Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-07-26

pambv, highly tightly religion! 1t is
worth nothing for this world, and it is
destructive for eternity.
Give me five hundred men and wo-
men fully consecrated to Christ, and we
will take any city for God in three
wears. Give me ten thousand men and
women fully up to the Christian STAN
dard; in ten years ten thousand OF them
would take the whole earth for God.
But when are we going to begin?
Ledyard, the great traveller, was
brou ght before the Geographical Society
of Great Britain, and they wanted him
to make some explorations in Africa,
and they showed him all the perils, and
all the hard work, and all the exposure,
and after they had told him what they
wante d him to do in Africa, they said to
him: Now, Ledyard, when are you
ready to START" He said: Tomorrow
morning" The learned men We're as
tonished; they thought he would take
weeks or months to get ready. Well,
now, you tell me you want to be earnest
for Christ; you want to be useful in
| Christian service. When are you going
to begin? Oh, that you have the decision
to say, TO day, now Go now into the
mount and gather the palm branches.
But the palm branch also meant victory.
In all ages, in all lands, the palm branch
means victory. We are by nature the
servants of Satan. He stole us, he has
his eye on us, he wants to keep us. The
word comes from our Father that if we
will try to break loose from this doing
of wrong, our Father will help us; and
some day we rouse up, and we look the
black tyrant in the face, and We fly at
him, and We wrestle him down, and we
put our heel Oh his neck, and we grind
him in the dust, and we say, Victory,
victory. through our Lord Jesus Christ!
under foot and wasted life behind our
backs. Blessed is he whose transgres-
sion is forgiven, and whose sin is
covered But" says the man. Il feel
SO sick and worn out with the ailments
of life" You are going to be more than
conqueror. But, says the man, Il am
so tempted, | am SO pursued in life. ;"
| You are going to be more than con-
queror. Il, who have SO many all
ments and heartaches, going to be
more than conqueror??" Yes, unless
You are SO self conceited that
you want to manage all the affairs of
your life yourself, instead of letting
God manage them. Do you want to
drive and have God take back seat?
Oh, no, you say; / want God to be my
leader. Well, then, you will be more
than conqueror. Your last sickness will
room will be talking about what they
will do for you. What difference will
it make what they do for you? You are
going to be we'll, everlastingly we'll.
| And when the spirit has fed the body
your friends will be talking as to where
they shall bury you. What difference
does it make to you where they bury
you? The angel of the resurrection can
pick you out of the dust anywhere, and
and all the cemeteries Of the earth are
in Gods care. Oh, you are going to be
more than conqueror. Don't you think
we had better begin now5o celebrate the
coming victory? In the old meeting
house at Summerville, my father used to
lead the singing, and he had the old
| fashioned tuning fork, and he would
the tuning fork to his ear to catch the
right pitch and start tie hymn. But,
friend, don't you think We had better be
catching the pitch of the everlasting
song, the song of victory when we shall
be more than conquerors? Had We not
better 'begin the rehearsal on earth?
They shall hunger no more, neither
shall the sun light on them, nor any
heat. For the lamb which is in the
midst of the throne shall feed them, and
shall lead them to living fountains Of
water; and God shall wipe away all tears
from their eyes.
City of Eternity, to thy bridal halls
From this prison would flee;
| All, glory! that's for you nnd me.
My text brings up one step further
1t says, go forth into the mount and
fetch up olive branches, and pine
branches, and myrtle branches, and
branches of thick trees. Now, you know
very we'll that booth or arbor made of
slight branches would not stand. The
first blast Of the tempest would pros
trate it. SO then the booth or arbor
must have four stout poles to hold up
the arbor or booth; and hence for the
building of the arbor for this world we
must have stout branches Of thick trees.
And SO it is in the gospel arbor.
Blessed be God that we have brawny
Christianity. not one easily upset. The
storms of life will come upon us, and
we want strong doctrine; not only love,
but justice; not only invitation by warn
ing. 1t is might gospel; it is an ON
nipotent gospel. There are the stout
branches of thick trees. I remember
what MIR. Finney said in school,
house in this State. The village
was SO bad it was called Sodom, and it
was said to have only one good man in
all the village, and he was called Lot;
and Mr.. Finney, preaching, described
the destruction Of Sodom, and the
preacher declared that God would rain
destruction upon his hearers unless
they, too, repented. And the people in
the school-house sat and ground their
teeth in anger, and clinched their fists
in indignation; but before he was
through with his sermon they got down
on their knees and cried for mercy
while mercy could be found. Oh, it is
mighty Gospel; not only an invita-
ton, but a warming; an omnipotent
truth, stout branches of thick trees.
Well, my lends, l have shown you
here is the olive branch of peace, here
is the pine branch of evergreen Cos
pei consolation, here the palm tree
branch of usefulness and victory, and
here are the stout branches of thick
trees. The gospel arbor is done. The
air is aromatic of Heaven. The leaves
rustic with the gladness Of God. Come
into the arbor. l went out at different
times with fowler to the mountains to
catch pigeons; and we made our booth,
and we sat in that booth, and watched
for the pigeons to come. And we found
hocks in the sky, and after while thew