Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-11-04

| the same latitude and longitude. You viii
never ride up the harbor of eternal rest If
you all the way drag your anchor.
But you must have sails. Vessels are not
! fit for the sea until they have the flying jlb,
the foresail, the topgallant, the skysail, the
gatfsail and other canvas. Faith is our
canvas. Hoist it, and the winds of heaven
will drive you ahead. Sails made out of
| any other canvas than faith will be slit to
tatters by the first northeaster. Strong
faith never lost a battle 1t will crush foes,
blast rocks, quench lightnings thresh
mountains. 1t is a shield to the warrior, a
crank to the most ponderous wheel, lever
to pry up pyramids, a drum whose beat
| gives strength to the step of the heavenly
soldiery, and sails to watt ships laden with
| priceless pearls from the harbor of earth to
the harbor of heaven.
THE OUTFIT FOR HEAVEN.
But you are not yet equipped, You must
have what seamen call the running rigging.
This comprises the ships braces, halllards,
clew lines and such like. Without these
the yards could not be braced, the sails
lifted nor the canvas in any wise managed.
We have prayer for the running rigging.
Unless you understand this tackling 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 halliard.
One more arrangement, and you will be
ready for the sea. You must have a COM
pass-which is the Bible. Look at it every
day, and always sail by it, as its needle
points toward the Star of Bethlehem.
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 appetites and passions
only an under deck passage. Do not allow
them ever to come up on the promenade
deck. Mortify your members which are
upon the earth. Never allow your lower
nature anything better than a steerage pas
sage. Let watchfulness walk the deck as an
armed sentinel, and shoot down with great
promptness anything like mutiny OF riot
Gus appetites
Be sure to look out of the forecastle for
ieebergs. These are cold Christians floating
about in the church. The trigid zone pro-
fessors will sink you. Steer clear of ice
bergs. Keep logbook during all the Voy-
age-an account of how many furlongs you
make day. The merchant
KEEPS A DAYBooK
q
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 tram. Bound, as we are,
with more than express speed toward a great
eternity, ought we not often to try the work
of self-examinatior?
Be sure to keep your colors up! You
know the ships of England, Russia, France
and Spain by the ensigns they carry. Some
times it is a lion, sometimes an eagle, some
times a star, sometimes 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 masthead
let float the streamers of Emmanuel. Then
the pirate vessels of temptations will pass
you unharmed as they say: "There goes a
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 pulley: 81 am not ashamed of the gospel
of Christ, for it is the power of God and the
wisdom of God unto salvation" Wheu
driven back, or laboring under great stress
of weather-now changing from starboard
tack to larboard, and then from larboard to
starboard-look above the topgallants, and
your heart shall beat like war drum as
the steamers 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 youvas you come into the
Narrows of Death, and fasten to you, and
say: "When thou passest through the
waters will be with thee; and through the
rivers, they shall not overflow thee"
BETTER ALL GET READY.
Are you ready for such voyage? Make
up your minds. The gang planks are lift
ing. The bell rings. All aboard for heaven!
This world is not your rest. The chafinch
is the silliest bird in all the earth tor irving
to make its nest on the rocking billow. Oh,
how 1 wish that as I embark for the Holy
Land in the East, all to whom I preach by
tongue or type would embark for heaven!
What you all most need is God, and you
need Him now. Some ofyou leaVe,in trouble.
Things are going very rough with you. You
have a hard struggle with poverty, or sick
ness, or persecution or bereavment. Light
after light has gone out, and it is so dark
that you can hardly see any blessing left.
Nav that Jesus who comforted the widow of
Main and raised the deceased to life, with
His gentle hand of sympathy wipe away
your tears! All is well.
When David was fleeing through the will
derness, pursued bv his own son. he was be-
ing prepared to become the sweet singer of
Israel. The pit and the dungeon were the best
schools at which Joseph ever graduated.
The hurricane that upset the tent and killed
Jobs children prepared the man of Uz to
write the magnificent poem that has as
founded the ages. There is no way to get
the wheat out OF the straw but to thresh it.
There is no way to purify the gold but to
burn it. Look at the people who have al
ways had it their own way. They are
proud, discontented, useless and unhappy
If YOU want to find cheerful folks, go among
those who have been purified by the fire.
After Rossini had rendered ''William TeIl'
the five hundredth time, company of
musicians came under his window in Paris
and serenaded him. They put upon his
brow golden crown of laurel leaves.
WHAT RossINI WANTED MOST.
But amid all the applause and enthusi-
asm, Rossini turned to a friend and said:
'I would give all this brilliant scene for a
few days of youth and love" Contrast the
melancholy feeling of Rossini, who had
everything that this world could give him,
to the joyful experience of Isaac Watts,
whose misfortunes were inuumerable, when
he says:
The Hill of Zion yields
A thousand sacred sweets
Before we reach the heavenly fields
Or walk the golden streets.
Then let our songs abound,
And every tear be dry;
We're marching through Immanuelis ground
To fairer worlds on high
1t is prosperity that kills, and trouble that