The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1882-01-26
SALvATION'S HIGHWAY.
PULPIT GUIDANCE FOR PEG.
PIE OF ALL RANKS AND
CONDITIONS.
Two Prime Necessaries - The
Knowledge of This Life
and the knowledge
of Heaven.
Short synopsis of Sundays Ser
mons.

e. CHURCH.
A snug congre CATION assembled at this
church. The following is Il sketch of the
discourse OF the new pastor: Isaiah o.
10. 81 have put my words in thy mouth
and covered in the shadow of mine hand
that may plant the heavens, and lay the
foundations of the earth, and say unto
Zion, Thou art My people. ,"
History, like other sciences, has Its
foundational or leading truths, around
which AZ others cluster in regular order.
Science lis a systematic or methOdical
| truth, and the science of human history
is a methodIcal arrangement of the truths
| of the human race.
The story of the onward march of the
race of man from its Edenic estate---its
temporary defeats and substantial pro-
gress, can be ghtly understood only by
taking right account of mans mission
upon the earth, and of what is to be the
final issue of his career.
The words, "put my words in thy
mouth, and have covered thee with the
shadow of my hand" expresses especial
care for this wonderful people, the Is
rael of God. To this people were given
the records and traditions of the past for
| safe Keeping, from mans earliest home
in Eden, his progressive history, and the
| gradual uprising of the elementary forces
which are to finally prevail in the spirit
ual kingdom of God. This people, in the
line of hereditary descent, have been
wonderfully preserved, brought out of
the bond of Egypt, led in the journey in
the wilderness, the Jordan parted before
them, the rock smitteL to give them
drink, TO them given the law OH Sinai, to
| them the pattern of the tabernacle and
the temple, typical of the threefold ma
ture of man and of the grand spiritual
worship to come.
The central truth of history is the de-
Velopment of man in the line in which
true goodness should come. The spirit
ual greatness of man and the true service
| of God, all, that he may PLAINTIFF heavens.
Truth is grand, and it is blessed TO know,
| and in high and royal degree, to taste
| the ''food of angels and OF God" Yet to
those to whom it is denied the doors of
the heavens are not necessarily shut, nor
the company of the good refused, for
truth is not goodness, nor is the head the
heart.
Then, too, while the heavens are being
planted, the foundations of the earth are
being laid, our walk for six thousand
years has been largely in the ditch, with
pick and spade and wheelbarrOws,
rocks for the substructure. With sweat
and toll, in rubbish and confusion, in the
heat of the day we have been doing the
rough work, but by and by the skilled
artisan will appear, the water table, the
corner stone, the stately walls, the Cor
inthian pillars with sculptured chapters,
the palatial splendOr, the colossal gran
deur, the elaborate and ornate Orna-
mentation, all beautiful, orderly, har-
mOnius-all IN strength and beauty conf
plete. Then we may see the plan of the
architect In its wonderous conception,
and as the cap stone is placed upon the
highest point of completion, shout
"grace, grace unto it."
The earth is but a nursery of young |
plants waiting the time of their trans !
planting. YOnderIs the great orchard OF
wider growth and more room. TO the |
heavens are transplanted those who have |
used their powers and privileges TO the |
best advantage. Men are not damned |
for errors of intellect, but for sins of |
the heart; not for mistakes but for will |
full sins not because they knew not and |
could not know the light, but knowing |
would not obey. Guilty sin is of our own |
voluntary choice, We are not condemned |
for doing or being what we could mol |
help but do or be, but for what we make |
that a great multitude which no man |
can number, haYe been planted In the |
heavens. In the darkness of heather |
lands, in the struggles toward the light |
of the better day, ofthe countless millions |
along the pathway of human growth, |
from Shem and Ham and Japhet, and the |
multitudes who tried before the Hood, |
from Africa, Asia, Europe and America, |
and the isles of the sea, have been going |
to the heavens in all ages past, all loyal |
souls, loyal to goodness wherever found, |
ready to die if need be for the highest |
good within their reach, and repentant |
of what were to them guilty sins.
ShnttlH knnvyinU tho /
plans of the architect of the new capt. |
tol. come to the beautiful campus, in the |
city Of Austin, by and by, and seeing the |
workmen In the ruder employ OF digging |
the foundation ditch in the rubbish and |
confusion incident to the beginning OF |
stately and noble capitol, worthy state |
of magnificent resources and Of imperial |
greatness of area, as is the Lone Star |
State, and say, "why all this labor, and |
what wisdom in this interminable con- |
fusion? '' he would display the same |
folly as many do who have harshly criti- |
cised the great foundational work OF the |
spiritual kingdom OF the heavens. |
Wait, and you will see the plan, the |
higher design, the perfect execution, the |
capitol standing in the shining sun, "a |
thing of beauty and a joy forever" to en- |
dure for ages, monument of the skill |
and genius of man who builds something, |
though infinitely less like his father in the |
heavens.
Then again, all men are workers---the |
high, the low, the rich, the poor, learned |
and the ignOrant---men hay the iron rail, |
and the gospel is borne In the palace ear |
rather than by cart aud oxen. Steam,
telegraph and newspaper, plow and hoe |
and Texas cow boy, saint and sinner, con- |
spire and conjoin to lay the foundations
OF the earth. By and by ''the fullness of
the times" will come---the earth, with |
countless millions OF glad souls, be blessed
indeed the reign of goodness Will come, |
and the LORDS kingdom fill the whole |
earth; the habitations of cruelty disap- |
pear, mankind an universal brotherhood
of helpfulness and cheer, the waste |
places of the earth restored, the glorious
temple Ofhumanity complete in the reign
of righteousness, and then may men and
angels and archangels, with eherubim and
seraphim, as they behold the manifesto
tons of the sons of q od shout :"Holy holy
is the Lord of hosts, the earth and the
heavens are full of His glory" and the In
finite One himself, in the radiance of His
eternal splendor respond: "Oh, Zion,
thou art my people"
AT THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
the text was Exodus xxxiv, 14--"The
Lord whose name is Jealous is Jealous
God.''
The great and good Augustine has said
ludI buat 10 hOb JOohOOS 10 hOb IL AONO'
If God is love, and jealousy is necessary
accompaniment of love, then can we I'M
derstand how God is jealous, and yet in
thinking of GOD as jealous, we must free
that passion from all that it sometimes
degenerates into in sinful man. The
Bible speaks of Gods covenant with man
as n marriage contract, the violating of
which is like the iafidelity of husband
to wife, of a wife to husband, so that
idolatry or q setting of anything above
God in our hearts is spiritual adultery.
If man, under certain circumstances,
has no jealousy, we have no respect for
him, and in its own proper field of dis
play, we must all the more reverence God
because he is a jealous God. LIST, God is
Jealous as to his holy laD, and certainly
had right to create the world so as to
place all created things under appropri-
ate laws. The moral law to govern man
is holy, just and good; it is adapted to
mans nature-angels obey it. Its issue
is lore, and to all eternity 1t must be
obeyed 1t is the ''rule of life" for all
Gods intelligent creatures forever; and
God is exceeding jealous as far as His
law is concerned, and disobedience there
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