Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1895-03-15

and blood and groans and isgonies and death
thrOes of the Son of God, who approaches
you this moment with torn brow, and laceT-
ated hand. and whipped back, and saying,
| Come unto Me, all ye who are weary and
heavy laden, and will give you rest I"
Again, there is field Of usefulness but lit
tie touched occupied by those who are astray
in their habits. ALI northern Nations, like
| those OF North America and England and
| Scotland-that is. in the colder climates-are
devastated by alcoholism. They take the
| fire to keep up the warmth. In southern
| countries, like Arabia and Spain, the blood
| Is so warm they are not tempted to fiery
| liquids. The great Roman armies never
| drank anything stronger than water tinged
with vinegar, but under our northern climate
the temptation to heating stimulants is most
mighty. and millions succumb. When a
mans habits go wrong, the church drops
him; the social circle drops him; good in
fuence drops him; we all drop him. OF all
the men who get off track, but few ever get
on again. Near my summer residence there
is a life saving station on the beach.
| There are all the ropes and rockets, the
boats, the machinery for getting people off
shipwrecks. One summerI saw there fifteen
or twenty men who were breakfasting after
having just escaped with their lives and
nothing more. Up and down our coasts are
built these useful structures. and the mari
ners know it, and they feel that if they are
driven into the breakers there will be apt
churches of God ought to be SO many life
saving stations, not 50 much to help those
who are in smooth waters. but those who
have been shipwrecked. Come, let us run
out the lfebOats! And who will man them?
We do not preach enough to such men.
We have not enough faith in their release.
Alas, if when they come to hear us we are la
bor1Ously trying to show the difference be-
tween sublapsarianism and supralapsarian-
ism while they have thousand vipers Of re-
morse and despair cOiling around their i'm
mortal spiritsi
The church is not chiefly for goodish sort
of men whose proclivities are all right, and
who could get to heaven praying and sing
ing in their own homes. 1t is on the beach
to help the drowning. Those bad cases are
the cases that God likes to take hold of. He
can save a big sinner as we'll as a small sin
ner, and when a man calls earnestly to God
for help He will go out to deliver such one.
II it were necessary, God would come down
from tie sky, followed by all the artillery of
heaven and million angels with drawn
swords. Get 100 such redeemed men in each
OF your churches, and nothing could stand
before them, for such men are generally
warm-hearted and enthusiastic
Furthermore, the destitute children of tho
streets offer field of work comparatively
unOccupied. The uncared for children are
in the majority in most of our cities. Their
condition was we'll illustrated by what boy
in this city said when he was found under
cart gnawing bone and some one said to
him, ''Where do you live?" and he answered,
Don't live nowhere, sir!' Seventy thousand
Of the children of New York City can neither
read nor write When they grow up, if un-
reformed, they will Outvote your children.
and they will govern your children. The
whisky ring will hatch out other whisky
rings, and grOg5hOps will kill with their hOr-
rid stencil public sobriety, unless the church
Of God rises up with outstretched arms and
1ntOlds this dying population in her bosom.
Public schools cannot do it. Art galleries
cannot do it. Blackwell's Island cannot do
it. AlmshOuses cannot do it. New York
TOmbs cannot do it. Sing Sing cannot do it.
People of God, wake up to your magnificent
mission! You can do it, Get somewhere,
somehow, to work.
The Prussian cavalry mount by putting
Their right foot into the stirrup. while the
foot into the stirrup. l don't care how you
mount your war charger if you only get into
this battle for God, and get there soon. right
stirrup, or left stirrup, no stirrup at all.
The unOccupiel fields are all around us, and
why should we build on another mans f0un-
datiOn?
[ have heard of what was called tho
'thunder legion" 1t was in 179, part OF
the Roman army to which some Christians
belonged, and their prayers it was said were
answered by thunder aud lightning and hail
and tempest, which overthrow an invading
army and saved the Empire. And I would to
God that you could be SO mighty in prayer
and work that you would become a thunder
ing legion before which the forces OF sin
might be routed and the gates of hel! made
to tremble. All aboard now on the gospel
ship! If you cannot be a captain or first
mate. be q stoker deckhand. or ready ct
to climb the ratlines. Heave away
now. lads! Shake out the reefs in the fore
topsail! Come, o heavenly wind. and fill
the canvas! Jesus aboard will assure our
safety. Jesus on the sea will beckOn us for
ward. Jesus on the shining shore will wei
co ne us into har5Or And 50 it came to
pass that they all escaped safe to land"