Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1892-11-11

OF Cn6 Cnurcl EnillL4uC, no" OF c9urca
triumphant! So poor is thu type OF piety in
the church of God now tia men actually
caricatura the idea that there Is any such
thing as a higher life. moles never did be-
Heve in eagles But my brethren, because
we have not reached these heights ourselves.
such heights?
A man was once talking to Brunal the
famous engineer, about the length OF tho
railroad from London to Bristol. The en-
gineer said: 1T is not very great. We
shall b ave after a while a steamer running
from England 70 New York" They laughed
him to scorn but we havs gone so far now
that we have ceased to laugh az any
thing as impossible for human achievement.
Then, / ask is anything impos sible for the
Lord? do not believe that God exhausted
all His graca in Paul and Latimer and Ed
ward Payson. I believe there higher
points Of Christian attainment TO be reached
In the future ages Of the Christian world.
You tell nue. that Paul went W TO the
tipto2 OF the Alps of Christian attainment.
Then tell you that the stork and crane
have found above the Alps plenty OF room
for free flying. We go out and we con-
quer our temptations by the grace of God
and lie down. On the morrow those tempta-
tons rally themselves aud attack US, and
by the grace of God we defeat them again;
but staying all the time in the old encamp-
ment we have the same old battles to figlt
over. Why not whip out our temptations
and then forward march. making one raid
through the enemy's country, stopping
not until we break rank after the last vic
tory?
DO, my brethren, let US have soma novelty
Of combat at any rate by changing, by 60
ing on, by making advancement, trading
of our stale prayers about sins We ought TO
have q1it long ago, going on toward high
er state of Christian character, and routing
out sins that we have never thought OF yet.
The fact is. if the church OF God,
lie we as individuals made rapid advance
ment in the Christian life, these stereotyped
prayerswe have been making for ten or fifteen
years would be as Inappropriate to US as thu
shoes, and the hats, aad the coats We wore
ten or fifteen years ago. On, for higher
fight in the Christian life-;h9 s5orG ami
the crane in their migration teac hing 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 great:
Again, remark tina the birds Of the air
are wiser than we, because they know when
to start. Ii you should go out now and
shout, Stop storks and cranes; don't be in
a hurryr' they would say: mo, cannot
stop; last nig Mt we heard the roaring in
the woods bidding US away. and the shrill
flute Of thu north wind 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
a 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.
Ga, that we were as wise about the best
time to start foc God and heaven! We say:
~ ait until il is a little later in the season
o. mercy. Wait until some Of these green
| leaves OF hope are all dried up and have
been scattered. Wait until next year.
After awhile start and it is too
late. and we perish in the way when
Coos wrath is kindIed but 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 have per-
Ished 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 miles
| hour, and they came to the bridge and the
''1rAw was up and they went down. How
| long TO repAnt and pray? Two seconds!
| Two seconds! To do the work OF lifetime
| and to prepare for the vast eternity in two
| seCOn Is,
was reading OF an entertainment given
in 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 Familiarity looked
over his shoulder and said: What are you
/
| And Mozart put his hand on his brow,
much as to say, II am improvising." 1t
was very we'll for him, but oh, my friends,
we ca mot extemporize heaven! If we do
| not get prepared in this world, will
! never take part in the orchestral harmonies
| Of the saved Ga, that we were wise
| the crane and the stork, flying away, flying
| away from 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, and know
you are not happy. There are voices within
| your soul that will not be silenced, telling
| you that you are sinners and that without
| the pardon of God you are undone forever.
| What are you going to do, my friends, with
| the accumulated transg reSSionS OF this life
| time? Will you stand still and let the ava
| Ianche tumble over you? On, that you
| would go away into the warm heart of Gods
mercy! The southern grove, redolent wit
| magnolia and cactus, never waIte1 for
northern focks as God has waited for you,
! saying 81 have loved thee with an ever
| lasting love. Come unto Me, all ye who
j are weary and heavy laden, and l will give
you rest"
| Another frost is bidding you await is
the frost Of sorrow. Where do you live now?
"Oh, u you say, Il have moved" Why did
you move? You say, II dcS't want as
large a house now as formerly" Why
do you not want as large house? You
say, MY family is not SO large
Where have they gone? ITO eternity"
Your mind goes back through that last
| sickness, and through the almost super
natural effort to save life, and through those
| prayers that seemed unavailing, and through