National Baptist world., 1894-10-26

pealed-the God who could silence the
tempest and bring the ship in safety tc
the port. | tell you, my friends, tina
there has got to be a good deal of pray
ing before our families are brought tt
Christ. All. it is an awful thing tc
have half a household on one side the
line, and the other part of the house
hold on the other side of the line! Two
vessels part on the ocean of eternity
one going to the right and the other tc
the left-farther apart, and farther
apart-until the signals cease to be
recognized, and there are only two
specks on the horizon, and then they
are lost to sight forever.
have to tell you that the unavailing
efforts of these Mediterranean oars
men have a counterpart in the efforts
some Of US are making to bring our
children to the shore OF safety. There
never were SO many temptations for
young people as there are now. The
literary and the social influences seem
to be against their spiritual interests.
Christ seems to be driven almost entire
ly from the school and the pleasure
| y
anxious we are for our children. We
cannot think of going to Heaven with
out them We do not want to leave
this life while they are tossing on the
waves Of temptation and away from
God. From which of them could we
consent to be eternally separated?
Would it be the son? Would it be the
daughter? Would it be the eldest?
Would it be the youngest? Would it
or the one that is sick? Oh,
hear some parent saying
tonight: Il have tried nv
best to bring my children to Christ. |
have laid hold of the oars until thev
bent in my grasp, and l have braced
myself against the ribs of the boat, and
have pulled for their eternal rescue;
but [ can't get them to Christi Then
| ask you to initiate the men of the
text, and cry nightly unto God We
want more impOrtunate praying for
children, such as the father indulged
in when he had tried to bring his six
sons to Christ, and they had wandered
off into dissipation. Then he got down
in his prayers, and said: 80, God! take
away my life, if through that means
my sons may repent and be brought to
Christi and the Lord startlinglv an
swered the prayer, and in a few weeks
the father was taken away, and
through the solemnity of six sons fled
unto God. Oh, that father could afford
to die for the eternal welfare of his
children! He rowed hard to bring
them to the land, but could not, and
then he cried unto the Lord.
There are parents who are almost
discouraged about their children.
Where is your son tonight? He has
wandered off, perhaps, to the ends of
the earth. 1t seems as if he cannot get
far enough away from your Christian
counsel. What does he care about the
burrows that come to your brow; about
the quick whitening of the hair;
about the fact that your back begins
to stoop with the burdens? Why, he
would not care much if he heard you
were dead! The black-edged letter
that brought the tidings he would put
in the same package with other letters
9eiirrr tf1s 5o17 81 IRIS rsir1fs:. y nat
are you going to do? Both paddles
broken at the middle of the blade, how
can you pull him ashore? I throw you
one oar now with which I believe you
can bring him into harbor. It is the
glorious promise: II will be a God to
thee, and to thy seed after thee -
Oh, broke n-hearted father and moth
er, you have tried everything else
now make an appeal for the help and
of the covenant-keeping
God! and perhaps at your next family
neutrality-suspicious. on Thanksgiving
day, perhaps next Christmas day-the |
prodigal may be home; and if you
crowd on his plate more luxuries than
on any other plate at the table, | am
sure the brothers will not be Jealous, |
but they will wake up all the music in |
the house. because the dead is alive |
again. and because the lost is found''
Perhaps your prayers have been an
swered already. The vessel NAV be |
coming homeward, and by the light of |
this nights stars that absent son may |
be pacing the deck of the ship, anxious
for the time to come when he can
throw his arms around your neck and |
ask for forgiveness for that he has
been wringing your old heart so long,
Glorious reunion! that will be too
sacred for outsiders to look upon; but
l would just like to look through the
windows when you have all got to-
gether again, and are seated at the
banquet.
Though parents may in covenant be,
And have their Heaven in view;
They are not happy till they see
Their children happy too.
Again, remark that the unavailing
effort of the Mediterranean oarsmen
has a counterpart in the effort which
we are making to bring this world
back to God, His pardon, and safety.
If this world could have been saved by
human effort, it would have been done
long ago, John Howard took hold of
one oar, and Carey took hold of another
oar, and Adoniram Judson took hold Of
another oar, and Luther took hold of
another oar, and John Knox took hold of
another oar, and they pulled until they
fell back dead from the exhaustion.
Some dropped in the ashes of martyr
dom, some on the scalping knives of
savages and some on the plague
struck room of the lazaretto, and still
the chains are not broken, and still the