Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1892-10-14


hainer. Here and tn ere there a-e streams
OF water melting into the river, like smaller
joys swallowed In the bosom o. great
gladness.
And when night begins TO throw its black
mantle over the shoulder of the hills. and
you ara approaching Decentralization a.
MayenCa the lights along the shore fairly
bewitch The scene with their beauty, giving
one thrill that he feels but once, yet that
lasts him forever. So this river of Gods
word is not straight stream, but winding
spleudor-at every turn new wonders 70 at
tract, still ripper vintage pressing TO the brink
and crowded with castles of strength-Sooiz-
shfs2s and JohannsOerger as nothing COM
pared with the strong tower into which the
righteous run and are saved-and our dIsen:-
barkation at last in the evening amid the
lights that CLEAN from the shore OF heaven.
The trouble is that the vast ma jority o. Bible
voyages stop at CoblentZ, wnere the CHIEF
CORES begin.
ire sea OF Cots Wor1 is not like Cen
nessaret Twelve miles by six, bus bound
less ana In any one direction you can sail
on forever Why then confine yourself TO
a short psalm or to few verses or an
epistle? The largest fish are not near the
shore. Hoist all sail to the WINS OF heaven.
Take hold OF both oars and pull away. Be
like some Of the whalers that vent out from
New Bedford or Portsmouth to be gone for
two or three years. Yea, calculate on
lifetime voyage. You do not want to land
until you land in heaven. Sail away, ye
mariners, for eternity! Launch out into
the deepi
The text is appropriate to all Christians OF
shallow experience. Doubts and fears have
in our day been almost elected to the parlia-
ment Of Christian graceS. Some consider it
a bad sign not TO have any doubts. Doubts
and fears are not signs of health, but testers
and carbuncles. You nave valuable house
or farm. 1t is suggested that the title Is
not good. You employ counsel. You have
the deeds examined You search the record
for mortgages, judgments and liens. You
are not satisfied until you have certlhc tie,
signed by the great seal Of the State. assur-
ing you that the title is good. Yet how many
leave their title to heaven an Undecided mat
ter! Why do you not 60 to the records AMI
find out? Give yourself no rest, day or night,
until you can read your title clear TO man-
sions in the skies.
Christian character is to come up to high
err Standards We have now to hunt
through our library to find one Robert
MCheyne, or one Edward Payson, Or one
Harlan Page. The time will come when we
will find half a dozen of them sitting in the
same seat with US. The grace OF God can
make a great deal better men than those [
have mentioned. Christians seem afraid
they will get aeterodox by going too far
They do not believe in Christian perfection.
There is no danger of your being perfect for
some time vet. I will keep watch and give
y WV
lection for the safety OF your theology.
One-haif of you Christians are simply
stuck in the mud. Whv not cut loose from
everything but God? Give not TO Him that
Lord" this and 80 Lord" that. When peo-
pie are cold and have nothing to say to God
they strew their prayers with ''Os' and
Forever and ever, Amen" and things to
fill up. Tell God what you want with the
feeling that He is ready to give it. and be-
hat ol,on
have it. Shed that old prayer you have
been making these ten years It is high
time that you outgrew it. Throw it aside
with your old ledgers. and your old hats,
and your old shoes. Take review of your
present wants, of your present sins and of
your present blessings. With sharp blade
cut away your past half and half Christian
life, and with new determination, and new
plans, and new expectations launch out into
the deep.
The text is appropriate to all the unfor-
given. Every sinner would come to God if
he thought he might come just as he is.
People talk as though the pardon of God
were a narrow river, like the Kennebec or
much water to enter it. No: it is not river
nor bay but a sea. I should like to per-
suade you to launch out into the great deep
of Gods mercy. / am a merchant. I have
bought cargo of spices in India. have,
through bill of exchange, paid for the
whole cargo. You are snip captain I
give you the orders and saw, 'tBring me
those Spices" You land in India. You go
to the trader and say, Here are the ORDERS"
and you lind everything all right. You do
not stop to pay the money yourself. 1t is
not your business to pay it. The arrange
ments were made before you started. So
Christ purchases your pardon. He puts the
papers, or the promises, into your hand. Is
1t wise to stop and say, Il cannot pay for
my redemption" God does not ask you to
lay. Relying on what has been done, launch
out into the deep.
The Bibles promises join hands, and the
circle they make will compass all your sins,
and all your temptations, and all your sor-
rows The round table of King Arthur and
his knights had room for only thirteen ban
queters, but the round table Of God's supply
is large enough for all the present inhabit~
ants of earth aud heaven to sit at, and for
the still mig hitter populations that are yet to
be.
Do not sail coastwise along your old habits
and Old sins. Keep clear OF the shore. Go
out where the water is deeDest. Oh, tor the
mid sea of God S mercy! "Be it known unto
you, men and brethren, that through this
Man is preached unto you forgiveness Of
SINS" preach it with as much confidence
to the eighty-y ear-old transgressor as to the
maiden. Though your sins were blood red
they shall be snow white. The more ragged
the prodigal, the more compassionate the
Father. Do you say that you are too bad?
The high water mark of Coils pardon is
higher than all your transgressions. The
blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sim"
Do you say that your heart is hard? Sup
pose 1t were ten times harder. Do you say
that your iniquity is long continued? Sup
pose it were ten times longer. Do you say
that your crimes are black? Suppose that
they were ten times blacker. Is there any
lion that this Samson cannot say? Is there
any fortress that this Conqueror cannot
fq Il sin hot