Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1900-06-21

what all your frailtes are and what
your temptations are. The world will
only caricature you. will only scott at
you. What, then. must man do?
When the wave strikes him with ter
rife dash. shall he have nothing to
hold on to? In this contest with 'ths
world. the flesh and the devil" shall
man have no help. no counsel? Our
text intimtes something different. In
those eyes that wept with the Bethany
sisters | see shining hope. In that
voice which spake until the grave
broke and the widow of Main had
back her lost son and the sea slept
and sorrow stupendous woke up In the
arms OF rapture-in that voice hear
the command and the promise. Cast
thy burden on the Lord, and he will
sustain thee" Why should you carry
your burdens any longer? Oh. you
weary soul Christ has been in this con.
fict. He says: my grace shall be
sufficient for you. You shall not be
tempted above that you are able to
bear" Therefore with all your tempta-
lions, go, as these disciples did. and
tell Jesus.
Again, | commend the behavior Of
the disciples to all those who are
abused and to the slandered and per-
secuted. When Herod put John to
death, the disciples knew that their
own heads were not safe. And do you
know that every John has Herod?
| There are persons in life who do not
wish you very we'll. Your misfortunes
are honeycombs to them. Through
| their teeth they hiss at you. misinter-
pref your motives and would be glad
to see you upset.
suffering Persecution.
No man gets through life without
having a pommeling. Some SANDER
comes after you, horned and husked
and hoofed, to gore and trample you.
| And what are you to do? tell you
plainly that all who serve Christ must
suffer persecution. 1t is the worst
sign In the world for you to be able
to say. II have not an enemy In the
world" A woe Is pronounced In the
Bible against the one of whom every
body speaks well. II you are at peace
with all the world and everybody likes
you and approves your work, II Is be-
cause you are an idler In the Lords
vineyard and are not doing your duty.
| All those who have served Christ how
ever eminent, all have been maltreated
t, at some stage OF their experience, You
| know 1t was so In the time OF George
| Whitefield, when he stood and invited
men into the kingdom of God. What
| did the learned DR.. Johnson say of
| him? He pronounced him miser-
| able mountebank. How was Il when
Robert Hall stood and spoke as scarce
| ly any uninspired man ever did speak
Of the glories of heaven? And as he
stood Sabbath after Sabbath preaching
| on these themes his face kindled with
the glory. John Foster. a Christian
man, said of this man; Robert Hall Is
only acting, and the smile on his face
| John Wesley turned all England up
side down with Christian reform, and
| yet the punsters were after him, and
| the meanest jokes In England were
perpetrated about John Wesley. What
is true of the pulpit Is true of the pew;
it Is true of the street; 1t Is true of
| the shop and the store. All who will
| live godly In Christ Jesus must suffer
| persecution. And I set 1t down as
| the very worst sign In all your Chris
| tian experience II you are, any OF you,
at peace with all the world. The re-
ligion Of Christ Is war. 1t Is a chai-
lenge to 1.-The world, the flesh and the
devil" and II you will buckle on the
whole armor of God you will find a
great host disputing your path between
this and heaven.
An Ever Present Friend.
Often when we were In trouble we
sent for our friends, but they were far
away; they could not get to us. We
wrote to them, Come right away" or
telegraphed, Take the next train"
They came at last, yet were a great
while In coming or perhaps were too
late. But Christ is always near--be-
fore you, behind you, within you. No
her child with such warmth and costa
sy OF affection as Christ has shown to-
ward you. Close at hand-nearer than
the STAFF upon which you lean, nearer
than the cup you put to your lip
nearer than the handkerchief with
which you wipe away your tears-I
preach him an ever present, all sym
pathizing, compassionate Jesus. How
can you stay away one moment from
him with your griefs? Go now. Go
and tell Jesus.
1t Is often that our friends have no
power to relieve us. They would very
much like to do 1t, but they cannot
disentangle our finances, they cannot
cure our sickness and raise our dead,
but glory be to God that to whom the
disciples went has all power in heaven
an on earth. and at our call he will
balk our calamities and at just the
right time In the presence OF an ap-
plauding earth and a resounding heav-
en- will raise our dead. He Is mightier
than Herod. He Is swifter than the
storm. He Is grander than the sea.
He is vaster than eternity. And every
sword OF Gods omnipotence will leap
from Its scabbard and all the re-
sources of infinity be exhausted rather
than that Gods child shall not be de-
livered when he cries to him for res
cue. Suppose your child was in trou-
BILE. How much would you endure to
get him out? You would go through
any hardship. You would say: Il
don't care what 1t will cost. | mus,
get him out of that trouble" Do you
think God Is not so good father as
you? Seeing you are in trouble and