St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1901-02-02

:, La, SATURDAY, f
With . tenderness and compassion anl
} . pity that we could not otherwise e1
ercise we can pronounce the warning
} word with magnificent result. Ths
Lord said to the prophet Amos:
} "Amos. what seest thou?" And he
} answered: "a basket Of summer
fruit" But I do not think Amos saw
in that basket of summer fruit any.
thing more inviting and luscious than
many . saved man has seen in the
warning word Of some hearty, com.
mon sense Christian adviser, for {
word fitly spoken ii like apples oi
gold in baskets Of silver"
So also is word Of invitation po-
tent and beautiful. Who can describe
the drawing power Of that word, -
small and yet SO tremendous, "Come!"
1t IL short word, but its influence IL
a. long as eternity. Not . sesqui-
pedalian word, spreading it, energy
over many syllables, but monosylls-
bio. Whether calling in wrong direo-
tion or right direction. many have
found It irresistible. That ono word
has filled all the places Of dissipation
and dissoluteness. II 10 responsible
for the denominations that curse the
earth. Inquire at the door Of prisons
what brought the offender there, and
at the door Of almshouses what
brought the pauper there. and at the
door Of the lost world what was the
cause Of the incarceration, and II the
inmates speak the truth they win
say: "The word Gomez brought rs
here" Come and drink. Come and
gamble. Come and sin. Come and
die. Pronounce that word with one
kind Of infection and you can hear in
it the tolling Of all the bells Of con-
fagration and woe.
The chief baker in prison IN Phs-
raoh's time saw in dream something
quite different from apples of gold in
baskets of silver, for he said to Joseph:
II also was in a dream, and, behold,
had three white baskets on my head,
and in the uppermost basket there
was all manner Of baked meats for
Pharaoh. and the birds did eat them
out of the baskets upon my head"
Joseph interpreted the dream and said
it meant that the chief baker should
be beheaded and the birds would eat
his flesh. So many q man has in his
own bad habits omens of evil that
peck at him and foreteu doom and
death.
But. oh, the power Of that word
"Come" when Alright uttered! We do
well when we send young men into
schools and colleges and theological
seminaries and by nine years Of in
struction and drill hope to prepare
them to sound Alright that sweet and
enrapturing and Heaven descended
word "Come. The Gospel we be-
lieve in is Gospel of "Come."
That word speak all the church
es. That word is now building
thrones for conquerors and bur-
nished coronets for kings and queens. |
That word is to sound so clearly and |
impressively and divinely that the day |
is advancing when oil nations shall re-
spond: "We come!" eve come!"
And whilo the upper sleeps toward
God and Heaven will be thronged with |
redeemed souls ascending there will |
not be one solitary traveller on the
road of sin and death.
In the kremlin at Moscow, Russia,
is what is called the king of BELLS"
but it is a ruined bell, and it has rung
no sound for near 200 years. It is 81
feet in circumference. and in height
it is more than ten times the height Of
the average man, and it took a score
of men to swing its brazen tongue. 1t
weighs 200 tons. On the 10th Of June,
1706. in great fire it fell and broke.
1t broke at the part which was weak
ened by the jewels which the ladies
Of Moscow threw into the liquid metal
at the casting. The voices Of that
bell are forever hushed. 1t will never
ring again, either at wedding or OBJ
sequy or coronation. What majestic
and overpowering silence! Enthroned
and everlasting quietude! One walks
around 1t full Of wonder and histor-
ical "Reminiscences and solemnity. On
it are figures in relief representing
czar and empress and Christ and Mary
md the evangelists. Bat as I stood
before it last summer bethought my
seff Of a greater bell and one still
ringing. It is the Gospel bell, ages
ago hung on the beam of the cross.
It has vaster. circumference and with
nightier tongue sounds across seas
md continents and awakens echoes
amid Alpine and Himalayan and sier- I,
"a Nevadan ranges. The Jewels Of af- +,
lection thrown into it At its casting ,
~ ransomed souls Of earth and
Heaven have not weakened 1t, but 1
made it stronger and more glorious.
cvangelists and apostles ring 1t, and $
lifted their hands through 9
he flames to give it another sound I
ng. It will ring on until all nations
rear it and accept its invitation: /,
Come! Comet" 1t will not fall, as
Id that of Moscow. No storm can
top it. No earthquake can rock It
Iown. When the fires Of the last day
,laxe into the heavens, amid the crash
f mountains and the groan of dying ::
eas, it's clear. resounding voice will , !,
'e heard calling to the last inhabit-
mt of the burning planet: "Come!
,olne!"
But IL requires now no great
trength to ring the bell. With this
reak hand, yesterday formed and to-
morrow turned to dust, / lay hold
hnt Gospel bell IN invitation to all
0 whom these words shall come, on
,hatever land or whatever sea, in
Ugh places or low. I ring out the
,ord: "Come, comet" Come and :
ave your sorrows solaced. Come and
ave your wounds healed. Come and
ave your blindness illumined. Come
nd have your fatigues rested. Come
nd have your soul saved. Do you not :.
ear the very last proclamation from :,
he heavens which the seer of Patmos
RS commissioned to make: "The G
a.