The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-07-03


beauty, and the Lord came ana blew on it and
1t was gone; while there are those here today
who, ii they could speak out in this assemblage,
or dared to speak out would say: "The best
friend had in 1887; the best friend l had in
1851; the best friend had at the opening of
the war; the best friend ever had, has been
the Lord Jesus Christ. l 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 ont of the
bright eyes and 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 is gone, soothe you
with great comfort. They say: Don't cry.
Jesus pities you. All is we'll. You will meet
the lost one again" Then, when your son
went Off, breaking your heart, did they not
come and put the story in the very best shape,
and prophesy the return of the prodigal?
Were they not in your house when the birth
anger Mapped its wings over your dwelling?
ana they have been there at the baptisms and
at the weddings. Family friends! But have
to. tell you that Christ is the best family
friend. o, blessed is that cradle over which
Jesus bends. Blessed is that nursery whore
Jesus walks. Blessed is that sick brow from
when Jesus wipes tho dampness. Blessed is
that table where Jesus breaks bread. Blessed
is that grave where Jesus stands with His
Scared feet on the upturned sod, saying II
am the resurrection and the life no that be-
heyeth III Me, though he were dead, yet shall
he live" Have you % baby in the house? put
II INTO the arms of the great Child-lover. is
there sick, one in the house? think
of Him who said: "Damsel, arise"
Are you afraid you will come to
wantY Think of him who fed the 5000. Is
afraid will be blind, or deaf, or lame? Think
OF Him who touched tho blinded eye and
snatched back the boy from epileptic convul-
sion. 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 sometimes out of
town. Christ is always in town. We find that
some will stick to us in prosperity who will not
IN adversely. But Christ comes through dark
est night and amid CHASTITY sorrow, and across
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 health went, their
families were separated. 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 used to rise strong in
the morning, and walk vigorously down tho
street, and had experienced a
health they thought nexhaustible.
Gonel Everything gone but Jesus.
He has pitied them. His eye has watched
Yes. He has been with them. They have
gone through disaster, and He was q pillar of
fife by night. 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 strong rock of Gods
defense, and then they sang, as they looked
over the waters; 'God is our refuge and
strength, an ever present help in time of
trouble; therefore we will not fear though
n
mountains be carried into the midst of the sea,
though the waters thereof roar and be troubled,
though the mountains shake with the swell
ing thereof. Selah." The other day there
was sailor who came into the Bethel in New
York, and said: "My lads Qe was standing
among sailors), don't know what's the mat.
ter with mo. ! used to hear good deal about
religion and about Jesus Christ. i don't
know that have any religion, or that know
anything much about Christ; but when was
in mid-Atlantic looked up one day through
the rigging, and there seemed to come light
through my soul. / have felt different ever
since, and love those that once hated, and
i feel a joy can't tell you. / really don't
know what is the matter of me-" A rough
sailor got up and said: "My lad, know what's
the matter of you. You have found Jesus. 1t
is enough to make any man happy"
"His worth If all the nations knew,
Sure the whole earth would love Him, too"
remark again, Christ is precious TO the be-
lever as final deliverer. You and / must
after a while get out of this world. Here and
there, one perhaps may come on to eighty, to
ninety years of age, but your common sense
tells you that the next twenty-five years will
land the majority OF this audience in eternity.
The next ten years will thin out great many
of these family circles. This day may do the
work for some of US. Now, why do say
this? To scare you? No; but Just as would
stand in your office, II 1 were o business man
and you were abusiness man, and talk over
risks You do not consider 1t cowardly to talk
in your store over temporal risks. Is it base
in us this morning to talk little while over
the risks of the soul, that arc for eternity In
every congregation death has the last year been
doing great deal of work. Where is your
father? Where is your mother? Your child?
Your brother? Your eister2 o. how cruel
does death seem to bel Will he pluck every
flower? Will he poison every fountain? viii
he put black on every door-knob2 VIII no
snap every heart-string2 Can keep nothing?
Are there no charmed weapons with which to
go out and contend against him? Give mo
some keen sword, sharpened in Gods armory,
with which / may stab him through.
Give me some battle-ax that l may
clutch it, and how him from helmet to
sandal. Thank God, thank God, that no that
rideth on the pale horse hath more than O
match in Him who rideth on the white horse.
st. John heard the contest. the paving Of the
steeds the rush, the battle-cry, the onset, I'M
til the pale horse came down on his launches,
and his rider bit the dust, while Christ, tho
C0nquerOf, WIN uplllIeu voice declared 1t: 70
death, ! will be thy plague; o grave, will be
thy destruction"
The sepulchre Is lighted castle on the shore
of heavenly seas. and sentinel angels
walk up and down at the door
to guard it. The dust and the
dampness OF the grave are only the spray OF the
white surf Of CELESTIAL seas, and the long
breathing Of the dying Christian, that you
call his gasping, is only the long inhalation of
the air OF heaven. o, bless God for what
Christ is to tho Christian soul, here and here
after.
heard a man say sometime ago that they
never laugh in Heaven. / do not know
where he got his authority for that, / think
they do laugh in Heaven. When victors
come home, do we not laugh? When fortunes
are won in a day, do We not laugh2 After we
have been ten or fifteen years away from our
friends, and We greet them again,
do We not laugh? Yes, We
will laugh in Heaven. Not
hollow laughter, not meaningless laughter, but
q full, round, clear, deep, resonant outbreak Of
eternal gladness. Oh, the glee Of that mo
ment when we first see Jesus! / think VIC
will take the first two or three years in heaven
TO look at Jesus; and II, in the thousand
years, there should be moment when tl5
doxology paused, ten thousand souls would cry
out: "Singl sing" and when the cry was:
"What shall we sing?" the answer would be-
HJesuslO .JesuSl' o, YOU NAV have ALI tho