Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1901-09-19

full OF health, nealtu IT, 1N".
aged man who had no capital OF physical
health. He had had all the diseases you
could imagine. He did not eat enough to
keen a child alive; he lived on a beverage
of h~osannas; he lived high, for he dined
every day with the King; he was kept
alive simply by the force OF our holy rel
gion. It is a healthy religion, healthy tor
the eve, healthy for the hand, healthy for
the feet. healthy for the heart, healthy for
the liver, healthy for the spleen, healthy
for the whole man. It gives a man such
peace. such quietness, such independence
of circumstances, such holy equipoise. Oh;
that we all possessed it; that we possessed
it now!
And some one says, my business is
to manufacture horseshoe nails. Then
of God. There is nothing for you to do
that YOU ought to do but for the glory
of God.
Usefulness is typi6ed by the palm tree.
All. we do not want in the church any
more people that are merely weeping will
lows, signing into the water, standing and
admiring their long lashes in the CLASSY
spring! No wild cherry dropping bitter
something for God, something for angels,
something for man. I am tired and sick
of this fiat, tame, insipid, satin slippered.
namby pambv. highly tightly religion! It
is worth nothing for this world, and it
is destruction for eternity. Give me 800
men and women fully consecrated to
Christ, and we will take this city for
God in three years; give me 10000 men
and women fully up to the Christian
would take the whole earth for God.
But when are we going to begin? We
all want to be useful. There is not q
man in the pews that does not want to
be useful. When are we going to be-
gin:
of Great Britain, and they wanted him
to make some explorations in Africa, and
they showed him all the perils and all
the hard work and ali the exposure, and
after they had told him what they want
ed him to do in Africa they said to him,
"Now. Ledyard. when are you ready to
start?" He said, Tomorrow morning"
The learned men were astonished. They
thought he would take weeks or months
you want to be useful in Christian service.
When are you going to begin? Oh. that
you had the decision to say, Nov;
now!" Oh, go into the mount and gather
the palm branches!
But the palm branches also mean vic
tory. Well, now, we are by nature the
servants of satan. He stole us; he has
his eye on US; he wants to keep us: But
word comes from our Father that if we
will try to break loose from this doing Of
wrong our Father will help. us, and some
day we rouse up, and we look the black
tyrant in the face, and we fly at him,
and we wrestle him down, and we put
our heel OH his neck, and we grind him
in the dust, and we say, Victory. vic.
tory, through our Lord Jesus Christi"
Oh, what a grand thing it is to have
our backs! Blessed is he whose trans
erosion is forgiven and whose sin is
covered"
Some one says. How about the fu-
ture" What, says the man, [ feel SO
sick and worn out with the ailments OF
life. You are going to be more than
conqueror: But, says the man. [ am SO
tempted, | am SO pursued in life. You
are going to be more than conqueror. L
aches going to be more than conqueror:
Yes, unless you are so s~elf-conceited that
you want to manage all the affairs Of
your life yourself instead of letting Coo
manage them: Do you want to drive
and ave God take a back seat? ooh
err Well, then, you will be more thar
conqueror. Your last sickness will come
and the physicians in the next room vii
be talking about what they will do fol
you. What difference will it make what
they do for you? You are going to b,
well. evcrlastingly well. And when tn
spirit has fled the body your friends viii
be talking as to where they shall bur,
you. What difference does it make t.
you where they bury you? The angel o
the resurrection can pick you out Of tn
dust anywhere, and all the cemeteries O
the earth are in Gods care. On, you ar,
going to be more than ~consueror!
do you not think we had better begi1
now to celebrate the coming victory? II
the old meeting house at Somervii,e M
father. used to lead the singing, and h
had the old fashioned tuning fork. ant
he would strike it upon his knee and thel
put the tuning fork to his ear to catcl
the right pitch and start the hymn. But
TREND. do you not think we had bette
be catching the pitch of the everlastin.
song, the song of victory, when we shall
be more than conquerors? Had we no
better begin the rehearsal on earth?
My text brings us one step further
1t says go forth into the mount ano
fetch olive branches, and pine branches
and myrtle branches, and palm branche.
and branches of thick trees. Now yo,
der the head of branches of thick trees
that a booth or arbor made of Sigh
branches would not stand. The first BIAS
Of the tempest would PROSTATE it. So
then, the booth or arbor must have fou
stout poles to hold up the arbor O
booth, and hence for the building of tn,
arbor for this world we must have stou
branches of thick trees. And so it j
in the gospel arbor.
Blessed be God that we nave a Drawn,
Christianity. not one easily upset. TIL
storms of life will come upon us, an,
we want strong doctrine: not only love
but justice; not only invitation. bu
warning. It is a mighty gospel: It is a,
omnipotent gospel. These are the stou
branches of thick trees.
| remember what Mr.. Finney said il
a schoolhouse. The village was so ba,
it was called Sodom, and it was said 4
. have only one good man in all the village
. and he was called Lot, and Mr.. Finne
7 was preaching in the sc~hoolhouse. an,
: he described the destruction Of Sodom
how the city was going to be destroye,
unless they repented, and that Their
], would be rain from heaven of sorrow an,
! destruction unless they, too, repented
| And the people in the schoolhouse =.
| and ground their teeth in anger. an'
= cinched their fists in anger, but befor
4 he got through with his sermon thev Or
| down on their knees and or;od fo-oo