The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1895-09-21
around Christ! All faces that way.


life is an assault upon wickedness.
Out with Stephen through the gates Of
the city. Down with him over the
precipices. Lot every man come up
and drop a stone upon his head. But
these men did not SO much kill Stephen
Is they killed themselves. Every stone
rebounded upon them While these
murderers were transfxed by the scorn
Of all good men, Stephen lives in the
admiration Of all Christendom. Stephen
stoned, but Stephen alive. So all good
men must be pelted. "All who will
live godly In Christ Jeans must suffer
persecution" It Is no eulogy of q man
to say that everybody likes him. Show
me any one who 10 doing all his duty
to state and church and I will show
you scores Of men who utterly sbhor
him.
II all men speak well of you, it 10 be-
cause you are either = laggard or .
dolt. II . steamer makes rapid prog.
ress through the waves, the water will
soldiers Of Jesus Christ will hear the
carbines click. When / see . man with
voice. with money and influence all ON
the right side, and some c~aricsturs
him, and some sneer 1T him, and some
denounce him, and men who pretend
to be sctusted by right motives con-
spire TO cripple him, to cast him out
to destroy him, Isay. stephen stoned"
When I nee . man In some great NOR
al or religious reform battling against
grogshops, exposing wickednsss In
hl>k ,1.n>s h. ~~kg~> ->s~. <--s.. A.
purity the church and better the world's
estate, and I And thst the nswspapsrs
snathsmatixs him, and men, even good
men. oppose him and dsnouncs him be.
cause, though he does good, he does not
do It in their way. I say: "stsphsn
stoned" But you notice, my friends,
that while they assaulted Stephen
they did not succeed really In kill
ing him You may sssault . good
man, but you cannot kill him.
On the day Of his death. Stephen
spoke before . few people in the
Ssnhedrim; this Sabbath morning he
addresses all Christendom. Paul, the
apostle, stood on Mars hill addressing
. handful Of philosophers who knew
not 20 much about science - . modern
school girl To-day be tslks to all the
millions Of Christsndom about the
wonders Of justification and the
elortss Of resurrection. John Wsslsy
wss howled down BIZ the mob to whom
he prsaehed, and they threw bricks ct
him, and they denounced him, and
they jostled him and they spat upon
him, and yet to-day. In al lands, he u
admitted 70 b the great father Of
Msthodism. Booths bullet vseatsd
the presidsntial chair; bat from that
spot Of oosgllstsd blood on the 1oos
In the box OF Ford'a thsatsS there
sprsuR mp the new Life o. Q nation.
Stephen stoned. but Stephen dive
Pass on now, and nee Stephen In his
dying prayer. His Arss- thought wa
not how the stones hurt his he'd, nor
what would become Of his body. His
first thought was about his spirit
Lord Jesus receive my spirit" The
murderer standing on the trap door,
The black cap being drawn ovsv his
head before the execution, may gyiw.
Q about the future; bat you and
I have no shame IN eon1sssin9
soms anxiety about whore We are
going TO some out You are not
al body. There u within you
. souL ~ Il CLEAN from your
eyes to-day. snd . Il is~rsdiatiuS
your couDtsnsncs. Sonetamss I Am
abashsd before IN Guidance, not b.
cause I come under your physieal eye
eight, but because I zsaliss the truth
that ! stand before 20 many Immortal
spirits. The probability = ths4 your
6edy viii at least and . sspulcAsr IN
soms OF the csmstsFiss that surround
this city. There u NO doubt bat that
yoes ~obssquiss will b doesn't sad ~
spsstful, and you win b shle 70 Pillow
youy hesd under the DaPls, q the Nor
way spruce, o. the cypress, or the bloc
soming ar, but this spirit sbeut which
stsphsn prayed, what direction will
that taks9 What guide WI escort Il?
What gate Will open 70 receive its
What cloud will b elsft for it, path
wsy7 Altar II has got bsyonA the light
Of the sun, WIN Aeys b torches lightsd
foy II the rest 81 Ne wsy7
VIII the soul have 70 travel through
long dessrts before II reaches the good
lsud9 Il We should lose our PATHWAY,
wiz there b . castle q whose este We
may ssk the way 70 the eityf Oh, this
mystsyious spirit within usi Il has
two wingA but II y In . eags DOW. II
10 locked fast 70 keep Il; bat let the
door OF this cage open the loest, end
that soul y o..
lido not car what ron DO With ny
body when ny soul y gone. y whether
you believe IN asemstioa q inhums-
ton. shall slssp just - we'll In .
wrapping OF ssekeloth - in satin lined
with eagles down. But ny soluble.
fore I close this dissourss ! win and
ont where Il will land. Thank God
for the intimstion Of ny TAFT, that
when we die Jesus takes uA That an
swers III questions for ma What
though there were massive heys b.
tween here and the city Of Light. Jesus
could remove thsm. What though
there were great saharas Of dark
nsss. Jesus could Hume them. What
though I get wsary on the way. Christ
could lift NE on His omnipotspt shoul-
der. What though there were chssna
TO oross, His hand could transport me.
Then let 5tspAen's prayer Be- my dy.
Ing litauy: Lord jesus. rsoeivs my
spirit" It may - In that hour w
will b too feeble 10 say . long prayer.
It may b. In that hour We will not b
shls 70 ssy the Lords Prayer" for Il
has seven petitions Perhaps We may
b too feeble sven to say the Infant
prayer Dur mothers taught NJ, which
John Quincy Adams. 70 years Of age,
ssid every Aight when hs put his head
upon His pillow,
"Now I lay ~ lovn - slssD.
IDeay tho Lard ~ soul TO keep"
We may b too feeble to employ
either Of theso familiar forms; but thii
prayer Of Stephen u 70 short, II 20 con
else, IL 90 earnest, u 90 comprehensive
We surely will b able to say that
"Lord jesus. ssesive my spirit" Oh
II that prayer u answered, how swes
IL will b - Atsl This world u clever
enough TO N Perhaps It has trssts<
Us Q good AsAl better than we de
served to b treated; but Il on the dyips
pillow there shall break the light O
that better world, we shall have NJ
more regret thsa shout lsaviuR
small. dark, damp house for one large
beautiful and cspacioua That dying
minister In Philadslphis, some year
ago, beautifully depleted 1t whom. II
the last moment, he threw up his hand
and cried out; ~ move into the lightr
Pass on, now, and l will show yor
N more picture, aud that IL StepheI
asleep. With . pathos and simplicit,
peculiar to the Scriptures. the tex
"