St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1901-06-08


through the body of the warrior ane
out through the backplate. What
symbol of that Gospel which is sharp
er than a two-edged sword. piercing
to the dividing asunder OF soul and
body and of tie joints and marrowl
Would to God We had more faith IN
that Gospel! The humblest man in the
world, if he had enough faith in it,
could bring a hundred souls to Christ
perhaps 500. Just in proportion as
this age seems to believe less and less
in it, I believe more and more in it.
What are men about that they will
not accept their own deliverance?
There is nothing proposed by men
that can do anything like this Gospel
Again. If you want to be skillful in
spiritual archery you must hunt in
unfrequented and secluded places.
Why does the hunter go three or
four days in the Pennsylvania for
ests or over Raquette lake into the
wilds Of the Adirondacks? It is the
only way to do. The deer are shy.
and one "bang" of the gun clears the
forest. From the California stage
you see, as you go over the plains,
here and there . coyote trotting
along almost within range of the
gun-sometimes quite within range
of it. No one cares for that. It is
worthless. The good game is hidden
and secluded. Every hunter knows
that. So many Of the souls that will
be of most worth for Christ and of
most value to the church are Sc
cluded. They do not come in our
way. You will have to go where they
are. Yonder they are down in that
cellar. Yonder they are up in that
garret-far. away from the door of
any church. The Gospel arrow has
not been pointed at them. The tract
distributor and the city missionary
sometimes just catch a glimpse of
them. as hunter through the trees
gets q momentary sight of par
fridge or roebuck. The trouble is we
are waiting for the game to come to
us. We are not good hunters. We
are standing on some street or road
expecting that the timid antelope
will come up and eat out of our hand.
We are expecting that the prairie
fowl will light on our church steeple.
1t is not their habit. II the church
should wait 10000. 900 of years for
the world to come in and be saved.
it will wait in vain. The world will
not come.
What the church wants now il to
lift its feet from damask ottomans
and put them in the stirrups. The
church wants not so many cushions
as it wants saddlebags and arrows.
We have got to put aside the gown
-ud the kid gloves and put on the
hunting shirt. We want q pulpit on
wheels. We have been fishing SO
long in the brooks that run under |
the shadow of the church that the |
fish know us, and they avoid the
hook and escape as soon as we come |
to the bank, while yonder is Upper
Saranac and Big Hupper's lake. where
the first swing of the Gospel net |
would break it for the multitude of |
the fishes. There is outside work to |
be done. What IL it that I see in the
It is a tent. The hunt
.rs have made q clearing and camped
but. What do they care if they have
vet feet or If they have nothing but
! pine branch for q pillow or for the
storm? If q moose in the
darkness steps into the lake to drink,
hey hear it right away. If q loon
:ry in the midnight, they hear it.
30 in the service of God we have
exposed work. We have got to camp
tut and rough it. We are putting all
'ur care on the comparatively few
'eople who 60 to church. What are
We doing for the millions who do
lot come? Have they no souls? Are
hey sinless that they need no par
lon? Are there no dead in their
louses that they need no comfort?
IRE they cut of from God to go into
ternity, no wing to bear them, no
lght to cheer them, no welcome to
rect them? ] hear to-day surging
p from the lower depth of our cities
groan that comes through our
'hristian assemblages and through
ur beautiful churches, and it blots
ut all this scene from my eyes to-
ay, as by the mists Of a great Nj
CARA, for the dash and the plunge
t these great torrents Of life drop
ing down into the fathomless and
abysm of suffering and
roe. I sometimes think that Just as
cd blotted ont the churches of Thy
tira and Corinth and Laodicea be- F.
ause of their sloth and stolidity he
ill blot out American and English
and raise on the ruins
wide-awake missionary
hurch that can take the full mean
lg of that command: "Go We into
u the world and preach the Gospel
, every creature. He that believeth
nd is baptized shall be saved, but
E that believeth not shall be damned" =
a command. you see, punctuated q
it'll q throne of Heaven and a dun I
con Of hell. I
I remark, further, If you want to {
,cceed in spiritual archery you must c
ave courage. II the hunter stands Y
it'll trembling hand or shoulder that S
inches with fear, instead Of taking S
he cAtamOunt the catamount takes