Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1892-03-17

| w ~ CONSEQUENCE Oh over
| work oy voyage across the sea, or sal
IN a summer yacht or call on physician:
| 1or reheI from insomnia, or restoration 0.
unstrung nerves, or the arrest Of apoplex
les, when all they need is what this giant
OF my text resorted to-an iron bedstead
Let no one think because he has great length
| OF body or mind that he can afford TO trift
with his unusual gifts. The commercial
world, the literary world, the artistic world
the political world, the religious world, are
! air the time aquake with the crash of fall
| ing giants. King Og. no doubt, had 9
throne, but the Bible never mentions his
! throne. King Og,,do doubt. had crown,
but the BLDG never mentions his crown.
| King Og, no doubt, had sceptre, but the
| Bible does not mention his sceptre Yet,
one OF the largest verses in the Bible is
taken up IN describing his beastead So
| God, all up and down the bible honors
sleep. Adam, with his head on pillow of
| Edenlc roses, has his slumber blest by a
divine git OF beautiful companionship.
Jacob, with his head on pillow of rock,
has his sleep gloritied with ladder filed
with descending and ascending angels.
Christ with pillow made out of the
| toIded-up coat OF n fisherman, honors slum-
Der IN the back part of the storm-tossed
boat The only case of accident to sleep
mentioned in the Bible was when Eutychus
1eu from window during a sermon of
Paul, who had preached until midnight, but
that was not so much q condemnation of
sleep as censure Of long sermons. More
sleep Is what the world wants. Economic
IN everything but sleep. William II.
Seward, the renowned secretary OF state, in
the midst of his overmasteri1g tolls hinged
Tor the capacity to rest, writing in his
memorandum book: II have never found
but one invaluable recipe for having a good
nights rest, and that is TO have been rest
less and sleepless the night before"
When President John Quincy Adams and
the distinguished Josiah Quincy went to
hear Judge Story lecture on law to his stu
dents, and, when invited TO sit beside the
judge and both fell asleep, the Judge
appropriately pointed to them and said TO
his students: "BehOld the evil effects of
early rising" In Bible times, when people
arose at the voice of the bird. they retired
at the time the bird put his mead under his
wing. One of our national sins is robbery
of sleep. Walter Scott was so urgent
about this duty of slumber that when ar
arriving AT a hotel where there was no
room to sleep in, except that in which
there was a corpse, inquired if the de-
CSised had died of 4 contagious disease,
and, when assured he had not took the
other bed in the room and fell into pro-
foundest slumber. Those of small endur-
ance must certainly require rest, if even tho
giant needs an iron bedstead.
Notice Furthermore that Gods people on
the way to Canaan need not be surprised if
uthey confront some sort of giant. Had
not the Israelitish host had trouble enough
already2 Mol Red sea not enough. Water
famine not enough. Long marches not
enough. Opposition by enemies of ordinary
stature not enough. They must meet Og,
the giant of the iron beGstead. mine Gu
bits was the length thereof and four cubits
the breadth of it, Why not let these
Israelites go smoothly into Canaan without
10 T,ti1 4t,av "a
to have their courage and faith further
tested and Developed And blessed the man
who in our time in his march toward the
promised land does not meet more than one
giant. Do not conclude that you are not on
the way to Canaan because of this obstacle.
As well might the Israelites conclude they
were not on the way to the promised land
because they met Og, the giant
Standing in your way is some evil pro-
pensity, some social persecution, some busi-
ness misfortune, some physical distress.
Not one of you but meets a giant who
would like to hew you in twain. Higher
than eleven feet this Og darkens the sky
But you are going to get the victory, as
did the Israelites. In the name of the God
OF Moses and David and Joshua and Paul,
charge on him, and you will leave his car
cass in the wilderness. You want battle
shout! Take that with which David, the
when that giant cried, with singing con-
tempt both in manner and intonation
Come to me, and l will give thy flesh unto |
the fowls of the air and to the beasts of |
the field" and David looked up at the mon
ster Of braggadocip and defantly replied: |
"Thou contest to me with sword and with |
O spear and with shield, but come to |
thee in the name of the Lord
of Hosts, the God Of the armies |
of Israel, whom thou hast defied. |
This day will the Lord deliver thee unto |
mine hand, and will smite thee and take |
thine head from thee, and l will give the |
of the host of the Philistines this
day unto the fowls of the air and to the |
wild beasts of the earth that all the earth |
may know that there is God in Israeli
Then David, with probably three swirls of |
the sling about his head, got it into suffi-
Gent momentum and let fly until Hthe era
mum OF the giant broke inland he fell, and
David leaped on his carcass, one foot on his |
chest and the other on his head, and that |
was the last of the Philistine But be sure
you get the right battle shout and that you |
utter it with the right spirit, or o. will
roll over YOU as easily as at night he rolled |
into the iron bedstead.
Brethren, have made up my mind that
we will have to fight all the way up to the
promised land. fused to think that after
q while 1 would get into a time where it
would be smooth and easy, but the time
does not come, and it will never come in
This world. By the time King Og is used
up so that he cannot get into his iron bed
stead, some other giant of opposition looms
lp to dispute our way. Let as stop looking
,or an easy time and make it thirty years
war, or a sixuy years war, or a hundred
rears war, if we live so long.
Must I be carried to the skies
On fowery BEDS OF ease,
While others fought to win the prize,
And sailed through bloody seasy
Do you know the name of the biggest
rant that you can possibly meet--and you
sill meot him. He is not eleven feet high
nut 100 feet high. His bedstead is as long
S the continent. His name is Doubt. His
ommon food is infidel books and skeptical
ectures and ministers who do not know
whether tho Bible is inspired at all or in.
pired in spots, and Christians who are
more ipfidel than Christian. You viii mover
each the promised land unless you slay
hat giant Kill Doubt or Doubt will kill
on. How to overcome this giant? Pray
or faith, so with people who have faith,
cad everything that encourages faith,
void as you would ship fever and smallpox
be people who lack faith In this battle
gainSt King Og use not for weapons the |
rutch of 4 limping Christian or the sharp
en- Of a controversialist but the sword of
ruth, which is the word of God
The word "If'' is made up of the same
uni Der of letters as the word t'Og,n and it
just as big 4 giant. If the Bible be true
3 ., ,r,n 49,, s4D -