Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-12-07

receive the frs. sorrowl
Perhaps the first trouble is bereave-
ment. | suppose you know--I suppose
you have recognized the fact, that so
often the first born is taken. have seven
brothers and sisters. Each one lost the
hrst born, and l suppose that in hundreds
OF cases in this house IL was the first born
that was taken. Some people give what
is to me a very absurd reason for that.
They say IL Is because the child Is loved
too much. do not think that's possible.
l DO not believe any father or mother
loved a child too much. You cannot
love your child too much. God did not
take your child because you loved II
TOO much. | think this 10 the reason why
God so often takes the first born. 1t is TO
transfer your affections to heaven, and
make that place the more grand and
blessed; at the beginning of your life maxi
ing heaven blessed, so that you keep think
Ing of that place and so be elevated and
lifted on toward it. think that is the
| reason. Perhaps | am wrong. | am sure
the other reason is wrong, that so many
people give when they say It is because
you love your child too much.
Now suppose the first trial comes and
you have no Godl What thenp Have
you ever tried to see one go through be-
reaVement without any God2 have
/
want grace, we want Divine grace, when
bereavement comes into the house which
erst was full Of sunny locks and greet
ings at the door, and kisses flung by little
hands from the window as you went down
the front steps, and the doves in the nest
cry because the hawk swOOps, and the
cheek pales, and the eyes close, and the
heart stops. Oh, to put away garments
that never will be worn again, TO gather
/ N hn huf nuf In
will strew the carpet, and TO 60 with
sense of sufocation through the desOlated
household that once rang with childish
| merrimentl Oh, my God who can stand
that without Thy grace to help, without
| Thy grace to smooth, without Thy grace
TO cOmfortY Oh. you will want Christ in
your first trouble, and so | beg OF you this
morning to take Him as yours.
You say you are strong and well. So
am 1. You say that life is buOyant and
| beautiful. SO 1t is to me. But sickness
Will come to you, and it will come TO me.
| We shall be told we cannot 20 out, the
door will be closed against the world,
| there Will be two watches, and some will
order silence on the stairs, saying:
Hush, hushw And in your dream You
Will hear the dash of water, which you
will take to be the beating OF the wave OF
The Jordan against your pillow, aud you
will hear sound at the gate which you
will take to be the paving OF the pale
| horse. Oh then you aud ] will want a
| physician; we will want Christ TO come
IN and put his arms around us and say:
''Fear not; all is well, all is WELL"
| But there is one more pass of great i'm
! pOrtance, of which l must speak--one
tremendous crisis, when we will wan
| God. / say that not more to you than i
do to myself. We will want God in that
crisis. And that pass is the last hour.
| suppose we all would like to expire
at home. We want our friends in the
| room, some to recite the promise, some
to sing, one to hold the hand. We want
to look up in faces that have been
! familiar to us for a good while, and we
will have messages to give. II we are
parents we will want to tell our children
! how they ought TO act when we are gone,
what principles they ought TO adopt, how
near they ought TO live to God.
And if we have aged parents living we
will want to tell our children how they
ought to act toward the old people, how
! they ought TO care for them after we are
| gone. | think when we leave this world
we will all have a message to give TO
| somebody. When that hour comes we
will want Christ. we will want a Divine
| friend TO stand by us, and to say that all
shall be well in the future. "When thou
passest through the waters will be with
| thee, and through the rivers they shall
not overflow thee.n But you know very
well that il we go out Of this world, my
brother, without Christ, we take lean
| into the dark.
Who would want TO 90 out Of the world
like that, when he can go in triumph In
| describablef like Paul, saying: II have
| fought the good fight, have finished my
course, ! have kept the faith; benceforth
there is laid up for me a crown OF right
eOusness. which the Lord. the righteous
Judge, will give me-" Or that other bat
tie shout: so, death, where is thy stingi
/ o, grave, where is thy victory? Thanks
| be unto God who giveth me the victory
through my Lord Jesus Christ"
Well, there are good many men in this
/ house who say: "What you have de-
| clared this morning is the truth. but am
so far gone in sin that there is no hope for
me-" On, my brothers, there you make a
| great mistake. ! stand here this morning
| to declare there IS hope for any man who
wants 10 come 10 God. "Let the wicked
/ fOrsake his way, and the unrighteOus man
| his thought, and let him return unto the
Lord, who will have mercy, and unto our
God, who Will abundantly pardon" Come
| this morning. So" you say, ''if you knew
my history you wouldn't invite me-"
Il 90 not care Wudb NOuI ulbioTy H. cOub 10
/ God today. whatsoever WILL" That
word "whosoeVer" covers all cases OF
wanderings OF iniquity. "WhOsoeyer will,
| let him come"
v"But," says some one in the house, 81
| have started in the line OF inlquity and
am going on; will risk the future.
| haven't much faith In Christianity. l am
going to have an easy time in this world,
| get all out Of IT, can, 20 into all kinds
/ Of SIN, taking the risk for the future"
/ Oh, will you not be delivered from that
| cOurseY VIII you not now realize the
| fact that you want Godi On, how much
you need him! II may take a great strug-
| gle 20 bring you back; but come back you
! may and you will this morning. Some Of
you Will. May God by His molly spirit
move upon your heart.
have heard some people say il is as
easy for them tO become Christians as 10
/ turn their hands. On. what a misrepre-
sentatiOn that ISL II takes the blood. It
| is the mightiest struggle In all the world
| when a man who has been doing wrong
tries 20 do right. It's a mightier strug-
gle than would ask any man 10 20 into
| unless he lays hold OF the strong arm Of
God, who will help him and who will do
| liver him.
Some years ago there was an excursion
steamer some miles above Niagara falls.
1 There were many on the excursion, many
passengers. and the boat nOated on down
toward The rapids; but the captain ex-
pected 10 return In time 70 avoid all dam
ger, and they we're laughing on 0eck,
when some one said 70 the captain: "Aro
/ you not going too far DOWN. He said:
4