St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1902-01-11
gineer had his hand on the agitated |


pulse of the great engine. Tn
stoker shoveled in the coal and shu
the door with a loud claRg. A vas
plain slipped under us, and the hill
swept by, and that great monster OF
which we rode trembed and bounde,
and snorted and ragged as it hurles
us on. said to the Methodist min
lister on the other side of the loco
motive: .My brother, why shouls
ministers quarrel about the decrecl
and free agency? You see tina
track, that firm track, that iro1
track; that is the decree. You Sc,
this engineers arm; that is fret
agency. How beautifully they worl
together! They are going to take Vi
through. We could not do withour
the track, and we could not do with
out the engineer"
So I rejoice day by day. Work TO,
all to do, and we may turn the crank
of the Christian machinery this way
or that, for we are free agents. But
there is the track laid so long age
no one remembers it-laid by the
hand of the Almighty God in sockets
that no terrestrial or Satanic pres
sure can ever affect. And along the
track the car of the worlds redemp.
ton will roll and roll to the Grand
Central depot of the millennium.
have no anxiety about the track. ]
am only afraid that for our indo-
lence and unfaithfulness God will dis
charge us and get some other stoker
and some other engineer. The train
is going through with us or without
us. So, my brethren, watch all the
events that are going by. If things
seem to turn out right, give wings
to your joy. If things seem to turn
out wrong, throw out the anchor of
faith and hold fast.
There is a house In London where
Peter, the Great of Russia lived
awhile when he was moving through
the land incognito and in workman's
dress that he might learn ship car
pentry, by which he could supply the
needs of his people. A stranger was
visiting at that house. whats in
that box?" The owner said: II don't
know. That box was there when I
got the house, and it was there when
my father got it. We haven't had
any curiosity to look at it. I guess
there's nothing in it." SWELL" said
the stranger, ''I'll give you e2 for it. y
'Well, DONE" The So was paid, and the
contents of that box were sold to the
car of Russia for $4,000. In it tho
lathing machine of Peter the Great,
his private letters and documents of
value beyond all monetary consid-
Grafton. And here are the events
that seem very insignificant and un-
important, but they incase treasures
Of Divine Providence and eternities
Of meaning which after awhile God
will demonstrate before the ages as
being of stupendous value.
When Titans play quoits, they pitch
mountains, but who owns these gigan-
tic natural forces we are constantly
reading about? Whose hand is on the
throttle valveof the volcanoes? Whose
foot, suddenly planted on the foot
stool, makes the continents culver?
God! 1 must be at peace with Him.
Through the Lord Jesus Christ, this
God is mine and He is yours. I put the
earthquake that shook Palestine at
the crucifixion against all the down
BOOKINGS of the centuries. This God
on our side, we may challenge all the
centuries OF time and all the cycles OF
eternity.
Those of you who are in mid]ife may
well thank God that you have seen so
many wondrous things, but there are
people alive to-day who may live to
see the shimmering veil between the
material and the spiritual world up
lifted. Magnetism, a word with which
we cover up our ignorance, will yet
be an explored realm. Electricity, the
fierce courser of the sky, that Ben
iamin Franklin lassoed and Morse and
Bell and Edison have brought under
control, has greater won
ders to reveal. Whether here or de-
parted this life, we will see these
things. It does not make much differ
ence where we stand, but the higher
the standpoint the larger the prospect.
We see them from Heaven if we do
not see them from earth.
Years ago I was at Fire Island,
L. L, and I went up in the cupola
from which they telegraph to
New York the approach of vessels
hours before they come into port.
There is an opening in the wall, and
The operator puts his telescope
through that opening and looks out
and sees vessels far out at sea. While
I was talking with him he went up
md looked out. He said: 1--WE are ex-
oecting the Arizona tonight" I
said: els it possible you know all
hose vessels? Do you know them as
you know mans facet" He said:
Yes. never make mistake. Be-
tore see the bulls l often know them
~ the masts. know them ALL have
them so long" Oh, what a
rand thing it is to have ships tele-
yraphed and heralded long before
hey come to port. that friends may
ome down to the wharf and welcome
heir long-absent ones! So to-day we |
AXE our stand in the watch-tower,
md through the glass of inspiration
We look of and see a whole
leet of ships coming in. That is
he ship of peace, with the star
# Bethlehem floating above the
op gallants. That is the ship of the
.hurch, mark of salt water high upon
he smokestack, showing she has had
ough weather, but the Captain of
Aviation commands her, and all IL
veil with her. The ship of heaven,
nightiest craft ever launched, mil
ions of passengers waiting for mill