Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-12-04

cuOleCI VI luC 49,
Text, Luke XVIII: "Come; for al
things are now ready
Festivity to-day: We gather IN more
sheayes for the spiritual garner.
The decoration of this church, arranged
for last Thursday, when we celebrated the
temporal prosperity OF the land, have oaeI
kept on platform and galleries as approPri'
ate to celebrate our church prosperity
Many new members added to day and our
roll of church membership OF over two
thousand eight hundred souls, we feel Joy
like the Joy Of harvest. Well may the
chalices be filled and the banquet spread,
1t was one Of the most exciting times In
English history when Queen Elizaoeth
visited Lord Leicester at kenieworth Gas
tie. The moment of her arrival was con:
sidered so important that all the clocks Of
the castle were stopped so that the hands
might point TO that moment as being the
most significant of all. She was greeted TO
the gate with floating islands and torches
and the thunder of cannon and fireworks
that set the night ablaze and great burst
of music that lifted the whole scene into
Perfect Enchantment.
Then she was introduced in dining hall 4,
the luxuries of which astonished the world F;
400 servants waited upon the guests; the
entertainment cost S, 900 each day. Lord
Leicester made that great supper in Kenil'
worth castle. Cardinal Wolseley entertain.
ed the French ambassadors at Hampton
Court The best cooks in all the land pre-
pared for the banquet; purveyors went out
and travelled all the kingdom over to lind
spoils for the table. The time came. The
guests were kept during the day hunting
in the kings park so that their appetltes
would be keen, and then in the evening
at the sound of the trumpeters they were
introduced into a hall hung with silk and
cloth OF gold, and there were tables a'glltter
with imperial plate and laden with the
rarest of meats and ablush with the costli:
est wines; and when the second course OF
the feast came it was found that the arti-
cles of food had been fashioned into the
shape of men, birds and beasts, and groups
dancing and jousling parties riding against
each other with lances. Lords and princes
and ambassadors out of
Cups Filled TO the Brim
drank the health first of the King of Eng
land and next to the King of France. Car
dinal Wolseley prepar ed that great supper
in Hampton Court. But | have to tell you
to-day Of grander entertainment. My
Lord the King is the banqueter. The angels
are the cup bearers. All the redeemed are
the guests. The halls OF eternal love fres-
coed with light and paved with joy and
Curtained with unfading beauty are the
banQueting-placs. The harmonies OF eter-
nifty are the music. The chaliCes Of heaven
are the plate and am one of the servants
coming out with both hands filled with in
vitations, scattering them everywhere, and
oh, that for yourselves you might break the
seal OF the invitation and read the words
written in red ink of blood by the tremul-
Gus hand of dying Christ. -.
"COme Now, for all Things are Ready"
There have been grand entertainments
where there was taking-off, the wine gave
out or the servants are rebellious or the
light failed. But have gone all around
about this subject and looked at the re-
demption which Christ has provided and |
come here to-day to tell you it is complete
and swing open the feast telling you that
''all things are now ready.
In the first place l have to announce that
the Lord Jesus Christ Himself is ready.
Cardinal Wolseley came into the feast after
the first course. He came in booted and
spurred and the guests arose and cheered
him. But Christ comes in at the very be-
ginning of the feast. Aye, He has been
waiting 1882 years for His guests. lie has
been standing on His mangled feet. He
has had His sore hand on His punctured
side or He has been pressing His lacerated
temples, waiting, waiting. 1t is wonderful
that He has not been impatient and that
He has not said: Shut up the doors and
let the laggards stay out" But He has
been waiting. No banqueter ever waited
for bis guests so patiently as Christ has
waited for us. To prove how willing He is
to receive US l gather all the tears that
rolled down His cheeks in sympathy for
your sorrows. gather all
The Drops Of Blood
that chsnneled his brow, and his back. and
his hands and feet in trying to purchase
your redemption. gather all the groans
that he uttered in midnight chill and in
mountain hunger and in desert loneliness,
and twist them in one cry, bitter, agoniz-
ing, overwhelming. gather all the pains
that shot from spear and spike and cross,
jolting into one pang, remorseless, grind
ing, excruciating. 1 take that one drop OF
sweat on his brow, and under the Gospel
glass that one drop enlarged until ! see in
it lakes of sorrow and an ocean of agony.
That being, standing before you to-day,
emaciated and gashed and CORY, coaxed for
your love with a pathos in which every
word is heart-break and every sentence a
martyrdom. How can you think he tri-
fles? AhasueruS prepared a feast for lS0
days, but this feast is for all eternity. Lords
and princes were invited to that. You and
all our world are invited to this. Christ is
ready. You know that the banqueters of
olden time used to wrap themselves in
robes prepared for the occasion. So my
Lord Jesus hath wrapped himself in all
that is beautiful.
Fair He is!
His eye, his brow, his cheek so radiant
that the stars have no gleam and the
morning no brilliancy compared with it.
His face rejecting all the joys Of the re-
deemed. his hand having the omuipotent
surgery with which he opened blind eyes
and Strengthened crooked limbs and hoist
ed the pillars of heaven and swung the
twelve gates which are twelve pearls.
There are not enough cups in heaven to
dip up this ocean of beauty. There are
not ladders enough to scale this height OF
love. There are not enough cymbals to
clap or harps to thrum or trumpets to pea
forth for the praises Of this one altogether
fair. Oh, thou flower OF eternity, thy
breath is the perfume of heayenl o bliss
ful daybreak, let all people clap their
hands in thy radiance, Chorus! Come
men and saints and cherubim and seraphim
and exchange all heights, all depths, al
immensities. Chorus! Rolling through
the heavens in q chariot Of universal &C
claim over bridges of hosannas under
arches of coronation, along by the crea
towers Ginning with eternal jubilee
Chorous! Unto him who hath loved u!
and washed as from our sins in his owr
blood, to him be glory world without
end"
| have a word Of FIVE letters. but no shee
white enough on which to write it and M
pen good enough with which to inscribe it
Give me the fairest leaf from the heavenly
records. Give me the pencil with which
the angel
Records His Victory,
and then with my hand strung to superna
tural ecstasy and my pen dipped in th'
light of the morning, will write 1t out II
capitals of love-"JESUS." 1t is this. on
infinitely fair to whom you are invited
Christ is waiting for you, waiting as tn
bsnoueter waits for the delayed guest. Tn
meats smoking, the beakers brimming
The minstrels with fingers on their stii
string waiting for the clash Of the hoofs q
the gateway. Waiting for you as q mothe
waits for her son. who went of ten year
ago, dragging her bleeding heart along Wit
him. Waiting! Oh, give me comparison
intense enough, hot enough, importunat
enough to express my meaning. Some
thing high as heaven and deep as hell an
long as eternity. Not hoping that you ca
help me with such a comparison / will say
He is waiting as only the all sympatheti
Christ can wait for the coming back OF
lost SOUL"