The Progress. (Shreveport, La.) 1892-1900, 1898-12-03

really Christian life! | do not mean ,
! snam Christian life, but real Christian
hfe' Where there is n thorn there Ia o
Who'e garland OF roses. Where there is
one Rroan there are three doxolopies
mere II one day of cloud there Is
d "no'o season OF sunshine. Take the
| humblest Christian man that YOU know
angels OF God canopy him with their
white wings; the llghtnings of HEAVEN
are MS armed allies; the Lord is his SbeT
nero. picking out for him green pastures
Dy still waters. II he walk forth. heaven
IS his bodyguard. II he lie down 70 sleon
ladders OF light, angel blossoming nro Iat
INTO his dreams. If he be thirst tba
potentates of heaven are his cupbearsr r'
II ne sit down to food, his plain tahlo
blooms into the Kings banquet. Mon COW.
Look at that odd fellow with the wornnHt
coat. The angels of God crv "Tift ~
your heads, ye everlasting gates, and ln.
nm come 1n' Fastidious people crv
Get off my front steps!' The doorkeenerrs,
VI heaven cry, Come, ye blessed Of m "
rather, Inherit the kinsdom!" When he
comes to die, though he may be carried ont
III pine box to that DOtter's field, to that
potters field the chariots Of Christ will
come down, and the cavalcade will crowd
'''I NV pOulcVdTuS Oh heaven.
bless Christ for the present satisfaction
vi rei'glon. IL makes Il man all right with
reference to the past; it makes nan ali
rlght with reference to the future. Oh
these neither springs of comfort! They are
perennial. The foundation of God stanaeth
sure having this seal, "The Lord knoweth
them that are His" "The mountains sbojl
depart and the hills be removed but Nv
kindness shall not depart from thee,
neither shall the covenant of NV peac. be
removed, saith the Lord who hath mercy
upon thee" Oh, cluster of diamonds SET
in FURNISHED goldl Oh, neither springs Of
comfort bursting through all the valleys of
trlal and trlbulation When vol see YOU
OF the world, what satisfaction there is
on earth In religion, do you not thirst after
IL as the daughter Of Caleb thirsted after
the water springs? 1t is no stagnant pond,
scummed over with malaria, but springs of
water leaping from the Rock Of Ayesl
rake up one cup OF that spring water and
across the top Of the chalice will float tho
delicate shadows of the heavenly wall, the
yellow OF jasper; the green Of emerald,
the blue OF sardonyx, the fire of jacinth.
wish could make you understand the
Joy religion is to some Of us. 1t makes a
man happy while he lives and glad when
ne dies. With two feet upon chair and
bursting with dropsies, | heard IN old man
Ia the poorhouse cry out, "Bless the Lord,
on, my SOUL" looked around and said,
What has this man got to thank God for?"
1t makes the lame man leap rs hart, and
the dumb sing. They say that the old
puritan religion Is juiceless and joyless
religion, but l remember reading of DR..
Goodwin, the celebrated Puritan, who in
his last moment said: SIS this dying? Why,
my DOW abldes In strength! | am swal-
owed up In God!' 'Her ways are ways OF
Dieasantness, and all her paths are peace"
III, you VINO have been trying to satisfy
yourselves with the 'south land" of this
Vorld, DO yon not feel that you would, this
morning, ike to have access to the neither
prlngs OF spiritual comfort? Would you
lot like to have Jesus Christ bend over YOUR
radle and bless your table and heal vonr
Wounds and strew flowers Of consolation
il up and down the graves OF your dead?
IT'S religion that can give
sweetest pleasures while we live.
Ills religion can supply
Sweetest comfort when we die.
But | have something better to tell yor.
uggested by this text. 1t seems that old
,atner Caleb on tho wedding day Of his
laughter wantedto make her just as happy
3 possible. Though Othniel was taking
Ter away and his heart was almos: broken
ecause she was going, yet he gives her q
south land" not only that, but the neither
prings; not only that, but the upper
prings. o God, my Father thank Thee
nat Thou hast given me "south land" In
his world and the neither springs of spir-
ual comfort in this world; but, nj ore than
II, thank Thee for the upper springs in
eaven!
1t is very fortunate that we cannot see
eaven until we get into it. 0 Chris.
an man. IL you could see what q place
Is we would never get you back again
the office, or store, or shop and the
aties you ought to perform would go ne
lected! am glad l shall not see that
ORD until enter it. Suppose We
ere allowed to go on an excursion in
that good land with the idea OF re-
lrning. When we got there and heard
10 song and looked a. their raptured
ces and mingled in tho supernal socie-
:, we would cry out; "Let us stay!
q are coming here anyhow. Why take
70 trouble OF going back again to that
q world? We are here now. Let US
ay" And 1t would cake angelic vio-
nee to put US out Of that world il once
9 got there, but as people who cannot
ford to pay for an ente rtainment some
mes come around it and look through
o door ajar, or through the openings
the fence. SO we come and look through
o crevices into that good land which
I'd has provided for US. We can Just !
tch a glimpse Of 1t. We come near
ough to hear the rumbling Of the eter-
il orchestra, though not near enough to
low who blows the cornet or who fingers
9 harp. My soul spreads out both wings
ID claps them In triumph at the thought
those upper springs. One of them
eaks from beneath the throne. Another
eaks forth from beneath the altar Of the
nple. Another ut the door OF "the I,
use OF many mansions" Upper springs
gladness! Upper springs Of light! j..
per springs Of Lowell It is no fancy of
ne. "The Lamb which Is in the midst of o
throne shall lead them to living foun-
ms of water" n
D Saviour divine, roll in upon our souls t
OF those anticipated rapturesl Pour
>und the roots OF the parched tongue one Il
op OF that liquid lifel Toss before our a
lon those fountains Of God, rainbowed h