The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1894-12-08

tempest and bring the ship in safety to
the port. l tell you. my friends, that
there has got to be a good deal of pray
ing before our families are brought to
Christ. All. II is an awful thing to
have half 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 to
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 unvailing
efforts of these Mediterranean arsmen
have 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 are now. The lit
erary and the social influences seem to
be against their spiritual interests.
Christ seems to be driven almost en-
tirely from the school and the pleas
urable concourse, yet God knows
|
We eau not think of going into
Heaven without 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
be the one that is well and stout, or
the one that is sick? Oh, I hear
some parent saying tonight: II
have tried my best to bring my
children to Christ. I have laid hold
of the oars until they bent in my
| grasp, and have braced myself against
the ribs of the boat, and have pulled
for their eternal rescue; but can't get
them to Christ" Then ! ask you to
initiate the men of the text and cry
| nightly unto God. We want more inn
Fortunate praying for children, such
| as the father INDUCED 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: 20, God! take away my
| life, II through that means my sons
may repent and be brought to Christi"
and the Lord startingly answered the
prayer, and in few weeks the father
was taken away, and through the SOL
emnity the six sons fled INTO 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 ne can not
get far enough away from your Chris
tian 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 mnch if he
heard You were dead. The black
edged letter that brought the It'd
ings he would put in tn e same package
with other letters telling the story of
his shame. What are you going to do?
Both paddles broken at the middle of
the blade, how can you pull him ashore?
! throw you oar now with which / be-
lieve you can bring him into the har-
Dor. 1t is the glorious promise: Twill
be God to thee, and to thy seed after
thee" Oh, brolen-hearted father and
mother, you have tried everything else.
now m, a lxa a m oY,y>ao1 f<,. +l,a bol,, ,n1
omnipotence of the covenant-malxing
God! and perhaps at your next family
gathering perhaps on Thanksgiving
day, perhaps next Christmas day-the
prodigal may be home; and if you
crowd on his plate more 1uxuries 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 pray
ers have been answered already.
The vessel may be coming home
ward, and by the light of tn is 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 forgive
ness for that he has been wringing
your old heart so long. Glorious re-
union! that will be too sacred for out
siders to look upon: but l would just |
like to look through the windows
when you have all together again, and |
are seated at the banquet.
Again, remark that the unavailing |
effort of the Mediterranean oarsmen
has 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 bee1 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 martyrdom, some on the |
scalping knives of savages, and some |
into the plague-struck room of the |
lazaretto; and still the chains are (
not broken, and still the despot- /
isms are not demolished, and still /
the world is unsaved. What then? Put |
down the oars and make no effort? I |
do not advise that. But ] want you,
Christian brefbren tn understand that |