The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1889-12-19

| ana Che aucnoneertry to help him of,
they can't help him off; he must
| 60 down-no Christ in the ship.
Your life will be made up OF sunshine
and shadows. There may be in il
Arctic blasts or tropical tornadoes;
know not what is before YOU. but I
know II you have Christ with you all
shall be well. You may seem to get
along without the religion OF Christ
while everything goes smoothly, but
after awhile, when sorrow hovers over
| the soul, when the waves of trial dash
clear over the hrgsFicane deck, and the
decks arc crowded With piratical disas-
/ ters-oli, what would you do tlien
without Christ in the sliip2 Take God
for your portion, God for your raide.
God for your help; then all is well; ali
is well for time, all shall be well for
ever. Blessed is that man who puts in
the Lord his trust. He shall never be
COMPOUNDED.
But my subject also impresses me
with the fact that when people start
to follow Christ they must not expect
smooth sailing.
DON'T EXPECT SMOOTH SAILING.
These dsss1iipies got into the small
boats, and / have no doubt they said !:
What beautiful day this isl What
a smooth seal What a 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" But when the winds
swept down and the sea was tossed
into wrath, then they found that fol-
lowing Christ was not smooth sailing.
50 you have found it; so have found
it. Did you ever notice the end Of the
life OF tho apostles of Jesus Christi
You would say, if ever men ought to
have had smooth life, smooth de-
parture, then those men, the dis
ciples of Jesus Christ, ought to
have had such a departure and
such life. st. James lost his head.
ST. Philip was hung to death on a pill
lar. st. Matthew had his life dashed
out with a halbert st. Mark was
dragged to death through the streets.
St James the Less was beaten to death
with a fuller's club. st. Thomas was
struck through with {. spear. They did
not find following Christ smooth sail
ing. Oh, how they were all tossed in
the tempesti John Huss in the fire;
Hugh McKail in the hour of martyr
dom; the Albigenses, the Waldenses,
the Scotch Covenanters-did they find
it smooth sailing7 But why go into
history when we can draw from our
own memory illustrations of the truth
of what say2 Some young man in a
store trying to serve God, while his
employer SCOTS at Christianity; the
young men in the same store, antago-
nistic to the Christian religion, teasing
him, tormenting him about his relig-
ion, trying to get him mad. They sue
coed in getting him mad, saying,
You're pretty ChristianI'' Does
that young man find it smooth
sailing when he tries to fol-
low Christi Or you remember
Christian girl. Her father despises
the Christian religion; her mother de-
spises the Christian religion; her
brothers and sisters scof at the Chris
tan religion; she can hardly find a
quiet place in which to say her pray
ers. Did she find it smooth sailing
when she tried to follow Jesus Christi
Oh, mol All who would live the life
of the Christian religion must suffer
persecution; if you do not find it in
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 tribu-
lation-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 dishcartenedl Take
courage. You are in glorious COM
panionship. God will see you through
| all trials and he will deliver you. My
subject also impresses me with the
fact that good people sometimes get
very much frightened.
BE NOT AFRAID.
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, carest thou
not that we perish2" 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
tagcs very good people get very much
affrighted. tbs often so in our day,
and men say: "Why, look at the bad
lectures; look at the various errors go-
ing over the church of God; we are
going to founder; the church is going
20 perish; she is going down" Oh,
how many good people are alright
ed by iniquity in our day, and think
the church of Jesus Christ is going to
be overthrown, and are just as much
affrighted as were the disciples of
| my text. Don't worry, don't fret, as
though iniquity We're going to triumph
over righteousness. A lion goes into
| q cavern to sleep. He lies down, with
his shaggy name covering the
paws Meanwhile the spiders spin a
/ web across the mouth of the
4 cavern and say, 1--WE have captured
] him. Gossainer thread after gossa-
mer thread, until the whole front oi
the cavern is covered with the spiders
web, and the spiders say: The lion i
done; the lion is fast. {" After while
4 the lion has got through sleeping; hs
rouses himself, he shakes his name
he walks out into the sunlight; h'
does not even know the spiders web i
! spun, and with his voice he shakes th'
| mountain. So men come spinning
THEN sophistries and skeptician abou
Jesus Christ; he seems to be sleeping
They say: 1--WE have captured tn
Lord; he will never come forth again
upon the nation; Christ is captures
forever. His religion will never max
any conquest among men," But afte
a while the Lion of the tribe of Judal
will rouse himself and come forth +
shake nightly the nations. What's
spiders web to the aroused lion2 Civ
truth and error fair erapple an
truth will come off victor.
FOOLISH FEARS.
But there are great many goo
people who get affrighted in other n
| spects; they are affrighted in our da
!, | about revivals. They say: "Ohl th
! is a strong religious gale; we al
, afraid the church of God is going
be upset, and there are going to be
greot many people brought into Il
, church that are going TO be OF no III
TO it, and they are atfrighted whel
ever they see revival taking hold I
the churches. As though ship ca
+ tain, with five thousand bushels I
= wheat for cargo, should say son
!; day, corning upon deck: Throw owe
o board all the Cargo and the sailo
It should say: why, captain, what {
a YOU meani Throw over all the cargo
i oh says the captain, I'VE have
e peck of chaff that has got into this FL
r thousand bushels of wheat, and Il
e only way to get rid Of the chaf is
lie throw al the wheat overheard. No
st that i d great deal wiser than the ta