The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1900-06-21

ShNI Il lllt 81. JdITBS IOSC HIS IBdu. 81
| Phlllp was hung to death on pillar. st
Matthew had his life dashed out with a
halberd. ST. Mark was dragged to death
! through the streets st. James the Less
was beaten to death with a fuler's club
st. Thomas was struck through with a
spear. They did not find following Christ
smooth sailing. Oh, how they were all
fire; Hugh MeKail in the hour of martyr
dom; the Albigenses, the Waldenses the
Scotch Covenanters-did they find it
smooth sailing? But why go into history
when we can draw from our own mel-.ory
illustrations of the truth of what | say
God. while his employer SCOTS at Chris
tianity; the young men in the same store,
antagonistic to the Christian religion,
teasing him, tormenting him about his re-
ligion, trying to get him mad. They sue
coed in getting him mad and say, you're
pretty Christian" Does that young
man find it smooth sailing when he tries
to follow Christ? Or YOU remember a
Christian girl. Her. father despises the
Christian religion; her mother despises
the Christian religion: her brothers and
sisters scott at the Christian religion; she
can hardly find Quiet place in which to
say her prayers. Did she find it smooth
sailing when she tried to follow Jesus
Christ? Oh. no! All who would live the
life of the Christian religion must suffer
persecution. If you do not find it in one
way you will get it in another way. But
be not disheartened! Take courage. You
are in glorious comDanionship. God
will see you through all trials, and He
will deliver you.
Ny subject also irnpresses me with the
fact that good people sometimes get fright
ened. In the tones of these disciples as
they rushed into the back part of the
boat | find they are frightened almost to
death. They say. Master. carest Thou
not that we persh?" They had no reason
to be frightened. for Christ was in the
boat. | suppose if we had been there we
would have been just as much affrighted.
Perhaps more. In all ages very good peo-
pie 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 affrighted by in
EQUITY in our day and think the church of
Jesus Christ is going to be overthrown,
and are Just as much affrighted as We're
the disciples of my text! Don't worry,
don't fret. as though inlquity were going
to triumph over righteousness. A lion
goes into cavern to sleep. He lies dow,
Meanwhile the spiders spin a web across
the mouth of the cavern and say, eve
have captured him" Gossamer thread
after gOssamer thread until the whole
front of the cavern is covered with the
SPIDERS web, and the spiders say, "The
lion is done; the lion is fast" After
awhile the lion has got through sleeping.
He rouses himself. he shakes bis name, he
walks. out into the sunlight. He does not
even know the spiders web is snun. and
with his roar he shakes the mountain So
men come spinning their sophistries and
skeptici5m about Jesus Christ. He seems
to be sleeping They say; eve have can
tured the Lord. He viii never come forth
again upon the nation. Christ IS overcome
forever. HIS religion will never make any
CONQUEST among men. But after awhile
the Lion/of the tribe Of Judah viii rouse
Himself and come forth to shake nightly
the nations. What's a snider's web to the
aroused lion? Give truth and error a fair
grapple. and truth will come Off victor.
Do not be afraid OF a great revival. Oh.
that such gales from heaven might sweep
through all our churches, Oh. for such
days rs Richard Baxter saw in England
and Robert McCheyne saw in Dundee!
Oh, FOR such days rs Jonathan Edwards
saw in NORTHAMPTON ] have often heard
part Of this century there broke out re-
vlval at Somerville, n. j.. and some peo-
Dle were very much agitated about it
They said: you are going to bring too
many people into the church at once"
and they sent down to New Brunswick
vival Well. there was no better soul in
all the world than John Livingston. He
went and looked at the revival. They
wanted him to stop it. He stood in the
pulpit on the Lords day and looked over
the solemn auditory and he said: This,
brethren; is in reality the. work, of God.
Beware how You stop it, And he was
IN old 1ao-,ir,.r hooy-ityy bjS Of
a very old man. And he lifted that staff
and took hold of the small end of the staff
and began to let it fall slowly through be-
tween the finger ard the thumb, and he
said: ooh. thou impenitent, thou art fall
ing now-falling from life. falling away
" as that cane IS falling through my hand
falling certainly, though perhaps falling
slowly" And TIE cane kept on falling
through John Livingston's hand. The re-
ligious emotion in the audience was over
towering, and men saw a type of their
doom as the cane kent falling and falling,
until the knob of the cane struck Mr..
ly and said: But the grace of God can
stop YOU as | stopped that cane and
then there was Gladness all through the
house at the fact of pardon and peace and
salvation. "Well," said the people after
the service, Il guess you had better send
vival worse" Oh, for gales from heaven
to sweep all the continents! The danger
of the church of God Is not in revivals.
| learn once more from this subject that
Christ can hush tempest. 1t did seem
as if everything must go to ruin. The dis
cpies had given up the idea of managing
the ship; the crew We're entirely democrat
crouches at His feet. Oh, yes, Christ can
hush the tempestl You have had trouble