The Cairo bulletin., 1904-08-14

tnreateneu WIN annihliation' By a
certain mishap the powder chargers Oh
the decks were igniicd and exploded
In an Instant Il spark might hy into
the magazine room, and then the whole
ship would be destroyed and six hun
dred men might be hurled into eternity.
At once Il gunner's mate who stood
near JUMPED through the open door Of
the magazine room and slammed shut
the iron door The magazine room was
flooded aud the ship was saved; not,
however, before the brave gunner
mate was nearly drowned In that mag
azine room as rat might be drowned
in his hole. AS with that gunners
mate sometimes ii Is our duty to face
dangers Sometimes we must, rs It
were, turn our backs upon our friends
and slam shut I'M iron door called the
door Of the tomb. which separates us
from our dear ones Sometimes we
must be separated from those we love,
even MS ST. John on the island OF Pat
mos was separated from his friends in
Asia Minor But In heaven God will
give us back our loved ones. Yes, there
will be no separations no partings
there. For in heaven, according to the
inspired Apocalypse, there is no more
sea"
Inward Spiritual Strife.
But the Mediterranean waves beat
ing against the Patmos rocks were not
A, al ht1f
also Of an inward spiritual strife.
When st. John gave his heart to
Christ, In one sense he was emancipat-
ed from sin. But Satan never for an
instant, this side of the grave leaves
off his struggle to capture a gospel
stronghold. The Bible declares a Chris
tan shall not be tempted by a sin
greater than he can bear. But Chris
tians always have to be going TO Christ
for more spiritual strength in order to
repel the Satanic onslaughts which are
daily being made against the strong
holds of their hearts.
Can we not find the symbol of Il
spiritual struggle IN the never ending
restlessness Of the sea? "Oh," said a |
lady some time ago to me. ~ am 50
tired of hearing those waves beat up |
against the rocks" Yes. those waves |
have been beating upagainst thoserocks |
for thousands of years. When sailing |
upon the ocean, Usome days its surface
seems as calm as Loon lake asleep as
a smiling child in the broad lap of the
Adirondack mountains. But that is
only slumber Within a few hours
she may awake with scowlng face,
with the fire Of the lightnings in her
eye and with the shriekings Of the
in her voice In our lives
the spiritual struggles keep on 10 the
end. We have the good angel" wills
Dering in one ear TO be good; we have
The bad anger whispering Ia the
1ther ear to'be bad. st. John, even up
20 the end of his life, had to fight by
he power of the Holy Spirit against
the restless "sea Of temptations So
nave we.
About the best illustration of my
thought that | know is the simple one
which Dr. Frederick Goss told to his
Cincinnati people a few months ago.
One day one of his Sunday school
eachers was trying to explain TO her
lass that there are two kinds Of lives
o live the good life and the bad life.
Now. children" she said, 'all those
title girls who want 10 live the good
ife,' viii please step over on this
lice warm carpet, and those who want !
o live the bad life will stand on that
old, hard olclothT' Much to the teach
RS surprise, her own little girl put one
DOT upon the carpet and the other
pom the ollcloth. MY dear" said the 9
Mother in surprise you are standing {
pom both" II know II, mamma" said =
be child. "but you know 'thomctimes
want to be just little bad" So IN
very Christian life there has to be a
ontinual war against the world, the
esl and the devil And when St John
,oked off upon the troubled waters of
he Mediterranean, he not only looked a
# upon his own spiritual struggles,
ut ut the same time he looked off in
ision to the time when those spiritual
should forever pass away,
hen there shall be no more sea-
Thus my text means more than a
lere figure of speech Ii has more
nan mere literal Interpretation That
caven is TO be "A place without at-
lOspheric moisture. II means that the !
of Calvary" shall be large
nough to hold all peoples who give
lelr hearts 10 Jesus Christ. II means
lat this mountain Of Calvary shall
OF only be a wide mountain, but a
igh mountain. 1t shall lift us up and
y and up until 1t lifts US TO the very =
ltes Of heaven itself oh. my brother Il
nd sister will you not stand upon this
this blood red Calvary noun y
lint VIII you not today let the island 4
PatmOs be to you a stepping stone
heavenly throne; There you will u
ever again hear the surging waves Of a
mptation beating against The rocks OF u
n and threatening TO sweep you ont
to the unfathomablc depths May .
le sunrise Of a gospel hope shed to
~ its yellow beams over life's trou- j.
ed waters and have for you a golden
which shall lead mp to the
reefs of new Jerusalem. where -
pfsp eba n hn apo mare spa