The intelligencer., 1889-11-09


:; z ~. N stand on the PROV and as YOU
wtBs on the spray of the split surgcs,
rrF gut with the apostle, ''none of these
thfngs 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
nope 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
longitude. You will 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 jib, the foresail, the topgallant,
the skysail, the gatfsail 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 will be slit to tatters
by the first northeaster. Strong faith
never lost battle. 1t will crush foes,
blast rocks, quench lightnings, thresh
mountains. 1t is a shield to the war
rior, crank to tho most ponderous
wheel, lever to pry up the
pyramids, a drum whose beat gives
strength to the step of the heav-
emily 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 seamen call the run
ming rigging. This comprises the ships
braces, halliards, clew lines and such
like. Without these the yards could not
be braced, the sails lifted, nor the can
vas in anywise managed. We have
prayer for the running rigging. Unless
you understand this taclxing you are not
spiritual seaman. BY pulling on these
ropes you hoist the sails of faith and turn
them every whittier. The Prov of cour-
age will not cut the wave, nor the sail
of faith spread and flap it's wing, unless
you have strong prayer for a halliard.
One more arrangement and you will be
ready for the sea. You must have a
compass-which is the Bible. Look at
1t 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 appetites
and passions 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 any
thing but steerage passage. Let
Watchfulness walk the decks as an armed
sentinel, and shoot down with great
promptness any thing like mutiny of
riotous appetites.
Be sure to look out of the forecastle
for icebergs. These are cold Christians
floating about in the Church. The frigid |
zone professors will sink you. Steer
clear of icebergs. Keep log book dur
ing all the voyage-an account of how |
many furlongs you make a day. The |
merchant keeps day book as well as a |
ledger. You ought to know every night, |
as well as every year, how things are
going. When the express train stops at |
the depot, you hear hammer sounding
on all the wheels, thus testing the safety
of the rail train. Bound, as we are.
with more than express speed toward a
great eternity, 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 u lion, some
times an eagle, sometimes a star,
sometimes crown. Let it ever be
known who you are, and for what
port you are bound. Let sChris-
tian" be written on the very front, with
a figure of cross, a crown and a dove:
and from the masthead let float the
streamers of Immauuel. Then the
pirate vessels of temptation will pass
you unharmed as they say: ''There
goes 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 pully: 81 am not
of the Gospel of Christ, for il
IS the power of God and the wisdom of
God unto salvation" When driven
back or laboring under great stress or
changing from starboard
back to larboard, and then from lar
board to tarboard-look above the top
sallants, and your heart shall beat like
| 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
he land breezes of Heaven, and Christ,
he pilot, will meet you as you come
nto the Narrows of Death, and fasten
o you, and say: "When thou passest
through the waters / will be with thee; |
Ind through the rivers, they shall not
overflow thee" Are you ready for such
| voyage? Make up your minds. The
rang planks are lifting. The bell rings.
All aboard for Heaven! This world is
lot your rest. The chaffinch is the sill
lest bird in all the earth for trying to
make its nest on the rocking billow.
., how wish that as l embark for the
ioly Land ins the East, all to whom l |
preach by tongue or type would embark
or Heaven! What you all most need is
iod, and you need Him now. Some of
'ou leave in trouble. Things are 60
ng very rough with you. You have
lad hard struggle with poverty or
lckness, or persecution, or bereave-
nent. Light after light has gone out,
nd 1T is so dark that you can hardly ,
ee any blessing left. May that Jesus
Tho comforted the widow of Main and
aised the deceased to life, with His
entle hand of sympathy wipe away ]
our tears! All is well.
When David was fleeing through the
'ilderness, pursued by his own son, he
'as being prepared to become the sweet
niger of Israel. The pit and the dun ]
con were the best schools at which Jo-
eph graduated. The hurricane that
pset the tent and killed Jobs children {
repaired the man of Uz to write the
lagnificent poem that has astounded 7
ne ages. There is no way to purify the :
old but to burn it. Look at the people :
no have always had their own way. I
hey are proud, discontented, useless {
nd unhappy. If you want to find cheer c
ii folks go among those who have been q
urified by the fire. After Rossini had I
endered William Tell" the five hun .
redth time company of musicians
anne under his window in Paris and SER :
naded him. They put upon his brow
golden crown of laurel leaves. But q
midst all the applause and enthusiasm
.ossini turned to friend and said: II s
'ould give all this brilliant scene for q
NV days of youth and love-" Contrast
le melancholy feeling OF Rossini, who
ad every thing that this world could :
I've him, to the joyful experience Of
'aac Watts, whose misfortunes were
when he says: v
The hill of Zion yields Ii
a n