Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1901-10-31
THE STAR OF FAITH.
RELIGION SHOULD BE OUR GUIDE.
DIR. TaImage breaches Powerful Ser.
mon on the PersuasiveHess of the
Word of God.
fCopyright 1871. ]

texts, Genesls VI: Is, Come" Revelation
xxi, II, Come"
Imperial tender and all persuasive is
the word come" Six hundred and sew
enty-eight times is it found in the Scrip
lures. 1t stands at the front gate of the
Bible. as in nv first text, inviting ante
diluvians into Noah's ark. and it stands
at the other gate of the Bible as in my
second text, inviting the postdiluvians of
all later ages into the ark Of Saviour's
mercy. Come" is only a word OF four
letters, but 1t Is the queen OF words. and
nearly the entire nation of English vo-
cabulary bows to its scepIre. 1t is an
ocean into which emD.i,s ten Thousand
but this beckons. All moods OF feeling
hath that word come" Sometimes it
weeps and sometimes it laughs. Some
times 1t prays, sometimes 1t tennis and
sometimes it destroys. 1t sounds from
the door OF the church and from the Sc
rag'ios of sin, from the gates of heaven
and the gates of hell. 1t is continent
and accresceRt OF all power. It is the
heiress of most of the future. GOMEZ"
You may pronounce it so that all the
heavens will be heard in its cadences or
pronounce it so that all the woes OF time
and eternity shall reverberate in its one
syllable. 1t is on the lip of saint and
profigate. 1t is the mightiest of all So
hcitants either for good or bad.
To-day | weigh anchor and haul in the
planks and set sail on that great word,
although | am sure | will not be able to
reach the farther shore. I will lei down
the fathoming line into this sea and try
to measure us depths, and, though ] tie
together all the cables and cordage I have
on board | will not be able to touch bot
tom. All the power Of the Christian reli-
eioG is in that word Come The dicta-
torial and conmendatory in religion are
of no avail. The imperative mood is not
the approximate mood when we would
have people savinglv impressed. They
may be c0axed, but they cannot be drlv-
en-. Our hearts are ike oar hOmes-at
friendly knock the door will be opened,
but an attempt to force open our door
would land the assailant in prison. Our
theological seminaries. which keep young
men three years in their curriculum be-
fore launching them into the ministry,
will do well if in so short a time they can
teach the candidates for the holy office
how to say with great emphasis and into
nation and power that one word come
That man who has such efficiency IL
Christian work. and that woman who has
such power to persuade people to quit
the wrong and begin the, right went
through a series Of losses, bereavements,
prosecutions and the trials Of twenty or
thirty years before they could make it a
triumph Of grace every time they uttered
the word come
You must remember that in many cases
Out COME mas IL Uil9itleI COIllC "
conquer before it has any effect at all.
Just give me the accurate census. the sta
tistics of how many are down IN fraud. IN
drunkenness, in gambling, in impurity or
in vice Of any sort, and l will give you
the accurate census Or statistics OF how
Come" Come and click wine glasses
with me at this ivo-y baT." Come and
see what we can win at this gaming ia
BILE" Come, enter with me this doubt
full speculation. Come with me and
read those iniidel tracts on Christianity"
Come with me to place OF bad anuse-
ment.' Come with me in gay bout
through the underground life of the
city" II in this city there are 10000 who
are down in moral character, then 10000
fell under the power Of the word come.
[ was reading of wife whose husband
had been overthrown by strong drink,
and she went 10 the saloon where be was
ruined, and she said, Give me back my
husband" And the bartender, pointing
to a maudiin and battered man browsing
in the corner Of the barroom. said:
''There he is. Jim, wake up. Here's
an said: do You call thai my husbaand?
What have you been doing with him? Is
that the manly brow, Is that tn. clear
eve is that the noble heart that | mar
ried2 What vile drug have You given
him that has turned him into a fend?
Lake your Tiger c,d"S OH Ut Hliu \ ltOil
those serpent folds OF evil habit that are
crushing him. Give ne back my hgs-
band. the one with whom [ stood at the
altar ten years ago Give him back to
me-" Victim was he, as millions of 9TH
ers have been. Of the word "come.'
Now, we want all the world over to
harness this word for good as others
have harnessed it for evil. and it will
draw the FIVE continents and the seas be
tween them-yes, it viii draw the whoe
earth back to the God from whom it has
wandered. 1t is that wooing and nersua-
sve word that viii lead men to give up
their sins. Was skeDticism ever brought
into love Of the truth nv an ebullitioa Of
Rot words against infdelity? Was ever
the blasp:amer stopped in his oaths by
denunciation of bIasphemy? Was ever a
Grunkard wsaned from his cups by the
| temperance lecturers mimlcry OF stag
gering step and hiccough? No. It was;
| Come with me to church to-day and
hear our singing;" Come and let me in
troduce YOU to Christian man whom
| YOU viii be sure to admire;' Come with
me into associations that are cheerful and
good and insDiring:" Come with me into
joy such as you never before expe-
| rienced.'
With that word which has done so
much for others l approach you to-day
| Are you all right with God? NO. you
say. ~ think not I sometimes
viii not be ready to meet Him IN the l3st
| day. NV heart is nos right with God"
| Come, then, and have it made right
Through the Christ who died to save YOU
| come! What is the use in waiting? The
| longer you wait the farther of you are
and the deeper YOU are down. Strike out
! for heaven. You remember that few
| wears ago a steamer called the Princess
| Alice. with a crowd of excursionists
aboard, sank in the Thames, and there
was an awful sacrifice of life. A boatman
| from the shore put out for the rescue. and
he had big boat, and he got it so full it
would not hold another person, and as he
laid ho.d of the oars to pull for the shore,
| leaving hundreds HELPLESS and drowning,
he cried out: ooh. that l had bigger
boatt'' Thank God ] am not thus linn
| tied and that l can promise room for all
yet there is room. Room in the heart of
hardening God. Room in heaven.
7 also Apply the word OF my text to
those who would like practical comfort.
Ii any ever escape the struggle of lie, l
! have not found them. They are not GER
most cases 1t was a struggle all the way
| up till they reached the prosperity. and
since they have reached these heights
there have been perplexlties, anxieties
| and crises which were almost enough to
| shatter the nerves and turn the brain.
| 1t would be hard to tell which have the
| biggest fight IN this world, the prospect
ties or the adversities, the conspicuities
or the obscurites Just as soon as you
| have enough success to attract the atten,
ton OF Others the envies and jealousies
are let loose from their kennel The
| greatest crime that YOU can commit in
| the estimation of others is to get on bet
ter than they do. They think your add
ton is their subtraction Five hundred
persons start for a certain goal OF sue.
cess One reaches it. and the other 400
ere mad. It would take volumes to hold
the story Of the wrongs. outrages and
defamation that have come upon you as
Jesuit OF YOUR success The warm sun
81 prosperity brings into life a swamp full
81 ANNOYING insects. On the other hand
the unfortunate classes have their struc.
res for maintenance To achieve liveli.
hood BY one who had nothing to start
with and after awhile for family as wei
| aid carry this on until chiidren .ro ranroI