The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1889-12-21

do with utmost tension OF body, mind
and soul, you ara bound TO do; hut oh!
have Christ in every voyage
There are men who ask Gods help at
the beginning Of the great enterprises
He has boon with thcm IN the past; no
trouble can overthrow them; the storms
might come down from the top of Mount
| Hermon, and lash Gennesaret into foam
and into agony but 1t could not hurt
them. But there Is another man who /
starts out in worldly enterprises, and he 7
depends upon the uncertainties OF this /
life. He has no God TO help him After |
awhile tho storm comes and tossos Oh |
the masts Of the ship; he puts ont his
| lifeboat and the longboat; the sheriff |
and the auctioneor try TO help him |
off, they can't help him of; ho must |
60 down-no Christ in the ship. Your
| life will be- made mp of sunshine |
and shadows There may be in II
Arctic blasts or tropical tornadocs; |
know not what Is before YOU, but |
know If you have Christ with you all
shall be we'll. You may soem TO get
along without the religion Of Christ
while every thing goes smoothly but
after awhile, when sorrow hovors the
soul when the waves of trial dash clear
over the hurricane deck, and the decks
are crowded with piratical disasters
oh, what would you do without Christ
in tho ship? Take God for your por
tion God for your guide, God for your
help; then all is well all Is well for
time, all shall be well forever. Blessed
is the man who puts in the Lord his
trust. lie shall never be confoundod-
But my subject also imprcsses me with
the fact that when people start to fol-
low Christ they must not expect smooth
sailing. These disciples got into small
boats, and have no doubt they said
"What beautiful day this Isl What a
smooth soal What bright sky this is
How delightful is sailing In this boat
And as for the waves under the kecl OF
the boat, why they only make the mo-
tlon Of our little boat the more delight
full" But when the winds swept down
and the sea was tossed into wrath, then
they found that following Christ was
not smooth sailing So YOU have found
II; SO | have found II. Did you over no.
ticc the end OF the life OF the apostles
OF Jesus Christi You would say, II ever
men ought TO have had smooth life, a
smooth departure, then those men, the
disciples Of Jesus Christ, ought 10 have
had such a departure and such n life.
ST. James lost his head. ST. Philip was
hung TO death on pillar. st. Mat
, , thew had his life dashed out with hall
bert. st. Mark was dragged TO death
through the streets. st. James tho
Less was beaten 10 death with fullor's
club. ST. Thomas was struck through
! with n spear.
They did not find following Christ
smooth sailing. OH how they were
, all tossed in the tempest John lIuss
, in the fire; Hugh McKail in tho hour Of
4 martyrdom; the Albigenses, the Wal
d denses, the Scotch coyenanters - did
they find 1t smooth sailing? But why
a go into history when we can draw from
Y our memory illustration of the truth Of
o what say2 Some young man in store
y trying TO serve God, while his employer
, SCOTS at Christianity; the young men in
Il the same store, antagonistic 10 the
n Christian religion, teasing him, tor
@ menting him about his religion, trying
h TO get him mad. They succeed in get
3 ting him mad, saying you're a pretty
o Christianm Does that young man find
Il IL smooth sailing when he tries TO fol
d low CHRISTI Or you remember a Chris
IT tian girl. lor father despisos thG
It Christian religion; her mother despisc'
Q the Christian religion; her broth
d ers and sisters scon at the Chris
a tian religion; she can hardly nnc
Is quiet place In which to say hel
d prayers. Did she find 1t smooth sailing
,. when she tried to follow Jesus Christ
n Oh, no! All who would live tho life 0
n the Christian religion must suffer per
70 secution; II you do not find IL in on
p way, you will got it in another way
The question was asked: "Who ar
II those nearest the throne?n And tht
10 answer came back; These are the,
le who came up out Of great tribulation-
it great failing, great pounding and hat
their robes washed and made white il
g. the blood OF the Lamb" Oh, do not b.
ie disheartened Take courage. You arr
ID in glorious companionship, God vii
K see you through all trials and lie vii
a deliver you. My subject also impresse
le me with the fact that good people some
u times get very much frightened.
el In the tones OF these disciples as the.
re rushed into the back part Of the boat
is find they are almost frightened 10 death
N They say: master, caress Thou no
q that we perish?" They had no reasoi
% TO be frightened for Christ was in th
ID boat suppose II we had been ther
we would have been just as much al
r. frighted. Perhaps more. In all age
very good people get very much al
I'd frighted. IL is often 80 in our day, an
t, men say: why, look at the bad leci
I'd ures, look at the various errors goini
Id over the Church Of God; we are going t
he founder; the Church is going down; sh
ry is going down. Oh, how many goo
he people are affrighted by iniquity in on
st day, and think the Church Of Jesu
d. Christ is going to be overtbrOwn. an
n are just as much aifrighted as we're Tn
rd disciples Of my text Don't worry
don't fret, as though iDiquity we're g
ing TO triumph over righteousness.
A lion goes into cavern to sleep. II
lies down, with his shaggy name cover
be ing the paws. Meanwhile the spider
e. spin web across the mouth Of tn
lis cavern and say: .'We have capture
on him" Gossamer thread after gossame
he thread, until the whole front Of tn
nd cavern is covered with the spiders vel
he and the spiders say: "The lion is done
se- the lion is fast" After awhile tn
"a, lion has got through sleeping; he rouse
he himself, he shakes his name, and walk
I. n q. H.. -