Connecticut western news., 1901-09-05


 something fer angels. something fo man. I am tired and sick of this fiat tame, insipid, satin slippered, namby pamby. mighty tighty religion! It + worth nothing for this world, and 1t l. destruction for eternity. Give me 5ot men and women fully consecrated t, Christ, and we will take this city fo! God in three years; give me 10000 meI and women fully up to the Christian standard; in ten years 10000 of then would take the whole earth for God But when are we going to begin? w, all want to be useful There Is not man in the pews that does not want to be useful When are we going to be gin?
 Ledyard, the great traveller. was brought before the Geographical Soci. ety of Great Britain. and they wanted him to make some explorations in Al rica, and they showed him all the per ills and all the hard work and all the exposure. and after they had told him what they wanted him to do In Africa they said to him, Now, Ledyard. when are you ready to start% He said, "To- morrow morning." The learned men were astonished. They thought he would take weeks or months to get ready. We'll, now, you tell me you want to be useful in Christian service. When are you going to begin? oh, that you had the decision to say, Now; noww Oh. go into the mount and gather the palm branches!
 An Emblem of Victory.
 But the palm branches also meant victory. You all know that. In all ages, In all lands, the palm branch means victory. 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 Fla ther 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 on his neck, and we grind him in the dust, and we say, Victory, victory, through our Lord Jesus Christw Oh, what grand thing 1t is to have sin underfoot and a wasted life behind our backs. Blessed is he whose trans gression is forgiven and whose sin is covered"
 Some one says, How about the fu- ture" What, says the man, l feel so sick and worn out with the ailments of life. You are going to be more than conqueror. But, says the man, I am so tempted, I am so pursued in life. You are going to be more than conqueror. I. who have so many all ments and heartaches, going to be more than conqueror? Yes, unless you are so self conceited that you want to man. age all the affairs of your life yourself instead of letting God manage them. Do you want to drive and have God take a back seat? "Oh, mo-" you say; Il want God to be my leader" Well, then, you will be more than conQueror Your last sickness will come, and the physicians in the next room will be talking about what they will do for you. What difference will it make what they do for you? You are going to be well, everlastingly well. And when the spirit has fled the body your friends will be talking as 0 where they shall bury you. What difference does 1t make to you where they bury you? The angel of the resurrection can pick you out of the dust anywhere. and all the cemeteries of the earth are In Gods care. Oh. you are going to be more than conqueror!
 Do you not think we had better be- gin now to celebrate the coming victo- ry2 In the old meeting house at Som- erville my father used to lead the sing ing, and he had the old fashioned tun- ing fork, and he would strike 1t upon his knee and then put the tuning fork to his ear to catch the right pitch and start the hymn. But, friend, do you not think we had better be catching the pitch of the everlasting song, the song of victory, when we shall be more thnn conQuerors? Had we not better begin the rehearsal on earth? "They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them nor any heat, for the Lamb which Is In the midst of the throne shall feed them and shall lead them to living fountains of waters, and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes,"
 City of eternity, to thy bridal halls From this prison would flee.
 Ah gloryi That's for you and mel A Brawny Christiandty. My text brings us one step further. It say go forth into the mount and fetch olive branches, and pine | branches, and myrtle branches, and palm branches and branches of thick | make this remark under the head of | branches of thick trees-that a booth or arbor made of slight branches would | Lot stand. The first blast of the tenn | pest would prostrate 1t. So, then, the | booth or arbor must have four stout | poles to hold up the arbor or booth, ] and hence for the building of the arbor | for this world we must have stout branches of thick trees. And so 1t is
 In the gospel arbor. Blessed be God | that we have a brawny Christianity,
 not one easily upset. The storms of | life will come upon us, and we want strong doctrine; not only love, but justice; hot only invitation, but warn
 ing. It Is mighty gospel; 1t is an
 omnipotent gospel. These are the l stout branches of thick trees. 1 remember what MT. Finney sa'' in
 schoolhouse. The village was so pad
 U was called Sodom, and 1t was said
 10 have only one good man in all the
 village, and he was called Lot. and Mir
 Finney was preaching in the school
 house, and he described the destruction l of Sodom; how the city was going to | Ee destroyed unlpss they raDented and
 that there would be rain from heaven
 of sorrow and destruction unless they,
 too, repented. And the people in the
 schoolhouse sat and ground their teeth
 in anger, and cllnched their fists in
 anger, but before he got through with
 his sermon they got down on their
 knees and cried for mercy while mercy l could be fnund Oh it Is a rniohtr