The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1897-09-02

death with fullevs club. st. Thomas va
struck through with spear. They did not
hnd following Christ smooth sailing. oh,
how they were all tossed In the tempesti
John Huss in the fire, Hugh McKsil in the
hour OF martyrdom. the Albigenses, the
waldenses. the Scotch Coyenanters-
they find II smooth sailing?
But why go to history when I can flnd all
around me q score Of illustrations OF the
truth OF this subject-that young man in
the store trying to serve God while his en-
ployer scohs at Christianity. the young men
In the same store antagonistic to the
Christian religion. teasing him, tormenting
him about his religion. trying to get him
mad? They succeed In getting HIM mad,
this young man find ID smoeth sailing when
he tries to follow Christi Here Is Chris
| tian girl. Her father despises the Christian
| religion; her mother despises the Christian
religion; 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 persecution. II you
90 not hnd 1t In one way, you will get II In
another way.
The question was asked, "Who are those
nearest the throne2" and the answer came
back, "These are they who came up out OF
great tribulation"-"great failing" as the
original has It; great failing, great pound
ing-"and had their robes washed and
made white In the blood Of the Lamb" Oh,
do not be disheartened! O child Of God,
take couragel You ere In glorious COM
panionship. 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 I flnd they are frightened al
most to death. They say, Master, carest
Thou not that we perish?" They had no
reason to be frightened, for Christ was in
the boat. I suppose II We had been there
we would have been just Us much alright
ed. Perhaps more.
In all ages very good people get very
much affrighted. II is often so In our
day, and men say: "Why. look at the bad
lectures; look at the spiritualistic socie-
ties; look at the various errors going over
the church OF God. We are going to foun-
der; the church Is going to perish: she is
going down." oh, how many good people
are affrighted by triumphant 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 affrlghted 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 covering
the paws. Meanwhile the spiders spin a
web across the mouth OF tho cavern 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 himself, he shakes his name, 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 sophistries
and skepticism about Jesus Christ. He
seems to be sleeping. They say: "We have
captured the Lord. He will never come
forth again upon the nation. Christ is cap
tured, and captured forever. 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.
Again, my subject impresses me with tho
fact that Jesus was God and man in the
same being. Here he is in the back part
OF the boat. Oh, how tired he looks, what
sad dreams he must have! Look at his
He must be thinking OF the
cross to come. Look at him. He Is man
bone Of our bone, flesh OF our flesh,
Tired, he falls asleep; he is man. But
then find Christ at the prov Of the boat.
l hear Him say, peace, be stillp' And I
sec the storm kneeling at His feet and the
tempests folding their wings In His pres
ence. He Is God
II have sorrow and trouble and want
go and kneel down at the back
part OF the boat and say, 80 Christ, weary
one OF Gennesaret, sympathize with all my
sorrows, man OF Nazareth, man Of the
cross" A man, a man. But II I want Is
conquer my spiritual foes, II want to get
the victory over sin, death and hell, come
to the front Of the boat ard kneel down.
and say, 20 Lord Jesus Christ, Thou who
iost hush the tempest, hush all my grief,
hush all my temptation, hush all my SIM"
man, a man, God, a God.
learn once more from this subject that
Christ can hush tempest. 1t did seem as
I everything must go to ruin. The dis
'iples had given up the idea OF managing
he ship. The crew were entirely de.
noralized, yet Christ rises, and He puts
lis foot on the storm, and 1t crouches at
His feet. Oh, yes, Christ can hush the
empest!
You have had trouble. Perhaps Il was
he little child taken away from you-the
weetest child of the household, the one
Who asked the most curious questions and
tood around you with the greatest fond.
less, and the spade cut down through YOUR
bleeding heart. Perhaps II was an only
on, and your heart has ever since been like
! desolated castle, the owls Of the night
footing among the falling rafters and the
stairways.
Perhaps 1t was an aged mother. You al
Ways went to her with your troubles. She
vas in your home to welcome your children
nto life, and when they died she was there
o pity you. That old hand will do you no
more kindness. That white lock OF hair
ou put away In the casket or in the
ocket did not look as well as 1t usually did
ghen she brushed 1t away from her
'rinkled brow In the home circle or In the
ountry church. Or your property gone,
ou said, 81 have so much bank stock,
ave so many government securities, have
o many houses, have so many farms"--
ii gone, all gone.
Why, all the storms that ever trampled
With their thunders, all the shipwrecks,
ave not been worse than this to you. Yet
ou have not been completely overthrown,