The Monitor-register., 1897-09-03

mahO IuO l1OtlOh VI u A4uG4O SOau tAO
0 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 men, the disciples of Jesus Christ,
ought to have had such a departure and
such a life.
st. James lost his head. st. Philip
was hung to death on a pillar. st. Mat
thew had his life dashed out with a
halberd. st. Mark was dragged to death
through the streets. st. James the Less
was beaten to death with a fuller's
club. St. Thomas was struck through
with a spear. They did not find follow
ing Christ smooth sailing. Oh, how
they were all tossed in the tempest!
John Huss in the fire, Hugh McKail in
the hour of m%artyrdom, the Alblgenses,
the Waldenses, the Scotch Covenanters
did they find it smooth sailing!
But why go to history when l can
find all around me a score OF illustra-
tions of the truth of this subject-that
young man in the store trying to serve
God while his employer SCOTS at Chris
t%ianity, the young men in the same
store antagonistic to the Christian re-
ligion, teasing him, tormenting him
about bis religion, trying to get him
mad? They succeed in getting him
mad, saying, You're a pretty Chris
tianl' Does this young man find 1t
smooth sailing when he tries to follow
Christ? Here is a Christian girl. Her
father despises the Christian religion;
her mother despises the Christian re-
ligion; her brothers and sisters scott at
| the Christian religion; she can hardly
find a 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, "Who are
those nearest the tirone?" and the an
swer came back, These are they who
came up out of great tribulation''-
great failing" as the original mas it;
great failing, great pounding-"apd
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 ! 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. l sup
pose if we had been there we would
have been just as much affrighted. Per
haps more.
Nc Need of Worry.
In all ages very good people get very
much affrighted. 1t is often SO in our
day, and men say: why, look at the
bad lectures; look at the sp%iritualistic
societies; look at the various errors 60
ing over the church of God. We are 60
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
o%verthrown 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 te
triumph over righteousness.
A lion goes into a cavern to sleep. He
lies down, with his shaggy name cover
ing the paws. Meanwhile the spiders
spin a web across the mouth of the cav
ern and say, "We have captured him. "
Gossamer thread after gossaper 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 his name, he walks out
into the sunlight, he does not ever
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 Christ.
He seems to be sleeping. They say
1--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 spider't
web to the aroused lion2 Give truth ani
error a fair grapple, and truth will com
off victor.
But there are a great many good PEG
pie who get affrighted in other respects
They are affrighted in our day about re-
vivals. They say: ooh, this is a strone
religious gale! We are afraid the church
of God is going to upset, and there arr
going to be a great many people brough'
into the church that are going to be O.
no use to it." And they are affrightet
whenever they see a revival taking hole
of the churches.
Chair and Wheat.
As though a ship captain with 5000
bushels of wheat for a cargo should say
some day, coming upon deck, "Throv
overheard all the cargo" and the sailor
should say: "Why, captain, what d.
you mean2 Throw over all the cargop'
"Oh," says the captain, "we have E
peck of chaff that has got into this 3, 00(
bushels of wheat, and the only way to gel
rid Of the chaff is to throw all ths
| wheat overheard" Now, that is a great
deal wiser than the talk of a great many
Christians who want to throw overheard
all the thousands and tens of thousands
Of souls who have been brought in
through great awakenings. Throw all
overheard because there is a peck Of
chaff, a quart of chaff, a pint of chaff
I say, let them stay until the last day.
The Lord will divide the chaff from the
wheat.
Oh, that these gales from HEAVIER
might sweep through all our churches
Oh, for such days as Richard Baxter