Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1894-08-31


than a man, TOR when He cried out, 81 say
unto thee. arise r he that was dead sat up.
What excitement there must have been there
about The body had lain PROSTATE 1t hat
been mourned over with agoniZing tears,
and yet now it begins to move in the shroud
and 10 be flushed with life, and at the COM
mand of Christ he rises up and looks into
the faces of the astonishei spectators.
och, this was the work of Il GodI 1
hear it in His voice sec it in the fash of
His eye l behold it in the swapping Of
deaths shackles | see It in the face OF
the rising sumberer 1 hear it in the out
cry Of all those who were spectators Of the
scene. If; when [ see my Lord Jesus Christ
mourning with the bereaYed, put my hands
on His Shoulders and say, MY brother"
now that hear Him proclaim supernatural
deliverances, I look up into His face ard
say with Thomas, "My Lord and my Col"
Do you not think He was a God? A great
many people do not believe that, and they
compromise the matter or they think they
compromise 1t. They say He was IL very
gOOI man, but He was not a GOD. That is
impossible. He was either :. God or
wretch and I will prove it. If q man pro-
fesses to be that which he is not, what is he2
He is liar, an impostor; hypo:rite. That
is your unanimous verdict. Now, Christ
professed to be a God. He said over AMI
over again He was a Go !; took the attributes
of God and assumed the works and offices
OF God. Dare you now say He was not7
He was a God, or He was wretch. Choose
ye.
Do you think I cannot prove by this Bible
that He was God2 Ii you DO not believe
this Bible, OF course there is no need of my
talking to you. There is no common data
from which to start. Suppose you do be-
lieve it. Then I can demonstrate that He
was divine. | can prove He was Creator
John l., 8, "All things were made by Him,
and without Him was not anything made
that was made" He was eternal, Revelation
xii, 13, ~ am Alpha and Omega, the be-
ginning and the end; the first and the last"
| can prove that He was OmnipCtent,
Hebrews j., 10, The heavens are the work
of Thine hands" l can prove He was
Omnisclent; John H., 25, "He knew Wnat
was in man." On, yes, He is God. He
clct the sea. He upheaved the crystalline
walls along which the Israelites marched.
He planted the mountains. He raises up
governments and casts down thrones and
marches across nations an | across worlds
and across the universe, eternal, OmnIpO-
tent, unhindered and unabashed. That hani
that was nailed to the cross holds the stars
in a leash of love. That head that dtOppel
on the bosom in fainting and death shall
make the world quake at its nod. That voice
that grOaned in the last pang shall swear be-
fore the trembling world that time shall DO
no longer. Oh, do not insult the common
sense OF the race by telling Us that this per
son was only p man in whose presence tho
paraytic arm was thrust out we'll, and the
devils crouched, and the lepers dropped
their scales, and the tempests folded their
wings, and the boys satchel of a few Eoave5
made n banquet for 5000. and the sad process
sion OF my text broke up in congratulatlon
and hosanna
Again, | learn from this subject that Christ
was a sympatnizer. Marx yOu, this was q
city funeral In the country, when the bell
tolls, they know all about it for five miles
around, and they know what was the matter
with the man, how old he was and what
were his last experiences. They know with
what temporal prospects he has left his fam
lily. There is no haste. there is no indecencY
in the O5seQuies. There is nothing done as
mere matter of business. Even the chill
dren come out as the procession passes and
look sympathetic. and the tree shadows
Sc EN- to deepen, and the brooks weep III
sympathy as the procession goes by. But,
mark you, this that | am speaking of was a
city funeral. In great cities the cart jostles
the hearse, and there is mirth and gladnesS
and Indifference as the weeping procession
goes by. In this city Of Main it was COM
mon thing TO have trouble and bereavement
and death. Christ saw it every day there.
Perhaps that very hour there were others be-
ing carried out, but this frequency Of trouble
did not harden Christ's heart at all. He
stepped right out, and He saw this mOurner,
"Weep not y
Now 1 have to tell you. o bruised souls,
and there are many everywhere-have you
ever looked over any great audience and no.
ticed how many shadows of sorrow there
arep | come to all such and say, "C1rlst
meets YOU. and He has compassion on you,
and He says. Weep not. Perhaps with
some it is financial trouble. "Ol," yousay,
sit is such silly thing for man to cry
over lost money!
Is it2 Suppose you had large fortune. and
all IuXuries brought to your table. and your
wardrobe was tull, AMI your home was beau
tiful by music ami sculpture and painting
and thrOnGed by the elegant and educate J.,
and then some round misfortune should
strike you in the face and trample your treas
| ures and taunt your children Tor their faded
dress and send yO1 into commercial circles
! an underling where once you waved a scepter
| of gold. do you think you would cry then? L
! think you would. But Christ comes and
meets all such to-day. He sees all the straits
| in which you have been thrust. He observes
| the sneer of that man who once was prOui
| to walk in your shadow and glad to get youE
! help. He sees the protested note, the IN
! cancelled judgment, the foreclosed mortgage,
| the heartbreaking evaporation, and He says
! Weep not. | own the cattle on a thOusanI
| hills. 1 will never let you starve. From My
! hand the fowls of heaven peck all their iood.
| And will l let you starveI Neveri no, Ny
| child. never %
Perhaps it may be living home trouble
that you cannot speak about to your best
/ friend. 1t may be some domestic unhap-
piness. 1t may be an evil suspicion. 1t may
| be the disgrace Following in the footsteps o
| a son that is wavwar5. or n companion who
| is cruel or fathey that will not do right
and for years there may have been vulturt
| striking its beak into the vitas of your soul
and you sit there to-day feeling it is worse
than death. It is. 1t is worse than death
1 IL N5fShi
| may be the blackest, though the voices o
| he'll may tell you to curse Col and die, look
! up and hear the voice that accosted the
woman OF the text as it says, "Weep not.
Earth hath sorrow
That heaven cannot cure.
learn, ugain. from all this that Christ is
The master OF the grave. Just outside the
gate of the city Death and Christ measured
| lances, and when the young man rose Death
dropped. Now we are sure of our resurrec-
| tiOn. Oh, what scene it was VIXEN that
| young man came back! The mother never
| expected to lear him speak again. She
| never thought that he would kiss her again.
How the tears started and how her heart
| throbbed as she said, "OL. my son, my son
| my son. Aud that scene is going to be re-
! peatef. It is going to be repeated 10, ,OOi
| times. These broken family circles have go
to come together. These extinguishet
household lights have got to be rekinded
There will be stir in the family lot in the
cemetery, and there will be rush into life
at the command. Young man, I say unto
thee arise - AS the child shakes off the dus
of the tomb and coCles forth fresh AMI fail
and beautiful, and you throw your arm;
around it and press it to your heart. ange
to angel will repeat the story of Main. "Ht
delivered him to his mother" Did you no
tice that passage in the text as l read it
"He delivered him TO his mother" Oh, y
troubled souls On. We who nave lived tc
see every prospect blasted, peeled. scattered
consumed, wait a little! The seedtime o
tears will become tine wheat harvest. In
cline cut of no wintry blast, under SKY
palled by no hurtling tempest and amid re
deemed ones that weep not, that part not
that die not. friend will come to friend, anC
kindred will join kindred, and the long pro
cession that marches the avenues OF golC
hoir nd j