to be prayed for and you and I are Christians, we ought to pray for K9 them. If we ean't pray for them, we can fulfill this law legally. And if they CQ didn't despitefully use us, we need prayer for saying that they did, don't we? And if we need prayer, we ought to pray for ourselves. Say, young people, I want to tell you that some of you are going to be lost because of the low standards that are on every side of you andthe low practices that are being carried on by professed people who claim to have per- GA fect love in their hearts. Brother Taylor, ean't you please cut the corners 9 a little here and let us out? Yes, I will let you out and this is the way I am going to do it. You must be terribly ignorant of the grace of God, and ignor- IL' ant of the Bible, and the holiness if it is not true. I do not know whether I would rather be carnal or ignorant. It hurts a lot of folks about as bad to Q3 say, I don't know, as to say, HI am wrong. Amen! Gy How does God act toward a fellow that despitefully uses you? How does He act toward the fellow that rejects the blood? How does he act toward the fellow that won't have anything of God or His Christ? How does he act , toward the folks that murder and kill, and everything else? Let us read it. 'tThat ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven, and if you F'-A are going to be a child of His, you will do the things I have been saying and G3 if- you don't do them, you are not His child. For He maketh His sun to rise K9 on the evil and on the good. Do you make the sun to rise on the evil and 55 the good? He does. He does Do you? HAnd sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. God doesn't. make any distinction. Do you? Praise the Lord! What is the text? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. He is just as ready to do all He can 5 1? for the sinner as for the saint, just as ready to help the ungodly as the godly. To do what? Why to love your enemies, to bless them that curse you-bless C9 them that curse you, and to pray for them that despitefully use you and perse- Q9 Q cute you. There is the test and if you are perfect as He is perfect, you will P prove it in acting as He acts and working as He works. The same love will act the same way if you have that love in your heart. I declare to you that J if we are perfect, we are very ignorant of God's love, for we are doing things ga that are not like Him. P ' That is the trouble with the church, she is giving place to the world, fol- GN lowing the customs of the world, doing things like the world. The world I doesn't use the things of God, of prayer and blessing. Consequently the Q gf Church is powerless because God can't give power to a church, a people, and individual, that doesn't do the will of' God in their daily life and practices. I believe that is God's standard of the things right here in the sermon on the Q3 mount. G3 The sermon is yours. It is not mine any longer. I have given it over. God bless it and make it fruitful in our lives. If you haven't the experience, Kg if old carnality is predominant, if the hiss of the serpent is heard, if there is Q, malice and envy and self will and selfish ambitions and disobedience in your P heart, and in your practices, you are as carnal as earnel can be and your pro- 5 fession is false and .you know not the. perfect love of .God in your soul. But 5 you ought to have 1t and 1ts God's wlll for you. Pralse the Lord! W2 -101-

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Ghv Glvvwar 1 . J L1terary 'st Q9 G, Q THE POWER OF DIVINE LOVE Gy 29 tConHnuedy K2 scatter when they got mad, did you, Jed? I'll bet you ten bucks I could make any of these holy rollers madf' Q9 cg 'tBill,', slowly spoke Jed, there ain't very many people what has got C9 Q. religion, but Illl bet cha couldn't make my wife mad. I never seed her mad 5' yet. 1'll take you up on that bet. The bargain was made and the money was deposited in the hands of Jake 'T' Wiggins, the store keeper. By this time, the crowd had drawn closer and 9 were making sneering remarks. Suppose we meet tonight after we give the parson a little fun, Jed QR Q www . , 1 Q Meanwhile it had grown dark. The sun ,had long since gone down and even the clouds refused to show forth the splendor of the moon. Signs of a. Q storm were approaching but Nancy only lighted a small tallow candle by Q which she read her small worn Bible and prayed that God would make her a EJ blessing. Many hours she had spent in prayer for her lost husband and many tears had been shed, but tonight the burden seemed almost unbearable. But the God who marks the sparrow's fall, heard her cry and soon the light broke in and she knew God would sometime soften once more the heart of her hus- C band. As it was getting late she prepared for bed, but not to sleep. Q3 Long after midnight she was aroused by loud knocking and mutterings of Q her own husband, whom she knew to be intoxicated. gy Q t'Nancy Rogers, git yerself out a there 'n let us in! Don't go ter gruntin' X53 ,1'0l1llCl, either. . .. Nancy very patiently and meekly got up and admitted the men, treating '- gi them with utmost kindness. But Jed heeded not her loving spirit, and giving 'Q 1 , her a cuff on the side of the head, which caused a severe headache, ordered her to go out after a chicken. By this time rain was coming down and thunder , crashing and the very thought of going out made her shudder. Without a word J she wrapped a little worn shawl around her shoulders and taking the lantern Q she ventured out. But this was not all. There was wood to get, and water from the spring, yet. through it all Nancy maintained a sweet spirit. The , chicken was cleaned and cooked, along with what little she had left in the Vg '5--- house. , l . . E9 During this time she could hear loud carousing and bragging, mingled Q Q with terrible oaths from the adjoining room, but she only prayed that G-od G3 ' would give her grace. The little meal was spread out on the little wooden P table and the men called in. They immediately made, as if to begin, but she ig spoke up, Gentlemen, I have one favor to ask.. Kindly allow me to say grace. ' Kind Heavenly Father, we are so thankful for this privilege of showing J forth thy love and our love for these men in giving them food and shelter. It Q9 93 seems but a small thing but Thou hast said, 'Even as ye do it to the least of fy these, my brethren, ye have done it unto me.' Bless them good for Jesus' sake, Amen. Q The meal was begun in silence. There were no more oaths or loud talking. Q They were completely dumbfounded. Even the chicken and the biscuits which EQ she had taken so many pains to prepare refused to do down. Finally Bill gi could stand it no longer and turned to Nancy., tp f Say, Misses, I. ain't U6V61'.lO0k much stock in this, ere they call religun, ? Q WZZESQQEGQGZKESQQHEQQQEFSQQEEQQZZESA --103--