The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1900-06-22

~ shC OcBihhihS VI Shcos OhooA pa 1865
He has been with them in the past
no trouble can overthrow them; tn,
storms might come down from tn,
, top of Mount Hermon and lash Gen
nesaret into foam and into agony
but it could not hurt them. But here
is another man who starts out il
worldly enterprise, and he depends
upon the uncertainties of this life
He has no God to help him. Ate,
awhile the storm comes, losses off the
masts of the ship; he puts out his life
boat and the long boat; the sheriff
and the auctioneer try to help him
off; they can't help him off; he must
go down; no Christ in the ship. Your
life will be made up of sunshine and
shadows. There may be in it arctic
blasts or tropical tornadoes; 1 know
not what is before you, but l know II
you have Christ with you all shall be
well. You may seem to get along
without the religion of Christ while
everything goes smoothly, but after
awhile, when sorrow hovers over the
soul, when the waves of trial dash
clear over the hurricane deck and the
decks are crowded with piratical dis
asters-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
well; all is well for 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 sailing. These disciples got
into the small boats, and 1 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 into wrath, then they
found that following Christ was not
smooth sailing. So you have found
it: so / have found it.
A young man in a store trying to
serve God, while his employer SCOTS
at Christianity; the young men in the
same store, antagonistic to the Chris
tian religion, teasing him, tormenting
him about his religion, trying to get
him mad. They succeed 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 Chris
tian 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
You are in a glorious COM
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
disciples as they rushed into the back
part of the boat find they are fright
ened almost to death. They say:
Master carest Thou not that we per-
sh?" They had no reason to be
for Christ was in the boat. |
suppose if we had been there we
would have been just as much af-
frighted. Perhaps more. In all ages
very good people get very much af-
frighted. 1t is often so in our day, |
and men say: "Why, look at the bad
ectures. Look at the various errors |
yoing over the church of God. We are |
going to founder The church is 60
ng to perish. She is going down."
Oh, how many good people are af-
,righted by iniquity in our day and |
.hink the church of Jesus Christ is |
yoing to be overthrown and are just
Is much affrighted as were the dis
,iples of my text! Don't IVORY, don't
ret, as though iniquity were going to
triumph over righteousness. A lion
yoes into a cavern to sleep. He lies
Town with his shaggy name covering
he paws. Meanwhile the spiders spin
i web across the mouth of the cavern
Ind say: I'VE have captured him"
iossamer thread after gossamer
bread until the whole front of the
.avern is covered with the spiders
web, and the spiders say: "The lion
S done; the lion is fast" After awhile
he lion has got through sleeping.
lie rouses himself, he shakes his
name, he walks out into the sunlight.