Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1891-02-20

the strings OF whose joy are all broken save
one and vet he thrums 1t with such satls1ac.
fion such melody that the angels or TOD
stop the swift stroke of their wings and mover
about the place until the music ceases. On,
religions ways are ways or pleasantness,
and all her paths are peace" And II you
have not the satisfaction that IS to be found
in Jesus Christ, l must tell you, with all the
concentrated emphasis of my soul: ''One
thing thou lackest."
| remark, again. that you lack the ele-
ments of usefulness Where Is your business?
You saw it is No As such a street. or No, 2oO
such a street, or No. 300 such a street. Ny
friend immortal. your business is wherever
there is tear to be wiped away or soul 20
be saved You may, before coming to CHRIST,
do a great many noble things You lake
loaf of bread to that starving man In the
alley, but he wants immortal bread. You
take pound of candles to that dark shanty.
They want the light that springs from the
throne Of God, and you cannot take it be-
cause you have it not in your own heart.
You know that the flight of IN arrow de-
ponds very much upon the strength Of the
bow. and have to tell you that the best bow
that was ever made was made out of the
cross of Christ; and when religion takes q
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 posi-
ton, and large means, and cultured minds,
who, if they would come into the kingdom
of God, would set the city on fire with relig-
1Ous awakening. Oh, hear you not the more
than million voices OF those in these two
cities who are unconverted? Voices OF those
who in these two cities are dying in their
sins? They want light. They want bread
They want Christ They want heaven. On,
that the Lord would make you a flaming
evangel! AS for myself, I have sworn before
high heaven that I will preach this gospel as
well as [ can. in all its fulness, until every
fiber OF my body, and every faculty Of my
mind, and every expression of my soul is ex-
hausted. But we all have work to do. l
cannot do your work, nor can you do my
work. God points Us out the places where
we are to serve, and yet are there no 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 Equipment, Zone thing
thou lackest."
Again, you lack the element of personal
safety. Where are those people who asso-
ciated with You twenty years ago? Where
are those people that fifteen years ago used
to cross South ferry OF Fulton ferry with
you to New York? Walk down the street
where you were in business fifteen years ago
and see how all the signs have changed.
Where are the people gone? How many of
them are landed in eternity cannot say but
many, many. went to the village OF my
boyhood. The houses were all changed. I
passed one house in which once resided a man
who had lived an earnest, useful life, and he
is in glory now. In the nellt house lnlser
lived. He devoured widows houses, and
spent his whole life in trying to make the
good man and the miser both gone to the
same place. All, did they go to tire same
place? 1t is an infinite absurdity to suppose
them both in the same place. IT the miser
had a harp, what tune did he play on it?
Oh, my friends, I commend you to this re
igion as the only personal safety! When
you die, where are you going to: When we
leave all these scenes, upon what scenes will
we enter? When we were on shipboard, and
we all felt that we must all go to the bottom.
was | right in saying to one next me: II
wonder if We will reach heaven if we do go
down tonight" Was | wise or unwise IN
asking that question? [ tell you that man is
fool who never thinks of the great future.
II you pay your money you take a receipt
If you buy land you record the deed. Why?
Because everything is so uncertain, you
want it down in black and white, you say.
For house and lot twenty-five feet front by
one hundred feet deep all security; but for a
soul vast as eternity nothing, nOthlngl II
some man or woman standing in some of
these aiSleS should drop down, where would
you go to? Which is your destiny? Suppose
man Is prepared for the future world, what
difference does it make to him whether he
goes TO his nome to-day or goes into glory?
off. Where he had one JOY on earth he will
have q million in heaven. When he has a
small sphere here he will have grand
sphere there. Perhaps it would cost YOU
sixty, or one hundred, or one hundred and
fifty dollars to have your physical life in
Sured, and yet free of charge [ offer you in
surance on your immortal life, payable not
at your decease, but now and tomorrow and
every day and always.
My hope in Christ is not so bright as manv
Christians [ know, but would not give i
up for the whole universe, in one cash pay-
ment, 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 have
been assailed, it has been so much rest to me
when have been perplexed, and it is around
my heart such an lncaSement Of satisfaction
and blessedness that can stand here before
God and say: Take away my health, take
away my life, take everything rather than
rob me of this hope, this plain, simple hope
which have in Jesus Christ, my Lord. I
must have this robe when the last chill
strikes through me. l must have this light
when all other lights go out in the blast that
comes up from the cold Jordan. I must
have this sword with which to fight my way
through all those foes on my way heaven
ward"
When 1 was in London I saw there the
wonderful armor OF Henry VIII and Ed
ward III. And yet I have to tell you that
there is nothing in chain mail or brass ,plate
or gauntlet or halberd that makes a man SO
safe as the armor in which tho Lord God
clothes His dear children. Oh, 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
Oiden times the horseuen used to ride into
battle with lifted lances, and the enemy fed
the field. The Lord the white horse of
victory and with lifted lancaS of divine