The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1878-01-17

! sin nsts a. IiItd ham, ne mad liIt.c power To
sI,u a light that can be at All del ended lsoD.
1 wOuII 90 Iuil Justice 20 mans swn powers
OF revelation Man Gu" do considerable y oar
ing. The wOr!u ma. call IL gitihg ttgfI. SCI
,Ilce, art, philosophy, pOctrs, ~ .iIi up their
| candles, and There II quite an iiiuIn nation.
! P.aIu, aristotle and SocIate>- men have con-
! sId-red glowing suns OF pliIio>ophy. We have
! IA, ard much Oi the glory Of Raphael ana MI
cuss-l Angelo a. shining form In IIIrIr sea b.
| ture and painting iur world BOWS before
tue poetic Inspiration OF shakespeare and NH
| ton. Yet, 1 ask tEIs audience Today Al the
gov from these great men vi -rn Us does
, much To EEiIten the obscure AID .SG-Ied
I pathway oil lie thai spreads before you and
JGat leads lrTeyOcdbly 10 Inc cold, ustIk grave:
Yea, We may ssiN The most brilliant minds
Inside what man OUsnI 10 De, ana night
toe, 3ud please trOI. perhaps "1t ct, al hu4nah
!lyat - AR IL ike lar. ming taper at noon
| day" a nd ao,r every lew days "A Tap blazes
IN, uer.. and IIt-Tc ABOUT tne word, men Cls
out, people ran % anu re, g"cH tyht mas
J Il SHED over the earth! hut, alas .
Low soon the taper disappe;IIs in the
! darkness OF passion, lust, weakness OF death,
| ana the worId IL as dark ever. \ fair, I'M
! pr, iuaIceu mind would not Claim true and
| abiding Ilium nation .Or any power or Idcui-
" that man Possesses. Indeed IL would lie the
| griIDmest anu gIa>IlIesl sarcsisiI, al view oil
| the sad failurr OF the centuries and their AL
most no SUCCESSES, 10 say 10 amy man Or class
| 81 men, " nat Christ said To The people Ci Col
| who Mcr. listening To his sermon on the
| mount-.le the light oi the world"
I Where il the poet, the philosopher, the think
! er, the statesman, pasI or present To whom
4 THIS CgfIlG Justly tie sstlu There ly
| bright stars ia the blachn;gnt OF the past,
| there are sonie shining planets to-day; but
| they grImmor uncertainty And never y ct
/ has man ycntuTUd To Say To any star, even
! the most brilliant pIanet-'.le are The light
1 %. tine world"
| Now christian hearers, in the full view of
| This: KNOWING aiso the limited, busy, hum
| b e positions InaI many of you occupy-know-
| AL now scutcly too, you fecl your own weak
| Ii - aI.d IIsuIliciency ,nevertiIeiess slate
| plainly and positively, in the maine OF Christ,
J n ltF> an-Dl MS authority and
| his own worus de, lare that - are the light
| OF the world! - Yea, in view OF ali the slate
| nIeuI, carries with II To you-to those infiu-
! enced 10y you-to the community, 10 the cause
OF The LuId Jesus Christ affirm and DtyIH
| II truly and trembingiy-"1e aIc the
! Ayd oI The world 4 say IL ETt
| truly b,cauS, God says Il, and lie is HeN er
| mistaken and cannot lie. / know OF no
! .gncT source OF ruth than when Goa makes
4 Il GniIe, positive statement To man, and
here lie has done 80. iheIe are many things
in God word mat are subjects OF debate and
controversy, because men see the same Stale
nuenJ nom different standIolnis; but here II
STATE mtnt AT once 80 PLAIN, 80 simple, 80
I dCnuIt. there cs1n be misappreI.usIon.
Iell you truly then, II ye are CbrIst's, We
the night OF The wOI III. for IL il ,hIIst VINO
>nInctn in You. Not the hight oi the world
because OF your own power, gov or glory
bat Christ ellis In you, u ye hIs, and
Christ must SHINE: Where ne as Here ntUst be
hiyhf3
second trcnibtiHgly. But say it 10 you
trcnblngly ~ wcIi, when reflect upon Tie
TIe> wIIu AZ ana iaSs upon you. Think what
IL u To- be the source oI lsnt IN the midst oi
universal darkness. VIA vast Interests Of
Mortal souls res. upon you IL Is The I'M
puI>e, the mature of those III deep darkness
Io s,-eA and follow the light, when sane and
=, uSIbic al the aikHe>S- lie are that light,
ana sou IN GsII knC>s come To you. Where
Will You ,ad them, 10 what haven VIII you
guide. them?
My CHRISTIAN friend, sappoSe We were all
down IN the coal mine north OF TINS city, We
would be guided sol ~ by the nitle
lamps We might carry. They
have no other light down there.
Now whlIe ALTERED about busy here anu
IEeIr, some al OK, some at play, some rest
ing, some sleeping, great catastrophe hap
pens. The dark, foul air Tusties thTo' putting
out all the lights but yo,"s- Deep dense
darNncss, only relieved 10y Your feeble taper.
IeIl me, what would you dos Would you
say: MY taper - 80 small; il lights 30 little
way IL oasis 50 little INFLUENCE, Will throw
IL away If you did Ills. would not the
SponslDlIity al The iiSts OF AL Gown there
with you rcsI upon you? My chii> hear
er, ye are the iIghT OF the little world III
which you live and move, and have your
| being; Will you say: My light il 50 small;
IL SHINES so little way; will hide II under a
bushel /; / Will put IL CUTE On friends. each
child OF God should Use his light rs carefully
as il ali Others in the world had b an put out,
and he alone was he'd responsible Tor the
fety of his fellow men. IL is not okstingly
| then; but trembiingly in view OF the great
responsibility the power carries with, that
| say truly now TO you: -"1e are the light OF
| H. Light is made to shine.
In tine verse before the text, Christ makes
| the very plain statement that men DO not
light "A candle and then put IL under a bushel;
but they put il on a candestick, and then IL
gives light unto all that in the house
Neither does God light up n soul with the
pure flame OF his own love and righteousness,
| i'm order that that souls owner shall hide him.
sell under any bushel.
GoI has lighted the protesting christian here
| in this house Tor solemn anu definite pur-
pose. He chooses them out OF the world no,
simply TO saw. their own >ouls-what selfish
people Christians would be If this was the
sun, and end OF r,ligion-but God chooses you
Christians that he may send you OUT into the
dark places OF SIN where men stumble and
ialI, 10 oe a. lights in the world 10 guide souls
| 10 safety.
emperor in the early days OF the Christian
church. used to pvrsecule the thTIa lans 81
that day by >aIurating their clothes with IN
| fiammabie substances, and then placing
| them along the principal streets OF Rome ill
| the night, =, them on fire 10 illuminate the
broad highways. A terrible nIartyrdom
| surely. But fellow Christians of to-day,
| see figure here. Has not God chosen US,
| blthed u in HIS own love, fired US with tin
| glowing power of the Holy Ghost and then
\ placed u in these homes, streets, stores
| and churches that we might tighten the dark
way and guide y por lost souls out OF dark
ness to Christ:
| Christian friends We are oil lights in the
world, God has made you so, He has made
YOU of diff ring briliiancy too, just adopted
L 10 shine in the place where lie has put you
and dIspel the moral darkness about You.
see men here To-day whom God has placed in
| positions Of great responsibility. positions,
where much light is ne.,.ed, where many SIT
in darkness, where if these men give the
light they ought, many would b. guided TO
| Christ. ste women here, whom God has
| alone reflect the light OF Christ,
On how much depynde on hoU
| jhey shine with Christian grace in that family
| circle, l SEE many here whom We trust God
/ laa. eht N A. tignfs-suIpe shine The
| sun-others are but the light OF a little circle
| and still Others perhaps. but tiny tapers, OF
whom God requires but little. Yet of each
and ali he expects all the light possible. The
| tiny taper is just as necessary in its place a.
| the noOn-day sun. On, no. men do not light
| a candle and then hide 1t under bushel
| neither does God light Christian with the
| flaming fire of His love for souls and then
| hide that soul under the dark bushel measure
| of "a busy business, or a worldly life, or an in
| different Inconsistent Christian profession,
| but he puts that immortal soul into that busi-
| ness, or that life, or that profession To shine
| with the clear glory OF love of Christ.
| What a glowing thing the headlight on a
| locomotive Is How far ahead ii can throw lis
| rays Now imagine that headlight To be 81
| saiis,ied with. or indifferent TO its own
| brilliancy as 10 cover its ia"e and glory in it,
| self. See that Clubhouse set by man out there
| on the jutIing rocks that guard the harbor-
| wnas a lighl-giving power. But imagine thai
| lighthouse 10 become discont. nted because
| ID is permitted TO flash its light only in the
| dark night, and refuse 10 shine when il is moi
| never tell when anxious eyes, away on the dark
| waters are seek ing IL, anu being guided by IT
| so a Christian can never tell when his lnfiu-
| ence is guiding some poor soul TO Christ II
| may be when he least thinks IT. But
again; suppose you you should go in;
lights all burning but darkendd so that in
| spite OF their flame, the whole house was in
| darkness. Now suppose once more you 60
| into a church, minge with those whom Christ
declared are lights of the world, and if you
| find these lights, burning perhaps, but hood
| winkei darkened, hidden under bushels
| what is the isJerences Plainly stated then
Christian friend, God has made you a lighi
sun would be of no use did they refuse Ia shine
| or in,isled upon casting their light in tn,
| wrong direction
the Great light giver, the inefiabie sun OF glo
| nv OF what ca Tidy use is a Christian lish
| hidden under a busilel. or refusing TO shine
| Light Their il made 10 shine. The Christian /,
chosen to shine with the light OF his Saviour
and his Christ.
phil. 2l5 That We may be blameless ant
the midst of a crooked and perverse nation
among whom We shine As lights in the world
| H. The CHRISTIAN is required OF God 70 lie,
| his light shine in n peculiar manner. Die
| YOU notice the little word $50" in the text
| '.Iet your light 50 shine before men laaf the,
| may see your good urorks-
| The wissst and best expositors OF Cod
| HOLY Word warn us OF trusting 10 works as 9
means of salvation, Faith forms the connec
| ton by which we receive the gin of eterna
| should boast Ii Is the gift of God In answer
10 the prayer Of faith. But these wise exposi
L tors equally warn OF the danger Of frrsifess
ne.s Christ thus warns in the story OF ths
barren fig tree. He warns mus In the text
s,S Hsvfns vuur conversation homes