The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1894-11-16

mile OF reaching Us. o. for some of the
iaith of George Muller of England and Alfred
Goodman, once OF the church militant. now
OF the church Triumphant So poor is tho
type oil plety In the church of God now that
men actually caricature the idea that there
is any such thing as a higher life. Moes
never did believe in eagles. But my breth-
rem, because we have not reached these
heights ourselves, shall we deride the fact
that there any such heights? man was
once talking TO Brunei the famous engi-
neer, about the length OF the railroad from
London to Bristol. The engineer said 'It
is not very great. We shall have after
awhile n steamer running from England to
New York" They laughed him to scorn,
but we have gone so far now that we have
ceased TO laugh Mt anything as impossible
for human achievement. Then | ask, is any
thing impossible for the Lord2 do not be-
lieve that God exhausted all His grace In
Paul and Latimer and Edward Payson.
believe there are higher points OF Christian
attainment to be reached In the future ages
of the Christian world.
You tell me that Paul went up to the tip
ton of the Alps of Christian attainment
Then I tell you that the stork and crane
have found above the Alps plenty OF room
for tree flying We go out and we conquer
our temptations by the grace of God and lie
down. On the morrow those temptations
rally themselves and attack US, and by the
grace of God we defeat them again, out
Shaving all the time in the old enoampment
we have the same old battles to fight over.
Why not whip out our temptations and
then forward march, making one raid
through the enemy's country, stopping not
until we break ranks after the last victory.
Do. nv brethren, let us have some novelty
- 30 aha min hyy Ofnr
on, by making advancement, trading of
our stale prayers about sins we ought to
have quit long ago. going on toward higher
state of Christian character, and routing out
sins that we have never thought Of yet.
The fact is, II the church OF God, If we
as individuals, made rapid advancement
in the Christian life these stereotyped pray
ers we have been making for ten or fifteen
years would be as inappropriate to us as the
shoes, and the hats and the coats we wore
ten or fifteen years ago. Oh, for higher
flight in the Christian life, the stork and the
crane in their migration teaching us the les
son
Dear Lord, and shall we ever live
At this poor dying rate,
Our love so faint, so cold to Thee,
And Thine to us so great?
Again. remark that the birds OF the air
are wiser than we because they know when
to start. If you should go out now and
shout, "Stop, storks and cranes, don't be in
hurry % they would say: "No, we cannot
stop. Last night we heard the roaring IN
the woods bidding us away, and the shrill
flute of the north wind has sounded the re-
treat. We must CO." So they gather them
selves into companies, and turning not aside
for storm, or mountain top, or shock
II nj
straight as an arrow to the mark, they
20. And if you come out this morning with
a sack Of corn and throw 1t in the fields and
! try and get them to stop they are so far up
they would hardly see 1t. They are on their
way south. You could not stop them. Oh,
that we were as wise about the best time 10
start for God and heaven We say: "Wait
until it is little later in the season OF
mercy. Wait until some o. these green
! leaves OF hope are all dried up and have
! been scattered. Wait until next year.
! After awhile we start, and ii is too late,
and we perish in the way when Gods wrath
! is kindled but little. There are, you know,
exceptional cases. where birds have started
too late, and in the morning you have found
them dead on the snow. And there are
those who have persisted half way between
the world and Christ. They waited until
l
or they were on the express train going at
forty miles an hour, and they came to the
bridge. and tho "drlw was up" and
tney went down. How long to repent and
pray? Two seconds To do the work OF a
lifetime and to prepare for the vast eternity
in two seconds was reading Of an enter
tainment given in a kings court, and there
were musicians there. with elaborate pieces
of music After awhile Mozart came and
began to play, and he had blank piece Of
paper before him, and the king familiarly
looked over his shoulder and said "What
are YOU playing? / see no music before
YOU" And Mozart put his hand on his brow
as much as to say, II am improvising." II
was very we'll for him; but, OH my friends
we cannot extemporze heaven. II we dc
not get prepared in this world, we viii never
take part in the orchestral harmones OF the
saved. Oh. that we were as wise as the crane
and the stork, flying away, flying away iron
the tempest
Some OF YOU have felt the pinching frost
OF sin. You feel it to-day. You are no
happy. look into your faces, and | know
YOU are not happy. There are voices within
YOUR soul that will not be silenced telling
YOU that YOU are sinners, and that withou
the pardon OF God you are undone forever
What are you going to do, my friends, Will
the accumulated trausgreSslons Oh tnl
lifetime? VIII you stand still and let tn
avalanche tumble over you2 Oh, tina
you would go away into the warm heart q
Coils mercy! The southern grove, redolen
, with magnolia and cactus, never waited 70
northern flocks as God has waited for you
saying: II have loved thee with an everIas
ing love. Come unto Me, all We who al
weary and heavy laden, and will give 70
rest"
! Another frost is bidding you away. 1t
the frost Of sorrow. Where doyou live now
: "Oh," you say, 81 have moved" Why di
you moveY You say, "Idont want as larg
: house now as formerly" Why do yo
1 not want as large n house? You say, an
9 family IS not so large" Where have thS
gone to? Eternity Your mind goes baC
+. through that last sickness, and through Il
. almost supernatural effort to keep life, ar
l through those prayers that seemed u
awaiting, and through that kiss whi'
5 received no response because the Iii
L vvara Ufaless and I hear the bells tOllin