The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1885-07-23

nothing but Christ and the value OF the
soul can capture this city for good in
three years. Ten thousand men and women
at the full standard Of Christian zeal could
take this whole earth for Christ in ten
years. Ny brother, when are you going
to work, and when am going to work:
Led, ard, the great traveller, had set be-
fore him by . geographical society very
important work Of exploration in Africa,
and after they had shown him what they
wanted him to do the learned man looked
up in his face and said: swell, when will
you start on this expedition" He re-
piled: Tomorrow morning." Aud when
I ask you what are you going to do for
God and Christ and you tell me that you
want to serve him with eagerness and con.
secration, ask you when are You going to
start! want you within your soul to say:
''To-day; this moment; now" Go up into
the mount and fetch palm branches to
build booths.
"But how about the future:" you say.
Oh, you dear souls, do not bother abaut
that st. Paul says that you are to BE-
more than conquerOrs. Did st. Paul
write that merely for the purpose of say
ing something poetic and high sounding:
No. 1t means that there Is nothing
between here and Heaven that by the
grace Of God we can not beat. show about
sicknessY you say. "More than con-
querors." "How about slanderous abuse9"
"More than conquerors." "How about
povertyW more than conquerors." "How
about death itself:" "More than conquer.
ors." SWELL" you say, "that seems to
take all trouble away" Why, that is what
came here for, in Christ's na",s. want
to gather your troubles In G sat pile and
set them on fire, and ask gal from Heaven
to blow even the ashes awsy. What is the
use Of your fretting and stewing about the
present and about the future when God has
promised to take ali your affairs in his
hands and manage Them for the very best.
Do you think he can doit! or are you SO self
conceited that you think 1t will be better
If you take care Of your own matters! Do
you want 10 drive and insist upon God
taking lack seat? "No," you say; 81
want tn Lord to be my leader and guide"
Then YOU are going to be more than con.
quer rs. Your last sickness will come, and
the consulting physicians in the next room
vii be talking about what they had better
10 for you. What difference will it make
to you what they do! You are going
to be well anyhow-everlastingly well.
After the breath has gone from the
body your friends in the next room will
be consulting as to where they had better
bury you. What difference will it make to
you where they bury you, for the Lord of
the resurrection would as lief pick you out
Of the dust in one place as in another, and
all the cemeteries are in Gods acre.
One step further and my text demands
that in the making of this Gospel arbor
we shall get branches Of thick trees You
know that booth or arber is of little worth
unless there be stout poles at the corners
or the wind will upset the booth; and you
will be worse of than without shelter un.
less you have strong branches Of thick
trees. And want to tell you that Cos
pei that is all mellowness and sweetness
will have no strength to withstand thu
blast Of temptation and trial and trouble
We want brswny Christianity. We wan
q Gospel with warnings as well as with
invitations. While olive branches are
good in their places, and the palm branche,
and the myrtle branches, we want the
stout branches Of thick trees. The tempest
Of temptation will come down after awhile;
the hurricane Of death will blow; the ever
lasting storm will come up believing from
the lost world, and alas for that man wht
has not his soul sheltered under the stou
branches Of the thick trees. So that
while we preach the invitations Of tn
Gospel and the love Of the Gospel, we mus
tell men that unless they repent and unles
they turn they must die. like what Mr.
Finney said In the school-house in vii
lage In New York State which they nick
; named Sodom because Of its wiekedness
and there was only one good man in tn
village and they called him Lot. Whel
Mr.. Nnney preached in the school hous
J he took his text from the destruction o
Sodom, and told the people to get up GU
Of that place, as the Lord would rain fir
} and birthstone upon them unless they re
pented; and they ground their teeth Ant
they clenched heir fists while he wa
speaking; but after awhile they wer
melted and they fell on their faces AM
cried for mercy while mercy was to b
had. We want just such Gospel as tina
"a Gospel full of love and alarm; az,
, while we present the rewards we mus
/ also present the retributions.
But what am / to do with my text
, When announced it you knew not what
was going to make out Of it. Now yo
see. There is enough in it for . lifetim
, of preaching; but I will skip the rest
We find in 1t enough Of the olive branc
Of peace, and the pine branch of ever
greens, and the myrtle branch Of beauty
and the palm branch Of victory, and til
J stout branch of the thick trees to make q
, arbor for all the people. Oh, come int
, the booth. The air Is aromatic wit
Heaven. The branches distil the blossor
, of life; the leaves rustic with the gladnes
) of God. Come into the booth-the Gosp.
booth. went out with an old hunter be
r fore daybreak and We got ON the mount
: aims before the sun arose, and We set on
, trap to catch pigeons or doves, and the
we retired into . booth, for it was YER
{ chilly and We must be hidden, and re
member the tapestry Of the leaves Of ths
booth was richer than the tapestr
. of Kings bedchamber. Seate
. there in the booth We looked on
. and watched for the game, th
! pigeons or doves, and after awhile Their
r was flock In the sky. and they droppe
/: into the net, or trap, and our excursio
}, was successful. Now We are ON th
a.. l., " Ia a. A.