The Russellville Democrat., 1888-07-12
PRICE FIVE CENTS.

to the bind, what l1beFty Is 70 the cap tive, ,tha', and more than that, is Carist to the man who trus him
 Just try to get Christ away from that Christian. Pu on that man the thumb screw. Twist it until the bones crack. Put that foot into the iron boot of perse- cation until it is ma shed to a pulp. Stretch that man on the rack of the h. quisition, onl louder than all the uproar of the prosecutors you will hear his voic e ke the voice of Alex lnder Le Croix above the crac ding faggots as he cried out: 70, Jesusl 0, my blessed Jesus 0, divine Jesusl who would not die for tIee"
 Again, remark that Christ i precious to the believer as friend. Yon have com mercial friends and you have family friends. To the comm ,rcial friend you go when you have business troubles. You can look back to some day. it may have been ten or twenty years ago-when, if you had not had that friend, you would have been entirely overthrown in busi- ness. But want to tell you this morning of Jesus, the best bu usiness friend man ever had. He can pull you out of the worst perplexities. There are people in this audience who have got in the habit of putting down all their worldly troubles at the feet of Jesus. Why, Christ meets the business man on the street and says: {: "Oh, business man, l know all thy troubles. will be with thee twill see thee through" Look out how you try to corner or trample on a man who is back ed up by the Lord God Almighty. Look out how you trample on Him. Oh, there is fnancier that many of our business men have not found out Christ owns all the boards of trade, all the insurance companies and all the banking houses. They say that the Vanderbilts own the rSirrroGsds; but Christ owns the Wander bilts and the rrrr..yoads, and all the plot tings of stock gamblers s6afi--De put W confusion, and God, with his little fiagef, shall wipe out their infamous projects, How often it has been that we have seen men gather up riches by fraud, in a pyramid of strength and beauty, and the Lord came and blew on it and it was gone; while there are those here to-day who, if they could speak out in this as- semblage, or dared to speak out, would say:
 '.The best friend had in 1887, the best friend had in 1857, the b st frieud had at the opening of the war tue best friend 1 ever had, has been the Lord Jesus Christ. I would rather give up all other friends than this one"
 But we have also family friends. They come in when we have sickness in the household. Perhaps they say nothing; but they sit down and they weep as the light goes out from the bright eyes, and the white petals of the lily are scattered in the blast of death. They watch through the long night by the dying couch, and then, when the spirit has gone, soothe you with great comfort. They say: Don't cry. Jesus pities you. All is well, You will meet the lost one again" Then, when your son went off, breaking your heart, did they not come and put the story ill the very best shape and prophes y the return of the prodigal? Were they not in your house when the birth angel Tapped it's wings over your dwelling? And they have been there at the baptisns and at the weddings. Family friendsl But have to tell you that Christ is the best family friend. o, ble ssed is that cradle over which Jesus bends. Blessed is that nursery where Jesus walks. Blessed is that sick brow from which Jesus wipes the dampness. Blessed is that table where Jesus breaks the bread. Blessed is that grave where Jesus stand s with his scared feet on the upturned sod, saying:
 ''I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth In Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live"
 Have you babe in the house' Put il into the arms of the great Child-lover. Is fhere sick one in the house? Think of Hill who said: 'Damsel arise." Are you afraid you will come to want? Think of Him who fed the five thousand Is there little one in your house that you are afraid will be blind, or deaf, or lame? Think of hIm who touched the blinded eye and snatched back the boy from epileptic convulsion. Oh, he is the best friend. Look over your family friends to-day and find another that can be compared to him. When we want our friends they are some times out of town. Christ is always in town. We find that some will stick to us in prosperity who will not in diversity. But Christ comes through darkest night, and amid ghastliest sorrow, aud across toughest sea, to comfort you. There are men and women here who would have been dead twenty years ago but for Jesus. They have gone through trial enough to exhaust ten times their physical strength Their property went their nedltL went, lntlf ldullltS Nttb stdtttI ett. God only knows what they suffered. They are an amazement to themselves that they have been able to stand it. They look at their once happy home, sur rounded by all comfort. Gone! They think of the time when they usel to rise strong in the morning, and walk vigor- ously down the street aud had exper- fenced s health they thought inexhaust- ah !, ,ive He has pitied them. His eye has watched them. His omnipotsnce has defended them. Yes. He has besn with them They have gone through disaster, and he was a pillar of fire b. nigl They have gone across stormy Galilee, but Christ had his foot on the neck of the storm. They felt the waves of trouble coming up around them gradually, and they began to climb into the stroag rock of Gods defense, and then they sang, as they looked over the waters;
 "God is our refuge and strength. an ever present help ia time of trouble therefore we will not fear, though the earth be removed, though the mountain s be carried into the midst of the sea, though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah,"
 The other day there was sailor who came into the Bethel in New York and said:
 My lads Che was standing among the sailorsl I don't know what's the m alter with me. used to hear a good deal about religion and about Jesus Christ. l don't { know that l have aay religion, or that l know any thing much about Christ, but when I was in mid Atlantic I looked up one day through the rigging and there seemed to come ligh through my soul. | have felt different ever since, and love those that l once hated, and feel joy I can't tell you. I really don't know what is the matter with me-"
 A rough sailor get up and said:
 My lad, I know what's the matter of you. You have found Jssu3 It is enoug h to make any man happy.p
 His worth, if all the nations knew,
 Sure the whole earth would love him too
 1 remark again: Christ is precious to the believer, as a faal deiiy9rsr. Y on and nlust after avn ie wet ont of this