Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1884-05-21
BUTLER, PA WEDNESDAY. MAY 2l. 1884

! not time TO read a novel through, you
read the first chapter or two, to find
out who the hero is, and then skim
through the pages and read the closing
chapters and find out who was murder
ed, who was hung, and who was mar
ried; and then you can guess the rest,
for there Is usually about so much
sawdust put in the middle for stufing.
Why will you not do as much for the
Bible? Begin at the beginning, and
read until you find out who is the hero
of the story. You will find that the
presence of one Person prevades the
whole book. If you go into British
navy yard, or on board a British ves-
sci, and pick up piece of rope, you
will find that there is one little red
thread which runs through the whole
of it-through every foot of cordage
which belongs TO the British govern
ment-so, if piece of rope is stolen,
it may be cut into inch pieces, but
every piece has the mark which tells
where it belongs. 1t is so with the
Bible. You may separate it into a
thousand parts, and yet you will find
one ttought-one great thought run
ming through the whole of it. You
will find it constantly pointing and re-
ferring to one great personage-"the
Seed of the woman" that shall crush
the serpent's head; "the Seed of Abra-
ham," in whom all the nations of the
earth shall be blessed; "the Seed of
DAVID who shall sit on David's
throne and reign forevermore; the de-
spised and rejected Sufferer, tie Man
Of Sorrows, the Christ of God, born in
Bethlehem, crucifed on Calvary, rising
triumphant from Joseph's tomb, as
cending to sit at Gods right hand, and
coming again to judge the world and
reign as King and lord of all forever
Around this one mighty Parsonage
this whole book revolves- "To him
give all the prophets Witness" and
this book, which predicts his in its
earliest pages, which foreshadows his
person and his ministry through all its
observances, types and sacred prophe-
eies, reveals in its closing lines the
eternal splendors which shall crown
and consummate his mighty work.
Gods word declares the end from
the beginning. 1t is not only the
chart which guides each weary wan
derer to his eternal rest, but it is the
record Of the great plan and purpose of
the Almighty concerning the world
which he has made, and the church
which he hts redeemed 1t unfolds
Gods everlasting purpose, as manifes-
ted in Jesus Christ; and if one will
read three chapters at the beginning of
the Bible and three at the end, he will
be struck with the correspondence
which there exists.
At the beginning Of the Bible we
find new world: "In the beginning
God created the heavens and the
earth" At the end OF the Bible we
find new world: 81 saw new
heaven and new earth; for the first
heaven and the first earth were passed
away" At the beginning we find
Satan entering to deceive and destroy;
at the end, we find Satan cast out,
"that he should deceive the nations
no more" At the beginning, sin and
pain and sorrow and signing and
death find entrance to the world; at
the end, there shall be no more pain
nor sorrow nor signing, and no more
death At the beginning, the earth,
for mans transgression, is cursed with
thorns and thistles; at the end, "there
shall be no more curse: but the throne
of God and OF the lamb shall be in it,"
At the beginning, we find tho tree of
life in paradise, from which the sinner
is shut away by flaming sword, lest
he eat and live forever; at the end, we
find the tree of life again Gin the midst
of the paradise of God" and the bless
ed and the blood washed ones have a
right to the tree of life, and "enter in
through the gates into the city" At
the beginning, man was brought be-
meath the dominion of death and the
grave; at the end, "the dead small
and great, stand before God" the sea
gives up its dead, and death and hell
are destroyed in the lake of fire. At
the beginning, the first Adam lost his
dominion over earth; and was driven
out of the garden of Eden in shame
and sorrow; at the end, we find the
second Adam, victorious over sin and
death and hell, enthroned as King and
Lord of all, and reigning in triumph
and glory forever
Now, when you get the plan of this
book, you find that it is something
more than a book of detached SEN
tences, good maxims and comforting
words. 1t is book which unfOlds the
divine purpose, and not only reveals
the way of salvation, but marks the
pathway of the people of God through
this wilderness. and foreshows the
destiny of the world which he has
made and the church which he has re-
deemed.
When we look at these facts we see
that this is no mans book. When
Columbus saw the river Orinoco, some
He replied: "No such river as that
flows from an island. That mighty
torrent must drain the waters of a
continent" SO the book comes, not
from the empty hearts of imposters,
liars, and deceivers; it springs from
the eternal depths of divine wisdom,
love, and grace. 1t is the transcript
of the divine mind, the unfolding CT
the divine purpose, the revelation of
the divine will. God help us to re-
ceive it, to believe it, and be saved
through Christ our Lord. Amens
from audience.
THE END.
sSy-In the Diamond Dyes more
coloring is given than in any known