Connecticut western news., 1897-09-02

for your help, then all is well-all is
 we'll for time, all shall be we'll forever.
 Blessed is that man who puts in the
 Lord his trust He shall never be con-
 founded.
 There Must Be Rough Weather.
 But my subject also impresses me
 with the fact that when people start to
 follow Christ they must not expect
 smooth sailing. These disciples got into
 the small boats, and 1 have no doubt
 they said: What a beautiful day this
 is! What smooth sea! What a bright
 sky this is! How delightful is sailing
 in this boat! And as for the waves un-
 der the keel of the boat, why, they only
 make the motion of our little boat the
 more delightful. " But when the winds
 swept down and the sea was tossed into
 wrath, then they found that following
 Christ was not smooth sailing. So you
 have found it; so I have found it. Did
 you ever notice the end of the life of
 the apostles of Jesus Christ? You would
 say that if ever men ought to have had a smooth life, a smooth departure, then
 those me1i, the disciples of Jesus Christ,
 ought to have had such departure and
 such life.
 St. James lost his head. St. Philip
 was hung to death on a pillar. St. Mat
 thew had his life dashed out with halberd. St. Mark was dragged to death
 through the streets. St. James the Less
 was beaten to death with fuller's club St. Thomas was struck through with spear. They did not find follow ing Christ smooth sailing. Oh, how they were all tossed in the tempest! Johu Huss in the fire, Hugh McKail in the hour of martyrdom, the Albigenses, the Waldenses, the Scotch Covenanters did they find it smooth sailing? But why go to history when 1 can find all around me score of illustra- tions of the truth of this subject-that
 young man in the store trying to serve tianity, the young men in the same store antagonistic to the Christian re- ligion, teasing him, tormenting him about his religion, trying to get him
 mad? They succeed in getting him
 mad. saying, You're pretty Chris tianl" Does this young man find it smooth sailing when he tries to follow Christ? Here is Christian girl. Her father despises the Christian religion; her mother despises the Christian re- hgion; her brothers and sisters scoff at the Christian religion; she can hardly find quiet place in which to say her prayers. Did she find it smooth sailing when she tried to follow Jesus Christ? Oh, no; all who would live the life of the Christian religion must suffer per secution. If you do not find it in one way, you will get it in another way. The question was asked, 'tWho are those nearest the throne?" and the an
 swer came back, "These are they who came up out of great tribulation"- "great failing" as the original has it; great failing, great pounding" had their robes washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb" Oh, do not be disheartenedl O child of God, take
 couragel You are in glorious compan- ionship God will see you through all
 these trials, and he will deliver you. My subject also impresses me with the fact that good people sometimes get very much frightened. In the tones of these disciples as they rushed into the back part of the boat l find they are frightened almost to death. They say, Master, carest thou not that we per ish?" They had no reason to be fright ened, for Christ was in the boat SUD- pose if we had been there we would
 have been just as much affrighted Per haps more.
 Nc .F
 In all ages very good people get very much affrighted. It is often so in our day, and men say: "Why, look at the bad lectures; look at the spiritualistic
 societies; look at the various errors go- ing over the church of God. We are go- ing to founder; the church is going to perish; she is going down." Oh, how
 many good people are affrighted by tri- | umphant iniquity in our day and think the church of Jesus Christ and the
 cause of righteousness are going to be overthrown and are just as much affrighted as the disciples of my text were affrighted. Don't worry, don't fret, as though iniquity were going to triumph over righteousness.
 A lion goes into a cavern to sleep. He
 lies down. with his shaggy mane cover ing the paws. Meanwhile the spiders spin web across the mouth of the cav
 ern and say, We have captured him. Gossamer thread after gossamer thread is spun until the whole front of the cavern is covered with the spiders web and the spiders say, "The lion is done; the lion is fast" After awhile the lion has got through sleeping. He rouses him. self, he shakes bis mane, he walks out
 into the sunlight, he does not even
 know the spiders web is spun, and with his voice he shakes the mountain. So men come, spinning their sophis-
 tries and skepticism about Jesus Christi. He seems to be sleeping. They say: "We have captured the Lord. He will
 never come forth again upon the nation. Christ is captured, and captured for ever. His religion will never make any | conquest among men," But after awhile the "lion of the tribe of Judah'' will
 rouse himself and come forth to shake
 nightly the nations. What is a spiders web to the aroused lion? Give truth and
 error fair grapple, and truth will come of victor.
 put CneTe are great many gOO1 peO- pie who get affrighted in other respects
 They are affrighted in our day about re-
 vivals. They say: "Oh, this is a strong
 religious galei We are afraid the church
 of God is going to upset, and there are
 going to be great many people brought
 into the church that are going to be of
 no use to it." And they are affrighted
 whenever they see revival taking hold of the churches
 Chair and Wheat.
 As though ship captain with 5000
 bushels of wheat for cargo should say some day, coming upon deck, "Throw overheard all the cargo" and the sailors
 should say: Why, captain, what do