The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-08-24

ings mighty Ocean Groves, mighty Chautauquas
mighty conventions of Christian workers.
mighty general assemblies of the Presbyterian
church, mighty conferences of the Methodist
church, mighty associations of the Baptist
church. mighty conventions of the Episcopal
church There may be many years OF hard
work yet before the contamination, but the
signs to encouraging that would not
be unbelieving if saw the wing of the apocalyp-
tic angel spread for its last triumphal flight in
this days sunset; or if tomorrow morning the
ocean cables should thrill us with the news that
Christ the Lord had alighted on Mount Olivet
Mount Calvary to proclaim universal do
minion.
LET THE CHURCHES WAKE Up
., you dead churches, wake up. Throw back
the shutters of stiff eccesiastcism, and let the
light of the spring morning come in. Morning
for the land. Morning for the sea. Morning of
emancipation. Morning Of light, and love, and
peace. Morning of day in which there shall
be no chains to break, no sorrows to assuage, no
despotism to shatter, woes to compassionate.
O, Christ, descend! Scared temple take the
crown! Bruised hand, take the scepter Wounded
foot step the throne! Chine is the kingdom. >
These things l say because | want you to be
alert / want you to be watching all these won
ders unrolling from the heavens and the earth.
GOD has classified them, whether calamitous or
pleasing. The divine purposes are harnessed in
traces that cannot break and in grths that can
not slip. and in buckles that cannot loosen, and
are driven by reins they must answer. preach
no ia taiism. A swarthy engineer at one of the
depots in Dakota said: ''When will you get on
the locomotive and take ride with u.s." Well
l said, now. if that suits you" So got on
one side the locomotive. and Methodist minis
ter, who was also invited, got on the other side,
and between us were the engineer and the
stoker. The train started. The engineer had
his hand on the agtated pulse of the great
n0IV Inn ctN1-c ehcx Lad
shut the door with a loud clane A vast plain
slipped under US, and the hills swept by, and
that great monster on which we rode trembled,
and bounded, and snorted, and ragged as it hurled
US on. said to the Methodist minister on the
other side Of the locomotive: My brother, why
should Presbyterians and Methodists quarrel
about the decrees and free agency! You see that
track, that firm track, that iron track. That is
the decree. You see this engineers arm. That
Is free agency. How beautiful they work
together. They are going to take us through.
We could not do without the track, and we could
not do without the engineer" So | rejoice day
by day. Work for us all to do and we may turn
the crank of the Christian machinery this way
or that for we are free agents; but there is the
track, LAID so long ago no one remembers it
laid by the hand of Almighty God in sockets
that no terrestrial or satanic pressure can ever
affect. And along that track the car of the
worlds redemption will roll, and roll to the Grand
Central Depot of the Millennium. | have no
anxiety about the track. | am only afraid that
for our Incidence God will discharge us ana get
some other stoker and some other engineer The
train is going through, with US or without u.s.
So my brethren, watch all the events that are
going by. Ii things seem to turn out right, give
wings to your JOY. If things seem to turn out
wrong throw out the anchor Of faith and hold
fast
There is house in London where Peter the
Great, of Russia. lived awhile when he was
moving through the land incognito and in
workmans dress, that he might learn the wants
OF the people. A stranger visiting at that
house recently, and saw in dark attic an old
box, and he said to the owner of the house,
whats in that boX?" The owner said: Il
don't know; that box was there when l got the
house, and it was there when my father got it;
we maven had'any curiosity to look at It,
guess there's nothing in it. 'Well,' said the
stranger, "Ill give you two pounds for it,"
We'll, done" The two pounds are paid and
recently the contents of that box were sold to
the Car OF Russia for fifty thousand dollars.
In 1T the lathing machine of Peter the Great,
his private letters and documents of value be-
yond all monetary consideration. And here are
events that seem very insignificant and unim-
portant but they encase treasures OF divine
providence and eternities of meaning which after
while God will demonstrate before the ages as
being of a stupendous value. AS near as | can
tell from what l see there must be God
somewhere about.
When Titans play quoits they pitch mount
aims; but who owns these gigantic forces you
have been reading about the last two months!
Whose hand is on the throttle valve of the vol
canoes! Whose foot suddenly planted on the
footstool, makes the continents quiverl Cod
God! He looketh upon the mountains and they
tremble lie toucheth the hills and they smoke.
God! God, / must be at peace with him
Through the Lord Jesus Christ this God is mine
and He is yours. L put the earthquake that
shook Palestine at the cruclfxion against all
the downrockings of the centuries. This God
on our side. we may challenge all the centuries of
ffy,1n 1a1 fhar Of
Those of us who are in mid-life may we'll
thank Coo that we have so many won
drous things but there people here to-day
who will the twentieth century. Things
obscure to us will be plain yet. The twentieth
century will be as far ahead of the nineteenth
the nineteenth is ahead of the eighteenth
and as you caricature the habits, and customs
and ignorance of the past, others will caricature
this age. Some OF you may live to the
shimmerng veil between the material and the
spiritual world lifted. Magnetism, word with
which we cover up our ignorance will yet be an
explored realm. Electricity, the fiery courser
of the sky, that Benjamin Franklin
lassoed, and Morse, and Bell, and Edison
have tried to control will become completely
manageable and ocomotion will be switched,
and world of practical knowledge thrown in
upon the race. Whether we depart in this cen
fury or whether we see the open gates of more
wonderful century, we will see these things. 1t
does not make much difference where we stand
but the higher the standpoint the larger the
prospect. We will see them from heaven if we
do not see them from earth
| was at Fire island Long island, and | went
up in the cupola from which they telegraph to
New York the approach Of vessels hours before
they come into port. There is an opening in the
wall, and the operator puts his telescope through
that opening, and looks out and sees vessels far
out at sea- While | was talking with him, he
vert up and looked out. He said I'VE are
expecting the Arizona tonight" l said: rs it
possible you know all those vessels? Do you
know them as you know mans face!' He said:
Yes, | never make mistake Before | can
see the hulks, [ often know them by the masts.
| know them ALL have watched them so long"
Oh what grand thing it is to have ships tells
graphed and heralded long before they come into
port that friends may come down to the wharf
and welcome their long absent loved ones! So
to-day take stand in the watch tower
and we look off and through the glass of ipspira-
ton or providence. we look off and eaa q uhola