The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1901-03-21


The old mans hand trembles as he turns
over this apocalyptical leaf, and he has
to take out his handkerchief to wipe his
spectacles. The book of Revelation is
prospectus now of the country into which
ne Is soon to immigrate, the country in
which he has lots already laid out and
avenues opened and mansions built.
1t Is trouble, my friends, that makes lis
feel our dependence upon God We do
not know our own weakness or Gods
strength until the last plank breaks. 1t is
contemplate in us that only when there
IS nothing else to take hold of we catch
hold Of God. Why, do you know who the
Lord is? He is not an autocrat seated
Tar up IN palace, from which He emerges
once year, preceded by heralds swinging
swords to clear the way. No; He is Il
father, willing at our call to stand by us
In every crisis and predicament of life. I
tell you what some of you business men
make me think Oh A man is unfortunate
in his business. Vie has to raise good
deal of money nd raise it&quickly He
borrows an worffand note all he can Dor
row: Afker while he pats a mortgage on
his house; after a while he puts second
mortgage on his house. Then he puts a
lien on his furniture; them he makes over
his life insurance; then hi assigns all his
property; then he goes to his father
Mlaw and asks for help. Well.
having failed everywhere, completely
failed, he gets down on his knees
tand says; % Lord, 1 have tried
everybody and everything; now help me
out of this financial troubled" He makes
God the last resort instead OF. the first re-
sort.
A young man goes off from home to earn
his fortune. He goes with his mothers
consent and benediction. She has large
wealth, but he wants to make his own
fortune. He goes far away, falls sick and
gets out of money. He sends for the hotel
keeper where he is staying, asking for le-
nience, and the answer he gets is, "If you
do NOT pay up Saturday night you'll be re-
moved TO the hospital" The young man
sends to a comrade in the same building;
no help. He writes to banker who was
a@riend of his deceased father; no relief.
Saturday night comes, and he is moved to
the hospital. Getting here, he is frenMed
paper and a postage stamp, and he sits
down, and he writes home: Dear mother,
/ am sick unto death. Come" 1t is TWEEN
ty minutes of 10 o'clock when she gets the
letter. At 10 o'clock the train starts. She
is five minutes from the depot. She gets
there in time to have five minutes to
spare. She wonders why the train that
can go forty miles an hour cannot go
eighty miles an hour. She rushes into the
hospital She says: 'My son, what does
all this mean? Why did you not send for
me? You sent to everybody but me. You
knew l would and could help you. Is this,
the reward [ get for my kindness to you
always" She bundles him up, takes him
home and gets him well very soon.
Now, some of you treat God Just as that
young man treated his mother. When you
get into a financial perplexity you call on
the banker, you call on the broker, you
call on your creditors, you call on your
lawyer for legal counsel, you call upon
everybody, and when you cannot get any
help then you go to God. You say, 80
Lord, / come to Thee! Help me now out
though it is in the eleventh hour, He
says: why did you not send for Me be-
fore? AS one whom his mother comfort
eth so will / comfort you" 1t is to throw
us back upon God that we have this minis
try of tears.
Your troubles are educational I go
into the office of a lapidary, an artiicer in
one precious stone for a few minutes, and
he puts it aside finished. | see him take
up another precious stone, and he works
on that all the afternoon, and l come in
| the next day and still find him working on
| it, and he is at work on it all the week.
| L say to him, why did you put only
! twenty minutes work on that one precious
| StOHt ANA pun d MuUle Week OIL JUfS
| other" 'Oh," he says, 'that one upon
| which | put only twenty minutes work is
Of but little worth, and [ soon got through
| with it. But this precious stone upon
which have put such prolonged and care
full work is of vast value, and it is to flash
in a kings coronet." So God lets one man
go through life with only a little cutting
of misfortune, for he does not amount to
much, he is a small soul and of compare
lively little value. but this other is of
great worth, and it is cut OF pain, and cut
of bereavement, and cut of persecution,
and cut of all kinds Of trouble, and
through many years, and | ask, Dear
Lord, why all this prolonged and severe
process" and God says: This soul is of
infinite value, and it is to flash in king .
coronet. He shall be Mine in the day
when [ make up My jewels
You know, on a Widespread table the
food becomes more delicate at the last. L
have fed you to-day with the bread of con-
ISOLATION. Let the table now be cleared,
and let us set on the chalice of heaven.
Let the Kings cupbearers come in. "Oh,"
says some critic in the audience, 1.-THE
Bible contradicts itself. 1t intimateS again
and again that there are to be no tears
in heaven, and if there be no tears in heav-
en- how is it possible that God will wipe
any away?" | answer, Have you never
seen child crying one moment and laugh
ing the next and while she was laughing
you saw the tears still on her face" And
perhaps you stopped her in the very midst
of her resumed glee and wiped off those
delayed tears. So | think after the heay-
emily raptures have come upon us there
may be the marksof some earthly grief,
and while these tears are glittering in the
light OF the jasper sea God will wipe them
away. How well He can do that,
Friends, if we could get any apprecia-
ton of what God has in reserve for us, it
would makG us so hornesick we would be
unfit for our ry-day work. Professor
Leonard, formerly of Iowa University, put
in my hands a meteoric stone, stone
thrown off from some other world to this.
How suggestive it was to me! And L have
to tell you the best representations we
have Of heaven are only aerolites flung of
from that world which Folls on, bearing
the multitude of the redeemed. We ana
yze these aegohtes and find them crystal
lizations of tears. No,.wonder, flung of
from heaven! God shAll wipe away all
tears from their eyes.
Have You any appreciation OF the good
| antFglorious times your friends are having
| in heaven? How different it is when they
get news there of Christians death from
what it is here! 1t is the difference be-
| tween embarkation and coming into port.
Everything depends upon which side. oil
! the river You stand when you hear OF a
| Christians death. If you stand on this
| side OF / he river Won mourn that thew 90;