Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-12-16

shall never be confounded.
But my subject also impresses me with
the TACT that when people start to follow
Christ they must not expect smooth sailing.
These disciples got into the small boats,
and have no doubt they said: "What a
beautiful day this is! What a smooth seal
What bright sky this isl How delightful
is sailing in this boatl And as for the
waves under the keel of the boat, why they
only make the motion of our little boat the
more delightful"
DISCIPLES MEET WITH TRIALS
But when the winds swept down and the
sea was tossed into wrath, then thev found
that following Christ was not smooth sail
ing. So you have found it; 50
have found it. Did YOU ever
notice the end of the life Of the apostles of
Jesus Christ? You would say, if ever men
ought to have had a smooth life, smooth
departure, then those men, the disciples of
Jesus Christ, ought to have had such de-
parture and such life. st. James lost his
head. ST. Philip was hung to death on a
pillar. st. Matthew had his life dashed
out with halbert. st. Mark was dragged
to death through the streets. St. james the
Less was beaten to death with fuller's
club. st. Thomas was struck through with
a spear. They did not find follow
ing Christ smooth sailing. Oh,
how they were all tossed in
the tempest! John Huss in the fire; Hugh
McKail in the hour of martyrdom; the
Albigenses, the Waldenses, the Scotch
Covenanters-did they find it smooth sail
ing? But why so into history when we can
draw from our own memory illustrations of
the truth of what I say? Some young man
in store trying to serve God, while his
employer scoffs at Christianity; the young
men in the same store, antagonistic to the
Christian religion, teasing him, tormenting
him about his religion, trying to get him
mad. They succeed in getting him mad,
saving, You're pretty Christianp Does
that Young man find it smooth sailing when
he tries to follow Christ? Or you remember
a Christian girl. Her father despises the
Christian religion; her mother despises the
Christian religion; her brothers and sisters
scoff at the Christian religion; she can
hardly find quiet place in which to say her
prayers. Did she frd it smooth sailing
when she tried to follow Jesus Christ? Oh,
no!
PERSECUTION ON THE PROGRAMME.
All who would live the life of the Chris
tian religion must suffer persecution; if you
do not find it in one way, you will get it in
another way. The question was asked:
"Who are those nearest the throne?" And
the answer came back: "These are they
who came up out of great tribulatiOn-great
failing as the original has it; great failing,
great pounding-and had their robes
washed and made white in the blood OF the
Lamb" Oh, do not be disheartened! Take
courage. You are in glorious companion
ship. God will see you through all trials,
and He will deliver you. Ny subject also
impresses me with the TACT that good people
sometimes get very much frightened.
In the tones of these disciples as they
rushed into the back part of the boat, find
they are frightened almost to death. They
say: Master, cRrest thou not that we
perish?" They had no reason to be
frightened, for Christ was in the boat.
suppose if we had been there we would have
been Just as much affrighted. Perhaps
more. In all ages very good people get
very much affrighted. 1t is often so in our
day, and men say: "Why look at the bad
lectures; look at the various errors going
over the church of God; we are going to
founder; the church is going to parish; she
is going down." Oh, how many good peo-
pie are affrighted by iniquity in our day,
aud think the church of Jesus Christ is go
ing to be overthrow, and are Just as much
affrighted as were the disciples of my text.
Don't worry, don't fret, as though iniquity
were going to triumph over righteousness.
THE LION AND THE SPIDERS.
A lion goes into cavern to sleep. he
lies down, with mis- shaggy name covering
the paws Meanwhile the spiders spin
web across the mouth of the cavern and saw,
'We have captured him." Gossamer thread
after gossamer thread, until the whole front
of the cavern is covered with the spiders
web, and the spiders say: "The lion is done;
the lion is fast" After while the lion has
got through sleeping; he rouses himself, he
shakes his name, he walk out into the suns
light; he does not even know the spiders
web is spun, and with his voice he shakes
the mountain, So men come spinning their
sophistries and skepticism about Jesus
Christ; He seems to be sleeping. They say:
1--WE have captured the Lord; He will never
come forth again upon the nation; Christ is
captured forever. His religion will never
make any conquest among men," But after
a while the Lion of the tribe of Judah will
rouse himself and come forth to shake
nightly the nations. What's a spiders
web to the aroused lion? Give truth and
error fair grapple and truth will come off
victor.
But there are a great many good people
who get afrighted In other respects; they
are afrighted in our day about revivals
They say: "Oh! this is a strong religious
gale; we are afraid the Church of God is
going to be upset, and there are going to be
a great many people brought into the church
that are going to be of no use to it, and
they are afrighted whenever thev see a re-
vival taking hold of the churches. As
though a ship captain, with 3, 900 bushels of
wheat for a cargo, should say some day,
coming upon the deck: Throw overheard
all the cargo" and the sailors should saw,
''Why, captain, what do you mean? Throw
over all the cargo?"
sHoRTsIGHTED PHILOSOPHY.
"oh," says the captain, I'VE have peck |
of chaff that has got into this 5000 bushels |
of wheat, and the only wav to get rid of the |
chaff is to throw all the wheat overheard
Now, that is q great deal wiser than the |
talk of great many Christians who want to |
throw overheard all the thousands and tens |
Of thousands of souls who are the subjects of |
revivals Throw all overheard because they
are brought into the kingdom of God through |
great revivals, because there is a peck of |
chaff, quart of chat, pint of chaff1 say,
let them stay until the last day; the Lord |
will divide the chaff from the wheat Do not |
be afraid of great revival. On, that such
gales from heaven might sweep through
all our churches. Oh, for such days as
Richard Baxter saw in England, and
Robert McCheyne saw in DundeeI Oh, for
such days as Jonathan Edwards saw in
Northampton have often heard my
father tell OF the fact that in the early part
Of this century a revival broke out at
Somerville, n. j., and some people were
very much agitated about it. They said:
.'oh, you are going to bring too many people
into the church at once;" and they sent
1own to New Brunswick to get John Liv-
Ingsion to stop the revival Well, there
was no better soul in all the world than John
Livingston. He went and looked at the re-