The Russellville Democrat. [volume] (Russellville, Ark.) 1875-1898, 1889-11-14

7
the prov, and as you wipe off the spray
of the split surge cry out with the
apostle: None of these things move
me-" Let all your fears stay aft The
right must conquer. Know that Moses
in an ark Of bulrushes can run down
war steamer.
Have good, strong anchor. (Which
hope we have as an anchor" By this
strong cable and windlass hold on to
your anchor. IF any man sin we have
an advocate with the Father" Do not
use the anchor wrongfully. Do not al
ways stay in the same latitude and lon
gitude. You will never ride up the
harbor OF eternal rest II you all the way
drag your anchor.
But you must have sails. Vessels are
not fit for the sea until they have the
flying jib, the foresail, the topgallant,
the skysail, the gaffsail and other can
vas. Faith is our canvas. Hoist it, and
the winds of Heaven will drive you
ahead. Sails made out OF any other
canvas than faith viii be slit to tatters
by the first northeaster. Strong faith
never lost battle. II will crush foes,
blast rocks, queneh lightnings, thresh
mountains. 1t is a shield to the war
rior, crank to the most ponderous
wheel, a lever TO pry up pyramids, q
drum whose beat gives strength to the
heavenly soldiery, and sails TO watt
ships laden with priceless pearls from
the harbor of earth TO the harbor of
Heaven.
But you are not yet equipped. You
must have what the seamen call the
running rigging. This comprises the
ships braces, halliards, clew lines and
such like Without these the yards
could not be braeed, the sails lifted, nor
the canvas in anywise managed. We
have prayer for the running rigging.
Unless you understand this tackhng you
are not a spiritual seaman. BY pulling
on these ropes you hoist the sails of
faith and turn them every whittier.
The PROV of courage will not cut the
wave, nor the sail Of faith spread and
flap its wing unless you have strong
prayer for ballard.
One more arrangement and you viii
be ready for the sea. You must have
compass, which is the Bible. Look at it
every day and always sail by it, as its
needle points toward the star of Bethle-
hem. Through fog, and darkness, and
storm it works faithfully. Search the
Scriptures. BOX the compass" Let
me give you two or three rules for the
voyage. Allow your appettes and pas
sions an undertook passage. do not
allow them ever to come up on the
promenade deck. Mortify your mem
bers which are upon the earth. Never
allow your lower nature any thing bet
ter than a steeTage passage. Let watch
fulness walk the decks as an armed SEN
tinel and shoot down with great prompt
ness any thing like mutiny of riotous
appetites.
BE sure to look out of the forecastle
for icebergs. These are the cold Chris
tians floating about in the church. The
frigid zone professors will sink you.
Keep a log book during all the voyage
an account of how many furlongs you
make day. The merchant keeps a
day-book as we'll as ledger. You
ought to know every night, as we'll as
every year, how things are going. When
the express train stops at the depot, you
hear a hammer sounding on all the
wheels, thus testing the safety of the
rail train. Bound, so we are, with more
than express speed toward a great eter-
nifty, ought we not often to try the work
of self-examination?
Be sure to keep your colors up! You
know the ships of England, Russia,
France and Spain by the ensigns they
carry. Sometimes it is lion, some
Of
times a crown. Let it ever be known
who you are and for what port you are
bound. Let Christian" be written on
the very front, with figure OF cross, a
crown and dove; and from the mast
head let float the streamers of Emman-
uel. Then the pirate vessels of tempta
ton will pass you unframed as they
say: There goes 4 Christian, bound
for the port of Heaven. We will not
disturb her, for she has too many guns
aboard" Run up your flag on this pull
ley: II am not ashamed of the Gospel
of Christ, for 1t is the power OF God and
the wisdom of God unto salvation"
When driven back or laboring under
great stress of weather-now changing
from starboard to larboard, and then
from larboard to starboard-look above
the topgallants, and your heart shall
beat like a war drum as the streamers
float on the wind The sign of the
cross will make you patient and the
crown will make you glad.
Before you gain port you will smell
the land breezes of Heaven, and Christ,
the pilot, will meet YOU as you come into
the Narrows of Death, and fasten to you
and say: when thou passest through
the waters l VIII be with thee; and
through the rivers, they shall not over
flow thee Are you ready for such
voyage? Make up your minds. The
gang planks are lifting. Tho bell rings.
All aboard for Heaven This world is
not your 7est. The chaffinch is the
siliest bird in all the earth for trying
to make its nest on the rocking billow.
oh, how wish that as / embark for the
Holy Land in the Last, all 10 whom /
preach by tongue or type would embark
for Heaven, What you all most need is
God, and you need Him now. Some of
you leave in trouble Things are go
ing very rough with you. You have had
hard struggle with poverty, or sick
ness, or persecution, or bereavement.
Light after light has gone out, and it is
so dark that you can hardly sec any
blessing left May that Jesus who com
forted the widow Of Main and raised Che
deceased 10 life, with His gentle hand of
sympathy wipe away your tears! Al is
well. '-tt 1919
When David was fleeing through the
wilderness, pursued by his own son, he
was being prepared 10 become the sweet
singer Of Israel. The pit and the dun
geon were the best schools at which
Joseph graduated. The hurricane that
upset the tent and killed Jobs children
prepared the man of Uz to write the
magnifcent poem that has astounded