Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1900-06-14

nadoes | know not what is before you.
but I know il you have Christ with you
all shall be we'll You may seem to get
along without the religion of Christ while
everything goes smoothly, but after
awhile, when sorrow hovcrs over the
soul, when the waves of trial dash clear
over the hurricane deck and the decks
are crowded with piratical disasters-oh,
what would you do then without Christ
in the ship? Take God for your portion,
God for your guide, God for your help:
then all is we'll; all is well for a time; all
shall be well forever. Blessed is that
man who puts in the Lord his trust. He
shall never be COMPOUNDED.
But my subject also impresses me with
the fact that when people start to follow
Christ they must not expect smooth sail
ing. These disciples got into the small
boats, and | have no doubt they said:
What a beautiful day this isl How de-
lightful 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 into wrath, then they found
that following Christ was not smooth
sailing. So you have found it; so ! have
found it.
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 departure, then
those men, the disciples of Jesus Christ,
ought to have had such a departure and
such a life. st. James lost his head. st.
Philip was hung to death on pillar. St.
Matthew had his life dashed out with
halbert. st. Mark was dragged to death
through the streets. St. James the Less
was beaten to death with fuller's club.
st. Thomas was struck through with a
spear. They did not find following Christ
smooth sailing. Oh, how they were all
tossed in the tempest! John Huss in Il
fire; Hugh McKai in the hour of mar
tyrdom; 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 mem
DRY illustrations of the truth of what
say?
Not Always Smooth Sailing.
A young man in a store trying to serve
God, while his employer SCOTS at Chris
tianity; the young men in the same
store, antagonistic to the Christian re-
Egion, teasing him, tormenting him about
his religion. trying to get him mad. They
succeed in getting him mad and say,
You're a pretty Christian" Does that
young man find it smooth sailing when he
tries to follow Christ? Or you remember
n Christian girl. Her father despises the
Christian religion her mother despises
the Christian religion; her brothers and
sisters scott ut 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 a glorious companionship. God
will see you through all trials, and he
will deliver you.
My subject also impresses me with the
fact that good people sometimes get
frightened. In the tones OF these dis
ciples as they rushed into the back part
Of the boat | find they are frightened al
most to death. They say, Master, car
est thou not that we perish?" 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 people get very much
affrighted. 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 founder.
The church is going to perish. She is
going down" Oh, how many good PEG.
pie are affrighted by iniquity in our day
and think the church of Jesus Christ is
going to be overthrown and are just us
much aftrighted 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 name covering the paws. Mean
while the spiders spin n web across the
mouth of the cavern and say, 1--WE have
captured him" Gossamer thread after
gossamer thread until the whole front Of
the cavern is covered with the spider s
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 his name, he
walks out into the sunlight. He does not
even know the SPIDERS web is spun, and
with his roar he shakes the mountain. So
men come spinning their sophistries and
skepticism about Jesus Christ. He seems
to be sleeping. They say: 1--WE have
captured the Lord. He will never come
forth again upon the nation. Christ is
overcome forever. His religion will new
er make any conquest among men," But
after awhile the Lion of the tribe Of Jul
dab will rouse himself and come forth to
shake nightly the nations. What's a
spiders web to the aroused lion? Give
truth and error fair grapple, and truth
will come off victor.
Frightened by Revivals.
But there are n great many good people
who get atfrighted in other respects. They
are affrighted about revivals. They say:
"Oh, this is strong religious gale! We
are afraid the church of God is going to
be upset and there are going to be a
great many people brought into the
church that are going to be of no use to
it." And they are affrighted whenever
they see revival taking hold Of the
churches. AS though ship captain.
with 5000 bushels of wheat for n 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, I'VE
have a peck of chaff that has got into
this 5000 bushels of wheat, and the only
way to get rid of the chaff is to throw
all the wheat overboardw Now, that is
n great deal wiser than the talk of many