Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1892-08-05

II measure should come before Congress
that you thought would ruin the Nation,
how you woulI send in petitions and remon-
strances. And yet there has been enough
Tin in your heart TO ruin it forever, and you
have never demonstrated or petitioned
against it. If your physical health failed,
and you had the means, you would go and
spend the summer in Germany and the win
ter in Italy, and you would think it very
cheap outlay if you had 70 go all around the
earth TO get back your physical health.
Have you made any effort, any expenditure,
any exertion for your immortal and spiritual
health? No, yol have not taken one step.
Oh, that you might now begin to seek
after God with earnest prayer Some OF you
have been working for years and years for
the support of your famii les. Have you
given one-half day TO the working out OF
your saliva ton with fear and trembling?
You came here this morning with an earnest
purpose, I take it. as I have come hither
with an earnest purpose, and we meet face
want to find the Lord you must pray and
pray and pray.
l remark again you must seek the Lord
through Bible study. The Bible is the new
est book in the world. "Oh," you say, sit
was made hundreds of years ago, and the
learned men of King James translated it
hundreds of years ago" l confute that
1Q06 DIV Co1110R you IL Is nOb AV0 u1luUCeS C1Up
when God, by His blessed spirit, retranslates
1t into the heart. If you will, in the seek
ing of the way of life through Scripture
study, implore Gods light to fall upon the
page you will find that these promises are
not one second OLD and that they drop
straight from the throne of God into your
heart
There are many people to whom the Bible
does not amount to much. If they merely
look ar the N1fSiHo haantU whv If will No
more lead them to Christ than Washington's
farewell address or the Koran of Mahomet
or the Shaster of the Hindoos. It is the in
ward light Of Gods Word you must get or
die. went up to the church of the Made
leine in Paris al looked at the doors, which
were the most wonderfully constructed |
ever saw, and could have staid there for a
whole week; but had only little time, so.
having glanced at the wonderful carving on
the doors, passed in and looked at the "a.
diant affairs and the sculptured dome. Alas!
that so many stop at the outside door of
Gods holy Word, looking at the rhetorical
beauties, instead of going in and looking at
the affairs Of sacrifice and the dome of Gods
mercy and salvation that hovers over every
penltent and believing soul!
Oh, my friends, if you merely want to
study the laws Of language, do not go to the
Bible 1t was not made for that. Take
s'Howe's Elements of Criticism" It would
be better than the Bible for that. If you
want to study metaphysics, better than the
Bible will be the writings of William Hamil-
ton. But if you want to know how to have
sin pardoned and at last to gain the blessed
ness of heaven, search the Scriptures. for
In them We have eternal life"
When people are anxious about their souls
and there are sore here to-day-there are
those who recommend good books. That is
Bible is the best book under such circum-
stances. Baxter wrote "a Call to the Un-
converted" but the Bible is the best call to
the unconverted. Philip Doddridge wrote
''The Rise and Progress of Religion In the
Soul - but the Bible is the best rise and pro-
gress. John Angel James wrote ADVICE
to the Anxious Inquirer" but the Bible Is
the best advice to the anxious inquirer.
Oh, the Bible is the very book you need,
anxious and inquiring soul! A dying soldier
said to his mate 'Comrade, give me
dropr' The comrade shook up the canteen
canteen." oh" said the dying soldier,
ssthat's not what I want feel in my KNAPP
sack for my Bible" And his comrade found
the Bible and read him few of the gracious
that's what I want. There isn't anything
like the Bible for dying soldier, is there
nv comrade:' Oh, blessed book while we
live Blessed book when we die:
Iremark, again, we must St seek God through
church ordinances: wv i hat, say you,
church?" reply. there are men, suppose,
in glory who have never seen a church;
but the church is the ordained means by
which we are to be brought to God and if
truth affects us when we are alone, it affects
US more nightly when we are in the
assembly-the feelings of others empha-
sizing our own feelings. The great law Of
sympathy comes into play, and a truth that
would take hold only with the grasp OF
sick man beats nightly against the soul
with thousand heart throbs.
When you come into the religious circle,
come only with one notion and only for one
purpose-to find the way to Christ. When
see people critical about sermons. and
critical about tones of voices, and critical
about sermonic delivery, they make me
to death, but the officer of the Government
brings a pardon and puts it through the
wicket of the prison and says: Here is your
pardon. Come and get it." What! Do
you expect me to take that pardon offered
with such voice as you have, and with such
an awkward manner as you have? l would
rather die than so compromise my rhetorical
notionsw All, the man does not say that;
he takes it! 1t is his life. He does not care
how it is handed to him. And if this morn
ing that pardon from the throne or God Is
offered to our souls, should we not seize it,
regardless of all criticism, feeling that it is
q matter of heaven or hellf
But [ come now to the last part OF my
text. It tells us when we are to seek the
Lord, "While He may be found" When is
that? Old age? You may not see old age.
Tomorrow? You may not see tomorrow.
Tonight? You may not see tonight. Nowl
Oh, if l could only write on every heart in
three capital letters that word NOW
now!
Sin is an awful disease. hear people say,
with the toss Of the head and with trivial
manner, ''Oh, yes, Pm sinner" Sin is an
awful disease. 1t is leprosy. It is dropsy.
1t is consumption. 1t is all moral disorders
in one. Now You know there is a crisis in a