Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1901-09-12

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 mp to the Christian
standard; in ten years 10000 of them
would take the whole earth for God.
But when are we going to begin? We
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
H ough: before the Geographical Society
of Great Britain, AID they wanted him
to make some explorations in Africa, and
| they showed him all the periis and all
the hard work and al 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, "To-norroy morning"
The lear ed men were astonished. They
| thought he would take weeks or months
to get ready. Well. now. Won tell me
you want to be useful in Christian service.
| When are YOU going to beg in? Oh. that
| you had the decision to say, Now:
nOwt' Oh. 90 into the mount and gather
| the palm branches.
| But the palm branches also mean VIC
tory. Well, nov, 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 no, and we look the black
tyrant in the face, and we fly at him,
and we wrestIe him down, and we put
our heel on his neck, and we grind him
in the dust, and re say, Victory. vic
| tory, through our Lord Jesus Christ"
Oh. what, grand thing it is. to have
sin underfoot and wasted life behind
our backs Blessed is he whose trans
gre8sion is forgiven and whose sin is
covered"
Some one says. How about the fu-
| ture?" What, says the man. I 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. ],
who have many ailments and heart
| aches, going to be more than conquerOr?
Yes, unless you are SO self-cOnceited that
you want to manage 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,
no" You say: Il want God to be my lead
err Well, then, You will be more than
| conqaerOr. 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
well. everiastingiy well. And when the
spirit has fled the body your friends will
| be talking as to where they shall bury
| you. What difference does it 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. On, you are
going to be more than conoueror,
DO you not think we had better begin
now TO celebrate the coming victory In
| the old meeting house at Somervilie my
| father used to lead the singing, and he
| had the old fashioned tuning fork. and
he would strike it upon his knee and then
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 than conquerors? Had we not
better begin the rehearsal on earth?
My text brings us one step further
1t says go forth into the mount and
fetch olive branches, and pine branches,
and myrtle branches. and palm branches
and branches of thick trees Now you
know very well--I make this remark I'M
der the head of branches of thick trees
that a booth or arbor made of slight
branches would not stand. The first blast
! of the tempest would PROSTATE it. 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 it is
in the gospel arboT.
Blessed be God that we have a brawnv
Christianity. not one easily upset. The
storms of life viii come upon us, ana
we want strong doctrine: not only love-
but justice: not only invitation but
warning. 1t is mighty gospel; it is an
omnipotent gospel. These are the stout
| hr.or Of al
I remember what Mr.. Finney said in
| schoolhouse. The village was so bad
| it was called Sodom, and it was said to
have only one good man in all the village
and he was called Lot, and Mr.. Finnev
was preaching in the schoolhouse, and
| he described the destruction of Sodom:
| how the city going to be destroyed
unless they reDented, 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
| clinched their fists in anger. but before
he got through with his sermon they got
| down on their knees and cried for mercy
while mercy could be found Oh. it is
mighty gospel; not only an invitation,
| but a warning, omnipotent truth !;
stout branches of thick trees.
We'll. my friends, YOU see | have
| omitted one or two points, not because
| have not time to present them.
| lave shown you here is the olive branch
of peace. here is the pine branch of
evergreen gospel consolation, here the
| palm tree branch of usefulness and of
victory and here are the stout branches
of thick trees, The gospel arbor is done
The air is aromatic of heaven. The
leaves rustic with the gladness OF God.
Come into the arbor. Come into the
booth. | went out at different times with
fowler to the mountains to catch
pigeons, and we made our booth and we
| sat in that booth and watched for the
pigeons to come And we found focks in
the sky and after awhile they dropped
into the net and we were successful So
I come now to the door of this gospel
booth | look out. I see focks of
souls flying hither and thither Oh thai
they might come ike clouds and as doves
to the window! Come into the bocth
Come into the booth.