The Brookhaven leader., 1891-02-12

l could call upon the aged men in this
house to give testimony. There are
aged men here who tried the world, and
they tried religion, and they are willing
to testify on our side. 1t was not long
ago that an aged man arose in praying
circles, and said: Brethren, lost my
son just as he graduated from college,
and it broke my heart; but I am glad
now he is gone. He is at rest, escaped
from all sorrow and from all trouble.
And then, in 1857, l lost all my property,
and you see am getting old, and it is
rather hard upon me; but am sure God
will not let me suffer. He has not taken
care of me for seventy-five years now
to let me drop out of His hands"
went into the room of an aged man-his
eye-sight nearly gone, his hearing near
ly gone-and what do you suppose he
was talking about? The goodness of
God and the joys of religion. He said:
81 would like to go over and join my
wife on the other side of tho flood, and
l am waiting until the Lord calls me.
l am now happy. shall be happy
there" What is it that gave the aged
man so much satisfaction and peace?
Physical exumberance? No; it has all
gone. Sunshine. He can see it. The
voices of friends. He can not hear them.
1t is the grace of God, that is brighter
than sunshine and that is sweeter than
music. If harpist takes a harp and
finds that all the strings are broken but
one string, he does not try to play upon
it. Yet here / will show you an aged
man, the strings of whose Joy are all
broken save one, and yet he thrumbs it
with such satisfaction, such melody,
that the angels of God stop the swift
stroke of their wings, and hover about
the place until the music ceases. 0, re-
ligion's ways are ways of pleasant
ness, and all her paths are peace" And
if you have not the satisfaction that is
to be found in Jesus Christ, | must tell
you, with all the concentrated en-
phasis of my soul: Zone thing thou
laekest."
I remark again, that you lack the ele-
ment of usefulness. Where is your
business? You say it is No. As such a
street, or No. 260 such a street, or No
300 such a street. My friend immortal
your business is wherever there is a tear
to be wiped away or soul to be saved.
You may, before coming to Christ, do a
great many noble things. You take a
loaf of bread to that starving man in
the alley; but he wants immortal bread
You take a pound of candles to that
dark shanty. They want the light that
springs from the throne of God, and you
can not take it because you have it not
in your own heart. You know that the
flight of an arrow depends very much
upon the strength of the bow, and l
have to tell you that the best bow that
was ever made was made out of the
cross of Christ; and when religion takes
a soul and puts it on that, and pulls it
back and lets it fly, every time it brings
down Saul or Goliath. There
are people here of high social
position, and large means, and cultured
minds, who, elf they would come
into the kingdom of God, would set the
city on fire with religious awakening.
Oh, hear you not the more than million
voices of those in these two cities who
arc uIlCOHNtIbCtt! vi bhOoC WIZ
in these two cities are dying in their
sins? They want light. They want
bread. They want Christ. They want
Heaven. Oh that the Lord would make
you flaming cvangcl. AS for myself,
| have sworn before high Heaven that
I will preach this Gospel as we'll as
can, in all its fullness, until every fl Der
of my body, and every faculty of my
mind, and every passion of my soul is
exhausted. But we all have work to
do l can not do your work, nor can
you do my work God points us out
the place where we are to serve, and
yet are there not people in this house
who are thirty, forty, fifty and sixty
years of age, and yet have not begun
the great work for which they were
created? With every worldly equip
ment, lone thing thou laclIest."
My hope in Christ is not so bright as
many Christians, know; but l would
not give it up for the whole universe,
in one cash payment, if it were offered
me. 1t has been so much comfort to
me in time of trouble; it has been so
much strength to me when l have
been assailed; it has been so
much rest to me when l have
been perplexed, and it is around my
heart such an encasement of satlsfac-
ton and blessedness that can stand
here before God and say: Take
away my health, take away my
life, take every thing rather than
rob me of this hope, this plain,
simple hope which l have in Jesus
Christ, my Lord must have this robe
when the last chill strikes through me.
/ must have this light when all other
lights go out in the blast that comes up
from the cold Jordan. / must have TINS
sword with which to fight my way
through all those foes on my way
beayenward. When | was in London
7 saw there the wonderful armor OF
Henry VIII. and Edward III. And yet
| have to tell you that there is nothing
in chain mail or brass plate, or gaunt-
let, or halberd, that makes a man
SO safe as the armor In which the
Lord God clothes His dear children. U,
there is a safety in religion. You Will
ride down all your foes. Look out for
that man who has the strength of the
Lord God with him. In olden times
the horsemen used to ride into battle
with lifted faces, and the enemy fed the
field. The Lord on the white horse of
victory. and with fitted lances of Divine
strength, rides into the battle and down
goes the spiritual foe; while the victor
shouts the triumph through the Lord
1,..4 A. a y,oatter of perSonal