The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1900-06-20

have had a smooth lie, SmOotn oe-
Tarture, then those men, the disciples
of Jesus Christ, ought to have had such
a departure aud such life. St. James
lost his head. St. Philip was hung to
death On pillar. ST. Matthew had his
life dashed out with a halbert. St.
Mark was dragged to death through the
streets. ST. James the Less was beat
en- to death with fullers club. St.
Thomas was struck through with
spear. They did not fnd folIo~lns
Christ smooth sailing. Oh, ho" they
were all tossed in the tempest 'onn
auss in FIRE; Hugh Mchall IN ,he
hour of marty rdom; the Alolscnscs,
tho Wal5cnses, the Scctch Covenanters
N3i6 thoy find it smooth sailing? Bat
rby,o into history whcn we can draw
t.',n, .',, on- avn memory illustrations of
the truth 9f what | say
Young man IN store trying to
.nrys cod. while his employer sc0fs at
Christianity; the young men in the same
store. aotsgoDistic to the Christian re-
ligiou, teasing him, tormenting him
about his religion, trying to get him
mad. They succeed in getting him
mad and say, You're a pretty Chris
tian!!' Does that young man Ind 1t
smooth sailing when he t1ie5 to folio"
Christ? Or you remember Christian
girl. Her father despises the CHRIS
tan religion; her mother despises the
Christian religion; her brothers and
sisters scof at the Christian religion;
she can hardly find quiet place IN
which TO say her prayers. Did she lind
It smooth sailing when she tired to fol-
low Jesus Christ? Oh, nol All who
would live the life Of the Christian re-
lgion must suffer persecution. II you
90 not find it in Que way, you will get
it in another way. But be not dis
hearteDed! Take courage. You are il
glorious compsuionship. God vii!
see you through all trials, AID he will
deliver you. ;,
My subject also impresses me with
the fact that good people sometimes
get frightened. IN the tones OF these
disciples as they rushed into the back
part Of the boat fod they are fright
ened almost TO death. They say,
Master, carest thou not that we per
ish?" They had no reason to be frlgh-
tened, for Christ was IN the boat. !!
suppose if we had been there We would
have been just as much alright ed:
PERHAPS more. In all ages very good
people get very much afrighted. 1t is
often so in our day, and men say:
Why, look at the bad lectures. 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 goiDg down" Oh, how many
gcod people are afrighted by iniquity
in our day and think the church OF
Jesus Christ is going to be overthroWn
and are just as much afrighted as were
the disciples of my text! Don't worry,
don't fret, as though iniquity were go
ing to 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
cavern and say, 'We have captured
him" Gossamer thread after gossa-
mer thread until the whole front of the
cavern is covered with the spider,
web, and the spiders say, The lion is
done; the lion is fast" After awhile
the lion bss got through sleeping. Tic
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 rear kc shasesthe mountain. So
men come spinning their sophistrlcs 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 na-
ton. Christ is overcome 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 might
ily the nations. What's spider S
web to the aroused l!oo? Give truth
and error fail grspple, aad truth will
come off victor.
But there are great many good
people who get afrighted in other re-
spects. They are affrighted about re-
vivals. They say: ''Oh, this is a
strong religions gale We are afraid
the cllurcE, Vf God is going to be upset
and there are going to be great many
people brought into the church that are
going to be of no use to it. !" And
they are afrighted whenever they see
revival taking hold of the churches.
AS though ship captain, with 5000
bushels Of wheat for cargo, should
say some day, coming upon deck,
Throw overheard all the cargo!" and
the sailors should say: why captain
what do you mean? Throw over all
the cargo?" "Oh," says the captain,
''8e have peck Of chat that has got
i1to this 5000 bushels of wheat, and
the only way to get rid Of the chaf is
to throw all the wheat overboardI'
Now, that IS great deal wiser than
the talk of many Christians who want
to throw overheard all the thousands
and tens of thousands of souls who ale
the subjects CT rcvivals. Throw al
overheard because thay are brought in
to the kingdom of God through great
revivals, because there is peck OF
chaf, quart of chaf, pint of chaf!
l say, let trem stay until the last day.
The Lord Will civide the chaf from the
wheat.
Again, my subject impressed me
with the fact that Jesus was God and
man in the same being. Here he is in
the back part Of the beat. Oh, how
tired he looks What sad dreams he
must have! Look at his eountenance,
he must be thinking Of the cross to
come. Look at him; he is man
bone Of our bone, flesh of our flesh.
Tired, be falls asleep; he is man:
Rnt %bao 7 find Christ at the DrOW OF