St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1898-12-24

L
..hall call the neither springs and gloriea
in the world to come which shall call
the upper springs.
Where shall find words enough
threaded with light to set forth the
pleasures of religion? David, unable to
describe it in words, played it on a
harp. Mrs. Hemans. not finding enough
power in prose. sings that praise in a
canto. Christopher Wren, unable to de-
scribe it in language, sprung it into the
arches OF ST. Panrs. John Bunyan, I'M
able to present it in ordinary phrase
| ology, takes all the fascination of allie
CORY. Handel, with ordinary music un-
able to reach the height Of the theme,
rouses it up in an oratoric. oh, there is
no life on earth SO happy ~ a really
Christian life! l do not mean a sham
Christian life, but a real Christian life.
Where there is thorn there In q whole
garland of roses. Where there il one
groan there are three doxologies.
Where there is one day Of cloud there is
q whole season of sunshine. Take the
humblest Christian man that you know
angels of God canopy him with their
white wings; the lightnings of Heaven
are his armed allies; the Lord is his
Shepherd, picking out for him green
pastures by still waters. If he walk
forth, Heaven is his bodyguard. If he
lie down to sleep, ladders Of light, angel
blossoming. are let into his dreams. II
lie be thirsty, the potentates of Heaven
ere his cupbearers. II he sit down to
food, his plain table blooms into the
Kings banquet. Men say: Look at
that odd fellow with the WORKOUT
coat" The angels of God cry: Lift up
your heads, We everlasting gates. and
let him come I'M" Fastidious people
cry: Get OF my front steps!" The
doorkeepers Of Heaven cry: "Come. We
blessed of nay Father, inherit the King
CONT" When he comes to die, though
he may be carried out in pine box to
the potter's field. to that potter's field
the chariots of Christ will come down,
and the cavalcade will crowd all the
boulevards of Heaven.
bless Christ for the present satisfac-
.tion of religion. 1t makes a man all
right with reference to the past; 1t
makes q man all right with reference to
the future. Oh, these neither springs of
comfort! They are perennial. The
foundation Of God standeth sure having
this seal: 1.-THE Lord knoweth them
that are His" 1.-The mountains shall
iepart, and the hills be removed, but
my kindness shall not depart from thee,
neither shall the covenant of my peace
lie removed, saith the Lord, who hath
mercy upon thee" Oh, cluster OF dia-
monds set in FURNISHED gold! Oh,
neither springs of comfort bursting
through all the valleys of trial and trib-
nlation! When you see, you OF the
world, what satisfaction there is ON
earth in religion, do you not thirst after
it as the daughter of Caleb thirsted
after the water springs? It is no stag
nant pond, scummed over with ma
laria, but springs Of water leaping
from the Rock Of Ages! Take up one
cup of that spring water and across the
top of the chalice will float the delicate
shadows of the Heavenly wall. the yell
low 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. It
makes a man happy while he lives and
glad when he dies. With two feet upon
Il chair and bursting with dropsies,
heard an old man in the poorhouse cry
out: BLESS the Lord, oh, my soul!"
looked around and said: what has this
man got to thank God for?". It makes
the lame man leap as hare and the
dumb sing. They say that the old Puri-
tan religion is a juiceless and joyless
religion, but remember reading of DR..
Goodwin, the celebrated Puritan, who
in his last moment said: as this dy-
ing? Why, my bow abides in strength!
l am swallowed upi God!" Her ways
are ways of pleasantness, and all her |
paths are peace" Oh, you who have
been trying to satisfy yourselves with
the "south lard" of this world, do you
not feel that you would this morn
ing like to have access to the neither |
springs of spiritual comfort? Would
you not like to have Jesus Christ bend
over your cradle and bless your table
and heal your wounds and strew flowers
Of consolation all mp and down the
graves of your dead?
IT'S religion that can give
Sweetest pleasures while We live.
IT'S religion can supply
Sweetest comfort when We die.
But ! have something better to tell
vou, suggested by this text. It seems
that old Father Caleb on the wedding
day of his daughter wanted to make her
Just as happy as possible. Though 9th
MEL was taking her away and his heart
was almost broken because she was
,oing, yet he gives her a south land;""
not only that, but the neither springs:
Tot only that. but the upper springs.
God, my Father. thank Thee that
Thou hast given me a "south land" in
his world and the neither springs of
spiritual comfort in this world; but,
more than all, thank Thee for the
lpper springs in Heaven!
It is very fortunate that we cannot
zee Heaven until we get into 1t. o
christian man, if you could see what
place 1t is we would never get you
,ack again to the Office, or store, OF
hop. and the duties you ought to per
orm would go neglected! am glad
shall not see that world until enter
t. Suppose we were allowed to 60 on
n excursion into that good land with
he idea of returning. When we got
here and heard the song and looked at
heir raptured faces and mingled In
he supernal society. we would cry out:
Let US stay! We are coming here any
ow. Why take the trouble Of going
ack again to that old world? We are
ere now. Let us stay" And it would
AXE angelic violence to put us out Of
hat world If once we got there. but a.
eople who cannot afford to pay for an [
sometimes come around
and look through the door ajar. or
trough the openings in the fence, 30
'e come and look through the crevices !,
ito that good land which God has pro- 4
ided for us. We can Just catch a
limpse Of 1t. We come near enough to
ear the rumbling Of the eternal or. q