Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1892-02-11

Of all nchle people II the world fortune
is the most fclNle. Every day she changes
her mind, and woe TO that man who puts
any confidence In what she promises or
proposes She cheers when you go up and
she laughs when you come down. On,
trust not moment your hearts affections
to this changeable world. Anchor your
soul in God. From Christ's love gather
your joy. Then come sorrow or gladness,
success or defeat, riches or poverty, honor
or disgrace, health or sickness, life or
death time or eternity. all ara yours and We
are Christ's and Christ's is Gods.
Learn also from my subject the comfort
ing truth that Affections are arrested as
soon as they have accomplished their mis-
sion. For seven years did observation-disclosures
dwell among the beasts of the field, but, at
the expiration Of that time. his reason re-
turned, and, as soon as with proper humil
ity he acknowledged the God of heaven. he
was brought back TO his palace and rein
stated in MS former affiueHce aud power.
Now, 1t does seem that when heavy trials
come upon US, it is as though they had no
limit. We exciaim: "All thy waves and
thy pillows have gone over me, y but forget
that the depth of that sea and the power of
that billow are definitely determined God
sees how much our pride is and he sends
just enough adversely 10 humble it. He
sees just how worldly minded we are and
pulls Us Just hard enough to detach US from
our foElies.
He sees how hard our heart is and smites
just hard enough to break it He sees how
our eyes have been blinded and he cuts
only Just enough TO remove the scales from
our spiritual vision. As soon as AbrahaIn's
faith is sufficiently tried the lamb is pro-
Yided. As soon as Pharaoh consents to let
the chilGren Of Israel depart, the plaques
pause. As soon as the ISraeliteS have been
sufficiently disciplined by their wanderings,
-hov- sd = .,s,, o. De- =
some the limit is not set in this life. Their
whole pilgrimage is through the wilderness
and the world Is to them valley of tears.
But, perhaps, God has . special throne in
heaven that no ordinary saint can occupy.
and by extraordinary trials ne has prepared
that Christian soul for extraordinary glory.
God viii not keep you in the furnace one
moment too long. Just as soon as Paul had
met with enough Imprisonment and scourg-
ings he reached up and plucked his eternal
crown God viii keep US no longer under
the hammer and on the stocks than is nee
essary to fit US for entrance into the haven
of eternal rest. Glory be to the divine
grace that, as soon as our affections have
accomplished their mission, they are ar
rested.
The defeats and sorrows of life have
sometimes been the greatest advantage. 1t
was because Dante failed IS statesman
that he gave up politics, and wrote his i'm
mortal Divina COmmedia. 1t was a violent
thunder storm that first set Martin Luther
seriously thinking, and the thunder of this
worlds disaster has started many q refor-
nation. James Y. Simpson went from a
surgeons operating table to experiment
and see If he could not find something that
would alleviate human pain, and he kept on
until he had discovered chlOEoform as an
anasthetic, and the story of distress has al
most always been followed by the story OF
rescue. For many years after Shake
speare's death his work was so little ap-
preciated that in 1866 there was only one
edition of his works, and that of only 300
copies in existence, and that edition was
nearly all burned in the great London fire
But forty-eight copies had been sold out of
the city and those fOrty-eight copies saved
for all nations, and all time.
Your suppression On a smaller scale may
last good while, but for all you are worth
you will yet shine out on earth or in
heaven.
Again, learn from my subject that con-
lected with the most distressing judgments
Of God there are displays of divine mercy.
God might justly have left Nebuchadnezzar
N the field, but infinite compassion brought
aim back TO the palace. No sooner was
Eden blasted than blessing followed on
The heels of the curse promising the coming
If enc WHO would destroy sin and make the
whole world paradise. The deluge de-
sends, but not until Noah had invited the
people into the ark. The destroying angel
comes upon Egypt for the shifting of the
first born, but left unmolested every house
whose door was sprinkled with the blood of
sacrifice. Fiery tempests bear down upon
Sodom, but not until two angels have
warned Lot and his family to fee from the
destruction. Jerusalem was utterly de-
,troyed, but not until jeremiah had sounded
IN alarm, bidding them turn from their
Nominations.
On the darkest cloud of wrath there is a
rainbow of mercy. Zachariah in his pro-
ohetic vision beheld four chariots, sym
1oEcal of Gods government The first |
,hariot was drawn by red horses; they in |
Heated the wars that were coming. The |
econd chariot was drawn by black horses; |
hey indicated the coming of q famine and |
'estilence. The third chariot was drawn |
" white horses; they indicated the spotIess |
purity Of his conquests. But mark well |
hat the fourth chariot was drawn by horses
'grisled and bay" denoting that mercy was |
mixed with all the desolating judgments of |
Tod. Sinai cannot thunder so loud as TO /
brown the invitations of Calvary. The
4ord utters the admonition, 1.-The wages of |
in is death" but exhaustless mercy re-
ponds: Deliver him from going down
o the pit, for I have found ransom"
Tide thee quick il the rock Christ Jesus
Let not this insignificant ''now" absorb
hee more than the great hereafter. The
ath leading to this side of the grave Is only
few furlongs, but the path which COM
1ences at the other side of it is without
nd.
The powers of darkness gather about
our soul, and the temptations of an evil
cart, and the allurements of the world l |
now are trying to drown the voice of the
reacher. but, taking hold of the silver
trumpet of the gospel which made Felix
remble, and at the Pentecost brought
hree thousand souls out of their sepulchre,
would blow one long, loud blast, crying: !
Whosoever will, let him come"
Take this goodly religion which has done
D much for me that l can commend it to |
L. Without I should have gone the whole
ownward career. Stolid and phlegmatic
atures going astray do not go so far, but
atureS like mine, sanguine, intense, emo
onal, optimistic, social TO the last degree,
nd echoing to all the heights and depths of
firth, if they get off track, they go with
ne wild leap to he'll. As to the restraining
over of this religion upon mercuriaI
smperament, 1 testify. This is not alb
traction or something gotten from books.
speak of what 1 know. Go out and ask
L who have tried this religion and ask
lem how IL works. Three young men in
ictory came out on the Lords side, but
yo of them, overcome by the ieers of
leir comrades, went back and joined the
OFFERS.
The one held on to his Christian hope, and
ne day when they pressed him hard, and
ere telling how much iRfdelity had done
" the world, and that Christianity had |
1ne nothing, the prosecuted Christian !
lrned upon them, and pointing to Henry