The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1896-06-17

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- the harbor of Gods sympathy.
Nothing like trouble to show Us that
this world is an insufficient portion.
Hogarth was about done with life, and
he wanted to paint the end of all things
He put on canvas shattered bottle, q
cracked bell, All unstrung harp, sign
board of a tavern called 1.-THE World S
End" falling down, shipwrcck, the
horses of PhGbus lying dead in the
clouds, the moon in her last quarter,
and the world OH fire. Zone thing
more" said Hogarth, land my picture
is done" Then he added the broken
palette of painter. Then he died. But
trouble, with hand mighticr and more
skillful than Hogarth'>, pictures the fall
ing, failing, moldering, dying world.
And we want something permanent to
lay hold of, and We grasp with both
hands after God. and say, THE Lord is
my light, the Lord is my love, the Lord
is my fortress, the Lord is my sacrifice,
the Lord, the Lord is my God"
Bless God for your trials. Oh, my
Christian friend, keep your spirits up
by the power of Christ's gospel. Do not
surrender. Do you not know that when
you give up, others will give up? You
have courage, and others will have cour-
age. The Romans went into the battle,
and by some accident there was all in
clination of the standard. The standard
upright meant forward march; the in
clination of the standard meant surren-
der. Through the negligence of the man
who carried the standard, and the in
clination of it, the army surrendered.
Oh, let US keep the standard up, whether
it be blown down by the east wind or
the north wind or the south wind. No
inclination to surrender. Forward into
the conflict
Tho Sorrowing Tree.
There is near Bombay tree that they
call the 'sorrowing tree" the peculiar
ity of which is it never puts forth any
bloom in the daytime, but in the night
puts out all its bloom and all its redo
lcnce. And have to tell you that though
Christian character puts forth its sweet
est blossoms in the darkness of sickness,
the darkness of financial distress, the
darkness of bereavement, the darkness
of death, weeping may endure for a
night, but joy colneth i'll the morning" "
Across the harsh discords of this world
rolls the music of the skies-music that
breaks from the lips, music that breaks
from the harps and rustles from the
palms, music like falling water over
rocks, music like wandering winds
among leaves, music like caroling birds
among forests, music like ocean pillows
storming the Atlantic beach. "They
shall hunger no mere, neither thirst any
more, neither shall the sun light OIL
them nor any heat, for the Lamb which
is in the midst of the thrcne shall lead
them to living fountains of water, and
God shall wipe away all tears from their
eyes" I see great Christian fleet ap-
preaching that harbor. Some of the
ships come in with sails rent and bull
warks knocked away, but still a1oat.
Nearer and nearer the shining shore.
Nearer and Eearer eternal anchorage.
Haul away, my lads; haul away! Some
of the ships had mighty tonnage, and
others were shallops easily listed Of the
wind and wave. Some were men-of-war
and armed of the thunders of Christian
battle, and others were unpretending
tugs taking others through the Mar
rows, and some were coasters that
never ventured out into the deep seas Of
Christian experience; but they arc all
coming nearer the wharf-brigantine,
galleon, line Of battle ship, longboat,
pinnace, war frigate-and as they come
into the harbor I find that they are
driven by the long, loud, terrific blast
of the cast wind 1t is through much
tribulation that you are to enter into the
kingdom of God
You have blessed God for the north
wind, and blessed him for the south
wind, and blessed him for the west
wind; can you not in the light of this
subject bless him for the east wind?
Nearer, my God. to thee.
Nearer to thee.
Zen though it be a cross
That raiseth me,
Still all my song shall be,
Nearer, my God, to thee,
Nearer to thee.