The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1898-10-07

Hold on, hold fast, hold out; we are so
often tempted to stop when on the eve Of
realized success and richest blessing. A
number OF years ago [ climbed Mount
Washington to find near the summit what
| many of GU have seen, rude cairn of
stones tina marks the grave of Lizzie
Bourne. You recall the story. In the
years when no cog wheel railroad ran to
| the top, Lizzie Bourne and her father
| started out to make the ascent on foot.
| 1t was cold September day. When
| near the summit they were overtaken by
one or those storms that SO suddenly
gather on mountain heigh;s. In the
| midst of the cloud and darkness they lost
| their way and wandered about until the
daughter sank down from exhaustion and
cold. In the morning, as the clouds
cleared away, the father discovered the
I1p-top House only few rods away.
| Their place OF refuge was close at hand,
but they had not been able to hold out to
reach it. DR. Theodore L CuYler tells
| OF his early experience that In his first
| charge, small church in New York. he
| had preached the gospel as faithfully as
he could, be had bone his people to God
| on the wings OF prayer; and yet no fruit
was yielded. He was in despair, he was
| on the point Of asking his board to release
him from the pastorate. They persuaded
him to hold on a little longer, and God
blessed his labors with such a fruitful
! harvest that it stands cons picuous In the
| history Of the church. AdOniram Jud-
son, that splendid missionary, preached
| for six years in Burmah without any
visible result; in his after life God
gave Burmah to Judson, aud judi
son gave Burmah to God. When
appeal to an English audience in behalf
Of his orphanage work, he received abso-
| lutely no response. He
TOOK HOLD OF GOD IN PRAYER
and claimed the blessing. His first con-
| tribution came in three days; 1t was a
shilling from the meagre salary of a poor
missionary. In fortnight food ana mon
ey came pouring in, and you all know
| what George Muller accomplished solely
through relying upon God. I have nc
| ticed that it is always darkest just before
the dawn. Oh, if you can only hold out
/ through the night! II you can only wait
for the morning to dawn!
For il you only can hold out through
/ the night, when the morning comes there
will be revelation for you. The record
| out Of which the words Of our text are
| taken, reads: "When the morning was
come, Jesus stood on the shore; but the
disciples knew not that it was Jesus"
They did not know Him, but He knew
struggle; He knew how hard they had
toiled; He knew their nets were empty;
He knew how much they needed q big
haul and big encouragement. When you
have failed, do you not suppose that Je-
sus knows it? Do you not suppose that
He knows that you have done your best
and yet you seem to have accomplished
nothingp Do 20" not suppose that He
knows that what you most need is a rev.
elation from Him?
The morning brings the risen Lord.
His feet are shining with triumph, the
crown of victory il on His brow. He
hath put all things under His feet; even
death, mans last enemy, has fallen meath
His stroke. He hath ali pc wer in Heav.
en- and on earth given to Him; no one
can balk His auth o city; no one can stay
His word. Our friends often mean we'll.
They want to help us very much when
we are discouraged and broken, but they
can't. How glad we ought to be to well
come to our side One who is triumphant
even over DEATH
And His help is suited to our need. l
think there is no more beautiful picture
in all sacred story than this of the wet,
cold, hungry, discouraged disciples COM
ing from their wearisome toll to meet
their Master on the shore, and food and
refreshment there ready for them. Some
I times we need food, we are hungry;
sometimes we need a physician, we are
sick; sometimes we need a Saviour, we
feel urs elves utterly undone. Lo! vel
find all these and all other needs of the
soul met in the one royal person, Jesus
Mrs Browning once asked of Charles
Kingsley what was the one thing, above
all others, that had made him the man
that he was. The noted author tersely
replied, ST had friend" [ tell yo0, my
friends, when at last through Gods
grace we come out of the drenching wave
ard the bitter encouragement of life and
sta ID upon the shore OF the glittering
! sea, we shall say, in deepest humility
mad Friend.''