Connecticut western news., 1900-06-14

Iers-nn w...-- -oum you Go then without Christ in the ship? Take God. for your portion, God for your guide, God for your help; then all is well; all is we'll for time; all shall be we'll for ever. Blessed Is that man who puts in the Lord his trust. He shall never be confounded.
 Rough Sailing.
 But my subject also impresses me with the fact that when people start to follow Christ they must not expect smooth sailing. These disciples got in- to the small boats, and have no doubt they said: What a beautiful day this Is! How delightful Is sailing in this boat! And as for the waves under the keel of the boat, why, they only make the motion of our little boat the more delightful" But when the winds swept down and the sea was tossed in- to wrath, then they found that follow Ing Christ was not smooth sailing. So you have found 1t; so have found 1t.
 Did you ever notice the end of the life of the apostles of Jesus Christ? You would say If ever men ought to have had a smooth life, a smooth de parture, then those men. the disciples of Jesus Christ. ought to have had such a departure and such a life. St. James lost bis head. St Philip was hung to death on a pillar. St. Matthew had his life dashed out with halberd. St Mark was dragged to death through the streets. St James the Less was beaten to death with a fuller's club. St. Thomas was struck through with spear. They did not find following Christ smooth sailing. Oh, how they were all tossed in the tempestl John Huss In fire; Hugh McKail in> the hour of martyrdom; the Albigenses, the Waldenses, the Scotch Covenanters did they find 1t smooth sailing? But why go into history when we can draw from our own memory illustrations of the truth of what l say? A young man in store trying to serve God, while his employer scoffs at Christianity; the young men in the same store, antago- nistic to the Christian religion, teasing him. tormenting him about his religion, trying to get him mad. They succeed in getting him mad and say, You're a pretty Christianw Does that young tries to follow Christ? Or you remem- Der Christian girl Her father de spises the Christian religion; her moth CT despises the Christian religion; her brothers and sisters scoff at the Chris tian religion; she can hardly find a quiet place in which to say her pray ers Did she find 1t smooth sailing when she tried to follow Jesus Christ Oh, no! All who would live the life of the Christian religion must suffer per secution. If you do not find 1t in one way. you will get 1t in another way. But be not disheartened! Take cour- age. You are in glorious companion ship. God will see you through all trials, and he will deliver you.
 No Cause For Fear.
 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 I find they are fright ened almost to death. They say, Mas ter, carest thou not that we perish P They had no reason to be frightened. for Christ was in the boat I suppose If we had been there we would have been just as much affrighted. Perhaps more. In all ages very good people get very much affrighted. It 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 founder. The church Is going to perish. She Is going down" Oh, how many good people are af- frighted by iniquity in our day and think the church of Jesus Christ Is go !, ing to be overthrown and are just as much affrighted as were the disciples of my text! 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. Mean while the spiders spin web across the mouth of the cavern and say, "We have captured him." Gossamer threat after gossamers thread until the whole front of the cavern Is covered with tht spiders web, and the spiders say .sThe lion Is done; the lion is fast. After awhile the lion has got through sleeping. He rouses himself, he shakes his mane, he walks out into the sun light. He does not even know tn, spiders web Is spun, and with his roa he shakes the mountain. So men com, spinning their sophistries and skepti cism about Jesus Christ. He seems t, be sleeping. They say: we have cap tured the Lord. He will never com, forth again upon the nation. Christ i overcome forever. His religion will never make any conquest among men. But after awhile the Lion of the trib, of Judah will rouse himself and come forth to shake nightly the nations
 Whats spiders web to the aroused lion? Give truth and error fair grap | pie, and truth will come off victor.
 Gales From Heaven.
 | But there are a great many goot people who get affrighted in other re spects. They are affrighted about re | vivals. They say: "Oh, this Is a stroni religious gale! We are afraid tn
 church of God is going to be upset ant there are going to be great man.
 people brought into the church that ar going to be of no use to it." And the. are affrighted whenever they see a re
 vival taking hold of the churches. A
 though ship captain. with 5000 bush els of wheat for a cargo, should sa.
 some day, coming upon deck, '"Throy
 overheard all the cargoy' and the sail l ors should say: "Why, captain, wha
 do you mean? Throw over all the cal goY' "Oh," says the captain, i've hay
 peck of chaff that has got into thi
 5000 bushels of wheat, and the onl
 way to get rid of the chaff Is to throy
 all the wheat overboardw Now, tha
 is great deal wiser than the talk o
 many Christians who want to throy