The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1884-10-29
Short Bed, and Narrow Covers.

her keel.
Short Beds and Marrow Covers
PAsTuR CBuzAs's SEEMoS, SUNDAY, 0cT. ", 1884.
Notwithstanding the dovnpour of rain on last
sunday evening there was but little diminution in
the size of the congregation present at Fort Street
Congregational Church TO listen to the discourse
preached by Pastor Cruzan. The reverend gen
tlemen took for his subject,
Text Isaiah $50, "E'oT the bed Is shorter than
That man cuH stretch himself u; aud the cDrsr
iEg HarrOrfr than that H. our irrup himself ~ =,
and spoke as follows:
NARROW oovEEs.
1t is not often that we find humor in the Bible,
but in this text we have keen bit OF 1t. Let your
imagination draw the picture it suggests The
mercury marks - below zero a full-gruwn man
is trying to sleep in a childs bed. With head
pressed against one end and feet against the other
pulling the narrow clothes down on one side only
to expose his body to the biting cold on the other
so he losses, and changes position for hours Al
last he arises uurefreshed, unrested without hav-
ing even closed his eyes in sleep SO the prophet
says il was with Israel she had made bed out of
idolatry she tried to cover herself with the pro
lection of Egypt: but her " bed was too short and
her covering too narrow" For long years she
shivered in captivity, and in strange lands wept
over her folly. Are not men, here in Honolulu,
and everywhere, repeating this old sin, and paying
the penalty of this old folly? God, who created
the soul. knows its needs and what Will give II
worlds Sin and unrest with just the help needed.
Aud like Israel Of old, men turn away from Him.
But, their want and need cry out for help. He
fusing rest and hope in God, they seek It vainly
elsewhere. They build their short beds ana
weave their covers, and try TO find rest in them.
Let Us note some of these vain attempts: l. Many
make a very short bed out Of infdelity they try
to shield their immortal souls with the robes of
philosophy The great foe of Christianity to-day is
Rationalism. Against this Bible, and Christian
ity, it tries to marshal biologists with their ham
mers and astronomers with their telescopes, and
chemists with their retorts, and PSYCHOLOGISTS
with their microscopes and scalpels. Ii searches
heaven, and earth and air for material out Of
which TO build its bed. Its philosophers weave
their speculative systcns-some of them thinner
than the native tapa: they come into this Bible
and tear out one passage, one leaf after another
with which to stuff the pillow for their bed. And
poor deluded souls try to find rest there. But not
withstanding all the loud, blatant talk of inhdel
ity, their success has not been very great. Some
how their bed does not fit humanity's needs. This
Bible does: 1t fits mans every need, and gives
him rest-but infidelity does not and cannot II
fails to give man the help he needs in this life
this is a very practical world. II puts everything
offered it 10 the searching test of daily use What
can it do? OF what practical help is il 2" are its
test questions.
THE MOCKERY OF ISFIDELGTY.
Searched by these inidelity fails. Sorrow, trial,
temptation, failure, sin, very real, and the
burdens they lay upon man are very heavy.
come into the depths of heart breaking sorrow
and wipe away the tear of sorrow do not know
of any which even pretends TO do 1t. Do you know
of any system Of infdelity, which, when a soul is
fighting the battle oftemptation, will give strength
for victory, and make the man to stand like Sir
Galahad with the strength of ten y Do you
know Of any infdel system which gives hope in
time of trial Which can come into the midst of
defeat and failure and give courage instead Of
despair? Do you know Of any infidel philosophy
able to give peace to the troubled conscience
Which can come into sin-wrecked life. give the
soul, peace and impulse to new manhood
Which can go down into the gutter, lift the drunk
ard out of it, strip him of his rags clothe him. aud
give him back his lost manhood, and with it his
own self-respect and the respect of others do
not know of any inidel system which even pre-
tends to be able to do these things Bat if IT can
not do these things, what is it worth Certainly
such bed is too Short and such covering Is
too narrow. But Christianity can do these things;
II fits into these great wants OF the world IS the
bone fits into the socket. And nfdelity not only
fails to bear the searching test OF this every day
life, it fails most misorably when it faces the
future. Hold on =! said group of intidel friends
TO one of their number as he was dying: Don't |
be a coward Hold on!n what TO For Gods |
sake tell me what to hold on tor Shrieked the
poor wretch. Aye what to! What does infidelity |
put into the hand of him who Is dying! What |
stay what support, what hope does II give IN that
dark hour which is coming to each one Of US Z |
Absolutely nothing. Let me contrast two outloOks
into the future: Col. Robert Ingerroll, standing |
AZ the grave OF MS DrOtner looking into the grave
said Life Is n narrow vale between the barren
peaks of two etenites We strive in vain to look |
beyond the heights, we cry aloud and the only |
answer is the echo of our wailng cry y Miss |
Francis Foster, having spent her brief life in self
denying mlssiOn-wOrk, dying at thirty-One said |
Though pilgrim walking in the valley, yet the |
peaks are a1amo with light' The |
difference was caused by the stand.pOints taken |
he great orator looked through the grave from |
he marrow bed Of inidelity; tho Christian |
cooked through it from the empty sepulchre Of |
Christ, and the glory OF that first Easter made the
heights radiant.
SHORT mps AND MARROW COVERS
Men make a short bed - ont of morality, and |
marrow cover" out of their sclf-righteousness,
have nothing but praise for morality. have no |
with much of the pulpit abuse of human
nature. Our humanity is royal gift, =" made in
he image of God" and though sin has degraded
1 and marred that image, still there is much in
that is beautiful, aye, GOdlike. Aud
when man, following his better impulses, and
by law, and other influences, walks up
light and clearly, rejoice in that life. But this
know, that the Christ was not mistaken when he
aid that mere outer observance of the letter of
he law was not enough. He located sins III the
iesires He said these must be changed. You say
'Ou are pure in life: am glad of it. But how
bout that inner life, back of the outer You have
never defrauded, or stOlen-but have you ever
coveted? Then Christ says you are a thief in
leart. You may be fres from the sin of adultery,
10 far as the outer act Is conceTned-but have You
,yer looked upon a woman with desire ~ Then
Thirst saws you are an adulteFer. Your hand Is
rot bood-stained-but have you ever hated
nan Then Christ says your soul is blood stained.
Paul does not put 1t too strongly when be says,
The caTnal heart is enmity against God" And
1hrist knew men when he said that Out of the
leart proceed evil thoughts, murderers, etc. And,
Except n man be born of water and of the Spirit
le cannot enter the Kingdom Of Cod The
narrow bed " of morality breaks down: II is
yurrn- eaten by sin. The robe of self-righteOus-
less has no warmth in it it is moth-eaten by
inful desires.
Men try TO find rest in this world and what 1t
an give them. The bedstead Is made Of gold, the
oyering of stocks, bonds, mortgages and deeds.
3ut this world cannot give man rest. We've seen
men try it and fail. Out of the golden stream
yhich poured into their Golfers they built stores,
Mills factories railroads, steamers and palaces for
themselves They layished wealth on the furnish
ngs, and they said, Here VIC will rest Stand
Jack all care, and anxiety, and TROUBLED" But they
yon't stand back. Care rattles the wind0w-bllnds.
anxiety pulls aside the rich curtains and hangings.
Trouble lays its hard hot fingers on the bounding
lulse and throbbing temple. Happy You think
ne happyr' answered ROthschid to \ friend. And
very other form of this word is Just as empty of
omfort as riches Look across the water yonder
i that death struggle for the Presidency. Would
Ou pay the price which either of the two leading
Blaine or Cleveland, have already paid
or the four years of incessant care and worry
yhich must follow successl Think of the Islander,
he defamation, the mud-throwing! 4 single week
he worlds applause satisfy Edgar A. Poe or Lord
Iyrong Two more miserable men never lived.
The world never satisfies an immortal soul. Its
ewards arc like the Dead-Sea apples, or the Prod
gals husks.
GONE UNTO ME-
Only one bed is long enough for an immortal
oul to find rest upOn-it is shaped like the Gross
# Christ. Only one covering is broad enough to
HELD an immortal soul-Christ's Righteousness.
Dr.. Savage says that when searching the battle
eld for wounded men, he found dead Confed-
rate soldier. He was covered with his blood. by
lis side lay an open Testament. With his bloody
lands he had opened it to the 18th chapter of Mat
hew's Gospel, and to aid his failing sight had
,ressed his bloody fingers against tue 18th verse,
Come unto me all ye that are weary and are
.eavy-lad and will give you rest Out Of that
ne text the soldier had made his diving bed. 1t
gas broad enough. On it he found rest. II is
road enough and strong enough for our sinful
ace.
A Prnisoworthy Enterprise.
Among the new enterprises which philosophical
men are continually introducing at much personal
abor and expense into various communities, those
most deserving of praise are such may tend to