The Opelousas courier., 1892-12-31

of combat at any rate by changing, Dy go
ing on, by making advancement, trading
off { If stale prayers about sins we ought TO
have quit long ago, going on toward a high
er state Of Christian character, n routing
out sins that we have never thought Of yet.
The fact is, if the church OF God,
il we, as individuals, made rapid advance
ment in the Christian life, these stereotyped
prayerswe nave been making for ten or fifteen
years would be as inappropriate to us as the
shoes, and the hats, au1 the coats we wore
ten or fifteen years ago. On, for a higher
flight in the Christian life-0ha stork and
the crane in their migration teaching US the
lesson!
Dear Lord, and shall we ever live,
At this poor dying rate
Our love SO faint, so cold to Thee,
And Thine to US so great?
Again, I remark that the birds of the air
are wiser than we, because they know when
to start. 1t you should go out now and
shout, stop storks and cranes; don't be in
q hurryP' they would say: "No, we cannot
stop; last night we heard the roaring In
the woods bidding US away, and the shrlll
flute of the north wine has sounded the
retreat. We must go. We must 60"
So they gather themselves into companies,
and turning not aside from storm or noun
tain top or shock of musketry, over land and
sea. straight as an arrow to the mark they
go. And if YOU come out this morning with
q sack of corn AMI throw it in the fields and
try to get them to stop. they are so far up
they would hardly see it. They are on their
way south. You could not stop them.
o.. that we were as wise about tle best
time to start for God and heaven! We say:
"Wait until it is a little later in the season
of mercy. Wait until some of these green
leaves of hope are all dried up and nave
been scattered. Wait until next year.
After awhile we start, AMI it is too
late. and we perish in the way when
Gods wrath is kindled but a. little. There
are, you know, exceptional cases where
birds have started too late, and in the
morning you have found them dead on the
snow. And there are those who nave per-
lshed half way between the world and
Christ. They waited until the last sick
ness, when the mind was gone, or they were
on the express train going at forty mies an
hour, and they came to the bridge aud the
draw was up" and they went down. How
long to repent and pray? Two seconfs!
Two seconds To do the work Of a lifetime
and to prepare for the vast eternity in two
seconds!
l was reading Of an antartainnent aivan
in a kings court, and there were musicians
there with elaborate pieces of music.
After awhile Mozart came AMI began to
play, and he had a blank piece OF paper be-
fore him, and the king famitiarly lookel
over his shoulder ana said What are you
playing? / see no music before you"
And Mozart put his han on his brow, as
much as to say, II am improvising." 1t
was very well for him, but oh, my friends,
we cannot e~xtemporizs heaven! II we do
not get prepared in this world, we will
never take part in the orchestral harmonies
of the saved. o., that we were as wise as
the crane, md the stork, flying away, flying
away FRI ! the tempest!
Some OF you have felt the pinching frost
of sin. You feel it to-day. You are not
happy. | look into your faces, aud l know
you are not happy There are voices within
your soul that will not be silenced, telling
rou that you are sinners. and that without
the pardon of God you are undone forever.
What are you going to do, my frlen is, with
the accumulated transgressions of this he
time? Will you stand still and let the ava
lanche tumble over you? Oh, that you
would go away into the warm heart of Cots
mercy! The southern grove, redolent with
magnolia and cactus, never waited for
northern hocks as God has waited for you,
saying II have loved thee with an ever
lasting love. Come unto Ne. all ye who
are weary and heavy laden, AMI l will give
you rest"
Another frost is bidding o await is
the frost of sorrow. Where do you live nov?
"Oh," you say, Il have moved" = Why did
you mover You say, II don't want as
large a house now as formerly" Why
do you not want as large a house? You
say, MY family is not SO large"
Where have they gone? 10 eternity
sickness, and through the almost super
natural effort to save life, and through those
prayers that scanned unavailing, and through
that kiss which received no response because
the lips were lfeless, and I hear the bells
tolling and hear the hearts breaking-Whiie
I speak / hear them break. A heart! An
other heartt Alone, alone, alone!
This world, which in your girlhooo and
boyhood was sunshine, is cold now, and Oh,
| weary dove, you fly around this world as
though you would like to stay, when the
wind, and the frost, and the blackening
ciou1s would bid you away into the heart
OF an all comforting God! Oh, ! have no
ticed again and again what a botch this
world makes of it when it tries to comforta
soul in troubled It says, Don't cryP How
can we help crying when the hearts treas
ures are scattered, and father is gone, and
mother is gone, and companions are gone,
and the child is gone and everything seems
gone?
It is no comfort to tell a mar not to cry.
The world comes up and says. sOh. 1t Is
only the body of your loved one that you
have put in the groundF' But there is no
comfort in that. That body is precious.
Shall We never put our hands in that hand
again, and shall we never see that sweet
face againi Away with your heartles :
ness. oh, world! But come, Jesus, and tell
us that when the tears fall they fall into
Gods bottle; that the dear bodies of our
loved ones shall rise radiant in the resurrec-
ton. and all the breakings down here shall
be lifted up there, and ''they shall hunger
no more, neither thirst no more, neither
shall the sun light on them, nor any neat,
for the Lamb which is in the midst OF the
throne shall lead them to living fountains
of water. and God shall wipe all tears from
their eyes"
You may have noticed that when thu
chafinch. or the storS, or the crane start:
on its migration it calls all those of its kind
to come too. The tree tops are full OF chirp
and whistle and carol and the long roll call.
The bird does not start off alone. 1t gather;
all of its kind. oh, that you might be as WIS
in this migration to heaven, AMI that YOU
might gather all your families and you
friends with you'll | would that HANNAH
might take Samuel by the hand, and Abra
ham might take Isaac, and Hagar Nigh
take Ishmael.
Start for heaven yourself and take you
children with you. Come b Q and all Tn.
house into the ark. Tell your little ones tina
there are realms Of balm and sweetness 10
all those who fly in the right direction
Swifter than eagles stroke put out TO
heaven. Like the crane or the stork, sto
not night nor day until you find the RICH
place for stopping.
To-day the Saviour calls,
Ye wanderers come.
Oh. we b~enighted souls,
Why longer roam:
The Spirit calls to-day,
Yield 10 his power.
Oh, grieye him not away,
Ills mercy's hour
~ 49,