St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1896-12-12

repast Of sli the week. That = III
the majority Of Christisns Az doing
for the rectification Of this psanet. and
they will do that until. at the close Of
life. the pastor opens . black book q
the head Of their casket, and reads:
BLESSED are the dead who die in the
Lord; they rest from their labors and
their works do follow them." The
sense Of the ludicrous il 90 thoroughly
In mo that when hear
these Scripture words read 1t the oh.
sequies Of one of the religious do-noth'
ings in the churches it II too much fox
my gravity. ''Their works do follow
them" What works? And in what
direction do they follow them-up OF
down? And do they follow ON foot
or on the wing? And how LONG
will they follow before they catch
mp? More appropriate funeral text
for all such religious deadbeats would
be the words in Matthew XIV. 6: Our
lamps are gone out" One would think
that such Christians would show at
least under whose banner they are en-
listed. In one of the Napoleonic wars
. woman. Jeanette by name. took her
position with the troops and SHOULD
dered broomstick. Tho colonel said:
':Jeannette, why do you take such
useless weapon into tho ranks?"
"Well." she said. II can show ut least
which side am on"
Now, the object Of this sermon Is to
stir at least one.fourth Of you to an
ambition for that which my text pre-
sents in blazing ocabulary, namely,
passion for souls. To prove that it is
possible to have much of that spirit. l
bring the conservation Of 3. $50 foreign
missionaries It IL usually estimated
that there are at least 5000 mission
aries. l make . liberal allowance,
and admit there may he ten bad mis-
sionaries out Of a,t'00. but do not be.
lieve there is one. All English and
American merchants leave Bombay,
Calcutta, Annoy and Pekin rs soon
rs they make their fortunes- Why?
Because no European or American in
his senses would stay in that climate
after monetary inducements had
ceased. Now. tho missionaries there
are put down on the bsrest necessities,
and most Of them 90 not lay mp one
dollar in 20 years. Why, then. do they
stay in those lands of intolera BILE heat,
and cobras, and ragicg fevers, the
Thermometer sometimes playing At
$50 and lao degrees Of oppressiveness.
1900 miles from home; because OF
the unhealthy climate and the
prevailing immoralities of those
regions compelled to send their chill
dren to England, or Scot land, or Amer
lea, probably never to see them again?
Can it be anything but . passion for
souls? It IN easy to understand all
this frequent depreciation Of foreign
missionaries when you know that they
are al opposed to the opium trsfac, and
that interferes with commerce.; and
then the missionaries are moral. and
that is an ofRense to many of the mer-
chants-not all Of them, but many of
them-who, absent from all homo
restraint. are SO immoral that we can
make only faint allusi0n to the mon
strocity of their denominations. Oh, !
would like to be 1T the gate Of Heaven
when these missionaries 60 in, to SEQ
how they will have the pick of coron.
cts, and thrones. and mansions on the
best streets of Heaven. We who have
had easy pulpits and loving congregs-
:ions, entering Heaven. will. in my
opinion, have to take our turn and
wait for the Christian workers who.
amid physical sufferings and mental
privation and environ ment Of squalor,
have done their work; and on the prin-
ciple that in proportion as one has
been self-sacrificing and suffering for
Chr;st's sake on earth " i'll be their &c.
lestial preferment.
But, after all, the best way to Guilt
vate that Divine passion for souls 10 to
work for their salvation. Under God
save one, and You will want right
away to save two. Save two, and you
will want to save ten. Save ten, and
You will want to save 20. Save 20. and
you will want to save 100. Save 100,
aud you want to save everybody. And
what 10 the use of talking about it,
when the place to begin is here, and
the time is now? And while you pray
will in one minute tell all that there
il of it: Full pardon for. the worst
man on earth, ii he will believe
in Christ. whose blood can in
stantly wash away the foul
est crimes Full comfort for the
most narrowing distress that ever
crushed . human being. At your first
moment of relief, . process by which
the whole universe Of God will turn
clear around for your eternal advan
tage. For the mere asking. If the ask
ing be in earnest. and you throw every
thing into that asking. completA
solace and helpfulness for the few
years of this life, and then . wide-oper
Heaven, which you can reach in lesl
time in which it takes me to pronounc,
that imperial word, flashing with III
the joy that an infinite God know
how to bestow-Heavenl
In this world God never does Hi
best. He can hang on the horizol
grauder mornings than have ever ye
been kindled, and rainbow the sky
with richer colors than have ever beer
arched. snd attune the oceans to mOrt
majestic doxologies than have evel
yet been attuned; hut ~ near n
can tell, and speak 4
reverently, Heaven il the place
where God has done His best. He cal
build no greater joys, lift NO might,e1
splendors. roll no loftier anthems
march no more imposing professions
build no greater palaces, and spreat
out and interjoin aud wave NO more
transporting magni6cenceL I thiul
Heaven Is the best Heaven God cal
k.construct. and it 10 al yours for thu
serious asking? How do you like thu
offer? Do you really think 1t is wortt
accepting? If 80, pray for it.
Get not up from the pew where yor
are sitting, nor move one inch FROM
where you are standing, before yos
get . full title for it, written in thu
blood Of the Son of God, who wouli
have all men come to life present and
everlasting. II You have been in mill
N.rv lifa v0u knOw what snldier,