The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1891-02-18

but nobody has any idea that they are
happy.
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 will
ing to testify on our side. It was not
long ago that an aged man arose in q
praying circle, and said: Brethren, I
lost my son just as he graduated from
college, and it broke my heart; but l
am glad now he is gone. He is at rest,
escaped from all sorrows and all trou-
BILE. And then, in 1857, l lost all my
property, and you see am getting old,
and 1t is rather hard upon me; but
l am sure God will not let me
suffer. He has not taken care Of
me for seventy-ive years now to let
me drop out of his hands," I went
into the room Of an aged man-his
eye-sight nearly gone, his hearing nearly
gone-and what do yor suppose he was
talking about? The goodness of God
and the Joy Of religion. He sad: ~
would like to 60 over and Join my wife
on the other side Of the hood, and am
waiting until the Lord calls me-. 81 am
happy now. shall be happy there"
What is it that gave that ags,d man 80
much satisfaction and pea e: Physical
exuberance? No; it has all gone. Sum
shine? He can not see it. The voice 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 q harpist takes harp and finds that
all the strings are broken but one string,
he does not try to play on it. Yet
here I will show you an aged man, the
strings Of whose joy are all broken save
one, and yet he thrums it with such salts
faction, such melody, that the angels Of
God stop the swift stroke Of their wingr
and hover about the place until the
music ceases. o, religions "wsys are
ways Of pleasantness, 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 con-
centrated emphasis of my soul: "One
thing thou lackest."
Iremark again that you lack the ele-
ment OF usefulness. Where is your
business? You say it is No. 45 such a
street, or No. 800 such a street, or No.
800 such 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 great many noble things
You take loaf of bread to that starv.
ing man in the alley; but he wants i'm
mortal bread. You take pound Of
candles to that dark shanty. They want
the light 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 fight of an arrow
} depends very much upon the strength
of the bow, and have to tell you thai
the best bow that was ever made wa.
made out Of the cross of Christ; ant
} when religion takes soul and puts il
on that, and pulls it back and lets i
fly, every time it brings wn q sau
or Goliah. There IRE people 81 higl
: social position, and large means, ant
: cultured minds, who, if they would
come into the kingdom of God, would
set the city on fire with religious awak
| ening. Oh, hear you not the more thai
, million voices of those in these TIVE
! cities who are unconverted? Voices o
J those who in these two cities are dyini
, in their sins? They want light. The!
want bread. They want Christ. The.
want Heaven. Oh, that the Lord woul'
, make you a flaming evangel. AS TO
, myself, have sworn before high Heav
, en- that will preach this gospel as wei
/ as can, in all its fullness, until ever
} fiber of my body, and every faculty O
} my mind, and every passion of my soul
is exhausted. But we all have a worl
5 to do. / can not do your work, an
l you can not do my work. God point
: us out the place where we are to serve
i and yet are there not people in IT,;
= house who are 30, 40, so and 80 years G
1 age, and yet have not done the grea
e work for which they were created
S With every worldly equipment: ION
t thing thou lackest."
e Again, you lack the element of per
g sonal safety Where are those peopl
e who associated with you twenty year
a ago? where are those people that fl
d teen years ago, used to cross Sout
Il Ferry, or Fulton Ferry, with you t
y New York? Walk down the stree
a where you We're in business fiftee
y years ago, and see how all the sign
y have changed. Where are the peopl
+ gone? How many Of them are lande
): in eternity l can not say, but many
o many. Invent to the village of my DO,
: hood, The houses were all changed.
e passed one house in which once n
g sided a man who lived an earnest, us,
), full life, and he is in glory now.
l. the next house miser lived. He d.
u voured widows houses, and spent h
h whole life in trying to make til
e world worse and worse. And he
gone-the good man and the miser bot
It gone to the same place. All, did they G
e to the same place? 1t is an infinite al
It surdity to suppose them both in the sam
u place. If the miser had a harp, VIII;
l tune did he play on it? Oh my friend
y l commend to you this religion as tn
e only personal safety. When you di
l where are you going to? When W
q leave all these scenes, upon VIII;
} scenes will we enter? When we wei
u on shipboard, and we all felt that W
e must go to the bottom, was / right
o saying to one next me: 81 wonder if W
/, will reach Heaven if we go down t.
Or | ,,sfrl<ov W.. ,x,,.- -, 81