The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1896-12-12

us know the difference between waeat and
he lebore. oat and henbaue.
Again, I remark. in grace as In the farna
there must be rowing. refer now not
to harrow that goes over the Held IN oraer
10 prepare the ground for the seed. but har-
row which goes over after the seed is sown,
lest the birds pick up the seed, sinking II
down into the earth SO that it can take root,
You know u harrow. 1t Is made OF bars oil
wool naiiei across each other, aud the I'M
dersjde of each bar Is furnished with sharp
teeth. and the horses are hitched TO It, II
goes tearing and ieaping across toe Held,
driving the ssed down into the earth until II
springs up in the harvest. Bereavement,
sorrow, persecution ara the Lords harrows
to sink the Gospel truth in your neart.
These were truths that you heard thirty
wears ago: they have not affected you until
recently. Some grsst trouble came over you,
and the truth was narrowed in. and 1t has
come no. What did God mean In this coun-
try in 1857? Fora century there was the Cos
nal preached, but a great deal OF 1t produced
no result. Then God harnessed wild
panic to a harrow OF commercial disaster,
and that harrow went down Wall streer, and
uo Walt street., dewn Third street, and up
Third street, down State street. and up stare
street, down Pennsylvania avenue, ana up
PENNSYLVANIA avenue, until the whole land
was torn to pieces as ii had never been be-
FORE. What followed the harrowl great
awakening in which there were 5j0. 0O0
sous brought into the Kingdom OIL
our Lord. No harrow, no crop.
Again, l remark, in grace as in the farm
there must be reaping. Many Christians
speak OF religion as though it were matter
of economics or insurance.. They expect &c
reap In the next world. Oh no! Now is the
time to reap. Gather up tue joy OF the
Christian religion this morning, this AFTER
noon, this night. II you have not as much
grace as you would like to have, thank God
for what you have, aud pray for mora You
are no worse ensaved than Joseph. no worse
trouble than was David, no worse scourged
than was Paul. Yet, amid the rafting OF
fstters and amid the gloom OF dungeons, and
amid the horror OF shipwreck, they
iriumphei in the gracs OF God. Tbs weakest
man in the house to-day has 500 acres OF
spiritual Joy all ripe. Why do You not go
and reap it? You have been grooming over
your Infirmities for thirty years. Now give
one roSnd shout over your emancipation.
You say you have it so hard; you might have
it worse. You wonder why this great cold
trouble keeps revolving through your soul,
turning and turning with black hand on
the crank. All, that trouble is the grind
stone on which you are to sharpen your
sickle. To the fields! Wake up! Take of
your green spectacles. your blue spsctacles,
your black spectac.es. Pull up the corners
of your mouth rs far as you pull them down.
10 the fields! Reap. reap
Again, remark. in grace as in farming,
there is time for threshing. tell you
b!untly that is death. Just AS the farmer
with q fail beats the wheat out OF the straw.
SO death beats the soul out of the body.
Every sickness is a stoke of the fail, and the
sick-bed Is the threshing floor. What, say
YOU. Is death to a good man only taking the
wheat out OF the straw? That Is ALL An
aged man has fallen asleep. Only yesterday
YOU saw him in tho sunny porch playing
with his grandchildren. Calmly he received
the message to leave this world. He bade Q
pleasant goodbye to his old friends. The
Telegraph carries the tidings, and on swift
rail trains the kindred come, wanting once
more to look on the face OF dear old grand
father. Brush back the gray hairs from his
brow; it will never ache again. Put him
away in the slumber of the tomb. He will
not be afraid OF that night. Grandfather was
never afraid of anything. He will rise in
the morning OF the resurrection. Grandfatb-
or was always the first to rise. His voice has
already mingled In the doxoiogy OF Heaven.
Grandfather always did sing in church.
Anything CHASTITY in that? No. The thresh-
ing of the wheat out OF the straw. That Is
all.
The Saviour folds lamb in Bis bosom.
The little child filed all the house with her
music, and her toys are scattered all up and
down the stairs Just as she left them. What
If the hand that plucked four-o'clocks out
OF the meadow is still? 1t will wave in the
eternal triumph. What IL the voice that
made music In the home isstili? 1t will sing
the eternal hasauna. Puta white rose in one
hand. o red rose in the other baud, AMI q
wreath of orange blossoms on the brow; the
white flower for the victory, the red flower
for the Saviour's sacrifice, the orange blos-
SONS for her marriage day. Anything ghast,
ly about that Oh, no! The sun went down
and the flower shut. The wheat threshed
out of the straw. Dear Lord, give me
Sleep" said dying boy, the son Of one oil
my e'ders, "dear Lord, give me sleep"
And he closed his eyes and awoke In glory.
Henry W. Longfellow, writing letter Of
coincidence to those parents, said, "Fhose
last words were beautifully poetic" Aud
Mr. Longfellow knew what is poetic. "Deal
Lord, give me sleep.
twas not in cruelty, not in wrath
That the reaper came that day;
Twas an angel that visited the earth
And took the fiower-away.
So it may be with us when our work is al
done. 'Dear Lord, give mo Sleep"
have spoken Of the blowing. OF the sowing
OF the narrowing. OF The reaping, of the
threshing. must now speak a moment o.
the garnering.
Where is the garner? Need tell youl
Oh, no. So many have gone out from your
own circles-yea, from your own family,
that you have had your eyes on that garner
for many year. What hard time sons
OF them had! In Gethsemanes OF suffering
they sweat great drops OF blood. They
took the ''cup of trembling and they pul
it to their hot lips and they cried, "If it be
possible, let this cup pass from me-" With
tongues of burning agony they cried. &C
Lord. deliver my SOUL" But they got ovel
Il. They all got over II. Garnered! TheiI
tears wiped away; their battles all ended
their burdens lifted. Garnered! The LORD
of the harvest will not allow those sheaves
to perish in the equinox. Garneredl Some
of us remember, on the farm, that the
sheaves were put on the top Of the rack
which surmounted the wagon, and these
sheaves were piled higher and higher, an
after while the horses started for the barn
and these sheaves swayed to and fro in tbs
wind, and the old wagon creaked, and the
horses made a struggle, and pulled so hard
the harness came up in loops OF leather OF
on their backs. and when the front whee
struck the elevated door of the barn i
seemed rs il the load would go no father
until the workmen gave a great shout, ant
then with one last tremendous stain, thu
horses pulled in the load; they were unhar
messed, and forkful after forkful OF grair
fell into the nov. Oh, my friends, our get
ting to heaven may be pull. a hard pull,
very hard pull; but these sheaves are bouns
to 20 in. The Lord of the harvest has prom
ised it. / see tho loaf at last coming t,
the door of the heavenly garner. Th,
sheaves of the Christian soul sway to and fir,
in the wind OF death md the old hoau GRE q u