Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-02-27


we stood IN the shadow IL came nearer and
lower until we saw It's bcak was curved
from base to tip aud 10 had two flames OF
fire for eyes and it was "a hawk
But All tile chickens were under old Dom
inick's wings, and cithor the bird OF prey
caught glimpse of u.s. or not able TO lind
the brood huddled under wing darted back
into the clouds So Christ calls with gieot
earncstnoss to all the young. Why what
is the matter2 It H. bright sunlight, and
there can be no danger Health is theirs.
A good home Is theirs Plenty Of food is
theirs. Prospect Of long life IL theirs But
Christ continues to call, calls with more
emphasis ard urges haste aud says not a
second ought TO be lost Oh, do tell us
what is the matters
All, now see; there arc hawks Of temp
tation ia the air there are yulturea wheel
ing COR their prey; there are beaks Of death
rcndy to plunge; there are clawa Of allure
ment ready TO clutch. Now ! see the peril
Now l understand the urgency. Now SEQ
the only safety Would chat Christ might
this day take our sons and daughters into
his shelter, "asa hen gathereth her chickens
under her wiugw The fact Is that the
most Of them viii never find the shelter un-
less while they arc ohickons. 10 Is a simple
matter OF iuexorable statistics that most Of
those who do not come TO Christ In youth
never come at all.
HUMAN BIRDS or PREY.
What chance Is there for the young with
out divine protection2 There nre the grug
shops There are the gambling bells.
There are tue inhdelitics and immoruliucs
Of spirituulsn There are the bud books
There are the Impurities. There are the
business tuscalities Aud so numerous are
these a,saiIucnts that &c is wonder that
honesty and virtue are not lost arts The
birds Of prey, diurnal and nocturnal, OF
the natural world are ever on the alert.
They are the nssassins OF the sky. They
hnvo varieties Of taste The eaglo prefers
the flesh OF the living animal Thovulturc
prefers the carcass The fnlcon kills with
ono stroke, while other styles Of beak give
prolonuation OF torture.
And 80 the temptations Of this life arc
various Some nuke quick work Of death,
and others ugOui2e the mind and body for
many years, and some like the living blood
Of great souls, aud others prefer those ~
ready ganmenod. But for every style OF
youth there is u sweeping wing, and sharp
beak, and cruel claw, and what the rising
generation needs is n wing OF protection.
Fathers mothers, older brothers and sisters,
aud Sabbath school teachers, be quick and
earnest and prayerfulnn importunnte, and
get the chieacus under wing.
May the sabbath schools OF America and
Great Britain within the next three months
sweep all their scholars into the kingdoml
Whom they have now under charge is me
certUin. Concerning that scrawny, puuy
child that lay IN the cradle many years ago,
the father dead, many remarked, What q
mercy II the Lord would take the childW
aud the mother really thought 80 too But
what a good thing that God spared that
child Tor il became world renowned in
ChriGtian literature and ono OF Gods most
illuAtriuus scrynntsAJohn Todd.
Remember, your children will remain
children only little while. What you do
for them as children you mast do quickly
or never do at all why have you never
written n boOkl" said some one 20 IA talent
cd woman She replied; II am writing
two and have been engaged on one work 10
years and on tho other 5 years-my two
children. They are my life work" When
the house OF John Ncsley's father burned
and they got the eight children out--Joln
Wesley the lnst- before the roof fell in the
futher said; LET us Eneel down and thank
God The children are all saved; let the
rest Of tho place go"
My hearers. il wo secure the present and
everlasting welfare Of our children, most
other things belonging % us arc Of but lit
tie comparatiyci Importance. Alexander the
Great allowed his soldiers TO take their
families with them TO war, and he nc
counted for the bravery Of his men by the
fact that many of them were born in camp
and were used TO wariko scenes from the
start. Would God that all the children Of
our day might be born into the army OF the
Lordl No need of letting them 90 n long
way on the wrong road before they turn
around and 10 on the right road. The only
time TO get chickens under wing is while
they are chickens.
Hannah Whitnll Smith, the evangelist,
took her little child at years of age when
| III out OF the crib and told her plainly OF
| Christ, and the child believed and gave eyi.
| dence of joyful trust which grew with her
| growth into womanhood Two years arc
\ not too young. The time viii come when
| by the faith Of parents children win be
born into this world and born into the hos
ON Of Christ at tho same time. Soon we
| parents will have TO 80 and leave our chill
drcn. We eight their battles now, and we
stand between them and harm, but our
arm will after awhile get weak, and VIC
cannot fight for them, and our tongue will
be palsied, a.d we cannot speak for them
| Arc we going TO leave them out in the cold
world TO take their chances, or are we do
ing all we can to get them under the wing
of eternal safety
WE NEED THE PROTECTING WING.
But we all need the protecting wing, II
you had known when you entered upon
manhood or womanhood what was ahead
of you, would you have dared TO undertake,
lifeP How much you would have been
through With most life has been disap
pointnent They tell me so. They have not
attained that which they expected to az
tain, They have not had the physical and
mental vigor they expected, or they have
met with robuifs which they did not antio
ipRte. Hou are not &C 80 or 90 or 90 or Il
or SO years OF age where you thought YOU
would be- do not know any one except
myself 20 whom life has been a happy sur
prise. never expected anything, aud So
whenanything came Ia the shape of human
favor or comfortable position or wideninc
Geld Of work It was to me q surprise.
was told IN the theological seminary b,
some Of my follow students that neycl
would get anybody to hear me preach un
less | changed my style, so that when
found some people did come to hear me II
was a happy surprise. But most people
according to their own statement hay,
found lie n disappointment Indeed W,