Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1892-03-10
and sharpl You viii be cursed to the hone

better coming. Ii there be any here who
have gone far on without Christ, / address
you deferentialy. You have found this a
tough world for old people. Alasi to have
aches and pains and no Christ to soothe
them. want TO give you cane better
than that you lean on. 1t is the cane that
the Bible speaks OF when it says, seThy rod
and thy staff, they comfort me.n I want to
give you better spectacles than those YOU
now look through. 1t is the spiritual eve
that you are in the way Does your head
tremble with the palsy of old ageg Lay it
on Christ's bosom. Do you feel lonely now
that your companions and children are
gomez think Christ has them. They are
safe in his keeping Very soon he will take
you where they are. take hold of your
arm and try to lead you to a place where
you can put down all your burden. Go
with me.
Only little while longer, and your sight
will come again, and your hearing will
come again, and with the strength of an
immortal athlete. you will step on the
pavement of heaven. No crutches in
cross looks for old people. Dwelling there
for ages, no one will say, Father, you
know nothing about this; step back; YOU
are in the wayIp Oh, how many dear old
folks Jesus has put to sleeu! How sweetly
he has closed their eyes! How gently
folded their arms How he has put his
hand on their silent hearts and said, Crest
now. tired pilgrim. 1t is all over. The
tears will never start again. Hush hushl,
So he gives his beloved sleep. 1 think the
most beautiful object on earth is an old
Christisn-the hair white, not with the
frosts Of winter, but the blossoms of the
tree of life. I never ofeel sorry for
Christian old man. Why feel sorry for
those upon whom the glories of the eternal
world are about to burst2 They are going
to the goodly cedar. Though their wings
are heavy with age, Cop shall renew their
their strength like the eagle, and they shall
make their nest in the cedar 'tAll fowl Of
every wing.p
Again: The very bad, the outraeeously
sinful may come. Men talk of the grace Of
God as though it were so many yards long
and so many yards deep. People point to
the dying thief as an encouragement to the
sinner. How much better it would be to
point to our own case and say. IF God
saved US, he can save anybody" There
may be those here who never had one
earnest word said to them about their souls.
Consider me as putting my hand on your
shoulder and looking in your eye. God has
been good to you. You ask, GLOW do you
know that? He has been very hard on
me-" Where did you come 4rom?"
Home Then you have hom& Have
you ever thanked God for your honI Have
thanked God for your children2 Web keeps
them safer Were you ever sick?' Eyes"
"Who made you well2 Have you Men fed
every day? VINO feeds you? Mt your
hand on your pulse. Who makes itthrobl
Listen TO the respiration of your lungs.
Who helps you to breathe2 Have you a
Bible in the house, spreading before you
the future life! Who gave you that Bible2''
Oh it has been story of goodness and
mercy all the way through You have
been one of Gods pet children. Who
fondled you, and caressed you and loved
you? And when you went astray and
wanted to come back, did he ever refusel
l know OF a father who, after his son came
back the fourth time, said No: l for
gave you three times, but l will never for
give you again. And the son went OF and
died. But God takes back his children the
thousandth time as cheerfully as the first
AS easily as with my handkerchief 1 strike
the dust of a book, God will wipe out all
your sins.
There are hospitals for ''incurables.
When men are hopelessly sick, they are
sent there. Thank God there is no hos
pital for spiritual iucurables. Though you
had the worst leprosy that ever struck
soul, your flesh shall come again like the
flesh of a little child. o, this mercy of
God! 1 am told it is an ocean. Then 1
place on it four swift-sailing craft with
compass, and charts, and choice rigging,
and skilful navigators, and l tell them to
launch away, and discover for me the ex-
tent of this ocean. That craft puts out in
one direction, and sails to the north; this
craft to the south; this to the east; this to
the west. They crowd on all their canvas,
and sail 10000 years, and one day come up
the harbor of heaven and shout to them
from the beach, Have you found the
shore2" and they answer, mo shore to
Gods mercy!' Swift angels, dispatched
from the throne, attempt to 60 across it,
For million years they fly and fly, but
then come back and fold their wings at the
foot of the throne, and cry, mo shore! no
shore to Gods mercy?"
Mercyl Mercy Mercy! I sing it. I
preach it. 1 pray it. Here l find man
bound hand and foot to the devil, but with
one stroke of the hammer of Gods truth
the chains fall OF and he is free forever.
Mercy Mercy! Mercyl There is no depth
it cannot fathom, there is no height it can
not scale, there is no lninlty it cannot
compass. take my stand under this goodly
cedar and see the fiocks flying thither. They
are torn with the shot of temptation, and
wounded. and sick and Scared. Some
fought with iron beak, some once Toasted
on carcasses, some were fierce of eye and
cruel of talon, but they came, flock after
flock-''all fowl of every wing"
Again, all the dying will find their nest
in this goodly cedar. 1t is cruel to destroy
birds nest, but death does not hesitate to
destroy one. There was beautiful nest in
the next street. Lovingly the parents
brooded over it. There were two or three
little robins in the nest. The scarlet fever
thrust its hot hands into the nest, and the
birds are gone. Only those are safe who
have their nests in the goodly cedar. They
have over them ''the feathers of the Al
mightn Oh, to have those soft, warm,
eternal wings stretched over US! Let the
storms beat, and the branches of the cedar
toss on the wind-no danger. When storm
cones, you can see the birds flying to the
woods. Ere the storm of death comes
down, let US fly to the goodly cedar.
OF what great varieties Heaven will be
made upI There come men who once were
hard and cruel and desperate in wicked
ness, yet now, soft and changed by grace,
they come into glory: ''All fowl of every
wing" And here they come, the children
who were reared in loving home-circles,
fiocking through the gates of life: can
fowl of every wingn These were white,
and came from Northern homes; these were
black, and assembled from Southern planta-
tions; these were copper-colorod, and went
up from Indian reservations: '.AIl fowl of
every wingn So God gathers them up, 1t
is astonishing how easy it is for good soul
to enter heaven. a prominent business
man in Philadelphia went home one after
noon. lay down on the lounge, and said, sit
is time for me to 60" He was very aged
His daughter said to him, "Are you sick?"
He said; ''No; but it is time for me to go.
Have John put it in two OF the morning pa
DerS. that nv friends NAV know that I am