<TITLE>03. Par 9-11</TITLE>L-9 There's a land somewhere that the human person... And one out of every ten thousand Christians knows no more about but just by faith to believe about it. But there's a place that a human being, while yet in here, can be lifted up into that spot. Now, it is not a rejoicing time like you just lifted up in joy. I seen much joy, not enough real solid faith to cure a toothache. You see? That's the joy of the Lord, not the power of the Lord. See? I--I want more joy of the Lord. That's what I desire. And that's what you have need of.
But, not long ago, Stephen Foster... My little son's setting in the back of the building, it's--was his favorite poet. Many of you know Stephen Foster, know of him: He was--gave America some of its best folksongs it ever had. Now he was considered a neurotic. And he'd...When he wrote, "The Old Kentucky Home"... "My Old Kentucky Home..." that's just a little ways from--from where I live now and just about seventy miles from where I was born. And two--about two summers ago I visited "The Old Kentucky Home" for my first time.
And I was setting at--at the bench or the desk where he wrote that song. (And it's world famous.) And I was looking at his picture and where the seraphim, the angel was supposed to have touched him to give him inspiration to write it. The guide and so forth had done left out of the room. I was setting there, and I thought, "Mr. Foster, you look like a very intelligent looking man." I thought, "Why? What made you do what you did?"
Now, he would write a song and he had it in his mind. But after he'd get through writing a song, coming down out of that inspiration, he'd get drunk: go out on a drunk. And finally, he got to such a place till he called a servant, ordered a razor, and committed suicide, cut his throat: Stephen Foster.

L-10 Not long ago, I stood by the side of William Cowper's grave. He wrote,
There is a fountain filled with blood,
Drawn from Emmanuel's veins.
And sinners plunge beneath the flood
Lose all their guilty stains.
In London, England... And I stood there by his grave, and I laid my hand over on the tombstone, and I thought, "God rest your gallant soul." I thought, "Mr. Cowper, why were you considered a neurotic?" You know, after he wrote that song, "There is a fountain filled with blood, Drawn from Emmanuel's vein," he came out of that inspiration and got--went down to the--to a cab--tried to find the river to commit suicide, to drown himself in the river. William Cowper; that's his history right there by his grave.
Then I remembered the prophet Jonah, how that he was going down to Nineveh, take him a ship to Tarshish. And the inspiration of God fell upon him, and he went down and gave his prophecy before Nineveh where God sent him. And they even put sackcloth on the cattle on the hills. And God spared that great city. And such inspiration... Then went up and set down under a gourd, or a tree, and prayed for God to take his life. Is that right?

L-11 And I thought of Elijah, who went out there and set by the brook Cherith, and was fed by the ravens. And he closed the heavens that it wouldn't rain. Then he opened up the heavens and brought down water, brought fire out of heaven the same day, and then when the inspiration left him (by the threat of a woman), run out into the wilderness and prayed for God to let him die. Is that right? Now, I could go on and on, but what is it, friends? Men who are--are brought under such tremendous inspiration of another land... You go out of this world, somewhere else, way up. And then when you're--when you're up there it's all right. Or when you're down, it's all right. But when you come in between there... Now, as long as the inspiration was on them, they were all right. But when the inspiration leaves, that what hurts.


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