The Progress., 1894-05-19

treasures. Courage. man, COURAGE
Angels Of God, command YOU tc
clear the track for that man; put youl
wings over his head; with your COLDER
scepters strike for his defense; throw
around him all the defenScs of cter
nifty" What is the consequence? That
/ business man is strengthened He
| goes TO the store next day feeling that
God is with him and ready to deliver.
That same Sunday there is poor
| old woman in the church hearing the
| Gospel Oh, how Shrunken she is.
She wears the same dress she wore
twenty years ago. How faded it is,
and how out of date, She sits and
listens as well as she can Her eyes
are so dim she can not see halfway
across the church. Her ear is so i'm
perfect that she can only catch coo.
casionally note of the psalm or d
word of the preacher. Some one sit.
ting next to her gives her book and
finds the place for her She says.
''Thanl you, miss, thank you.' She
holds the book close up to her eyes and
with voice all full of tremors, sings:
Jesus, lover Of my soul,
Let me to thy bosom fly,
While the pillows near me roll,
While the tempest still is high;
Hide me, o, my Savior hide
Till the storm Of life is past.
Safe into the haven guide
Oh! receive my soul at last
And Jesus says to her, Mother, are
you weary?' And she says YES,
Jesus, am very tired" Jesus says.
Mother, are you poor?" And she
says, Eyes, | am very poor. can not
sew any more; can not knit any
more. l am very poor" Jesus says
to her, Mother, would you like
to rest?" She says, Yes, Lord,
that is what l want - rest"
Courage, mother" says Jesus, Il
will see thee through" She goes
home. The next morning, in the tene.
ment house, some one dwelling on
another floor comes to her room and
knocks No answer The door is
opened. She is dead The night be-
fore, the chariots of God halted at
hat pillow of straw, and Jesus kept
his promise. He said that he would
give her rest, and he has given
her rest. Glory be to God for
the height, the depth, the length.
and the breadth of such Christian
comfort. Oh. that we might have
such joy as that which inspired the
men at the battle of Leuthen. They
were singing Christian song as they
went in to battle. A general said to
the king, "Shall | stop those people
singing?' NO" said the king: men
that can sing like that can fight"
| would that we had a singing
church. a joyful church, a jubilant
church, a comforting church: for then
we would have a triumphant church.
I remark. further, that we have
here tried to build a church abreast of
the times. 1t is all folly for us to try
to do things the way they did fifty or
a hundred years ago We might as
well be blowing with Elijahs
crooked stick, or 90 into battle
with Saul's armor, or prefer
canal boat to an express train, as
to be clinging to old things What
we most need now is wide-awake
church. People who are out in the
world all the week. jostling against
this lightning-footed century, come
into the church on the Sabbath. and
go right to sleep unless they have
spirited service. Men engaged in lit
erary callings all the week, reading
sharp writings, can not be
to come and hear our
ecclesiastical humdrum. If a. man
stays at home on Sundays and
reads the newspapers, it is because
the newspapers are more interesting.
We need, my brethren, to rouse ND
and stop hunting with blank cart.
ridges The Church of God ought to
be the leader, the interpreter, the in
spirer of the age. 1t is all folly for
us to be discussing old issues-ar-
raigning Nero, hanging Absalom,
the Philistines with Sham.
gar's oX-goad-when all around about
us are iniqulties to be slain.
Did | say that the church ought to
be abreast of the times? / take that
back, The Church of God ought to
be ahead of the times-as far in ad-
vance as the Cross of Christ is ahead of
all human invention. Paul was
l thousand years ahead of the dav
n which he lived. The swift-footed
years that have passed since Luther
lied have not yet come up to Luther's
grave. Give iniquity four thousand
years the start, and the feet of Chris
5ianity are so nimble that if you will
out give it full swing, it will catch up
md pass it in two bounds The
church of God ought to be ahead of
he times.