The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-11-02

the Lord VINO blessed this Queen or Sheba- Ger
taiuy you are not ashamed to be found in this
Queens company am glad that Christ has
had His imperial friends in all ages-Eizabeth
Christina. Queen of Prussia Maria Feodorovna.
Queen of Russia; Marie, Empress of France;
Helena, the imperial mother of Constantine:
Arcadia. from her great fortunes building public
baths in Constantinople and toing for the allie
Walton of the Masses Queen Clotilda Leading
her husband and three thousand Of his armed
warriors to Christian baptism; Elizabeth of
Burgundy. giving her jeweled glove to beggar
and scattering great fortunes among the dis
tressed; Prince Albert, singing Rock of Ages"
in Windsor Castle, and Queen Victoria,
lncognito, reading the Scriptures to dying
pauper. | bless God that the day is coming
when royalty will bring all its thrones and music.
all its harmonies and painting. all its pictures
and sculpture all it's statuary and architecture,
ali its pillars and conquest, ali its scepters, and
the queens of the earth in long lines of advance.
franklncense filling the air and the camels laden
with gold. shall approach Jerusalem, and the
gates shall be hosted, and the great burden of
spendor shall be lifted into the palace of this
1reater than Solomon.
Again, my subject teaches me what is earnest
ness in the search of truth. Do you know where
Sheba was? 1t was in Abyssinia or, some say,
IN the southern part of Arabia Felix. In either
case, 1t was a great way off from Jerusalem. To
get from there to Jerusalem she had to cross
country infested with bandits and go across
blistering deserts. Why did not the Queen of
Sheha stay at home and send committee to in
quire about this new religion and have the dele
gates report in regard to that religion and the
wealth of King Solomonl She wanted to see
for herself and hear for herself. She could not
do this by work of committee. She felt she had
a soul worth ten thousand kingdoms like Sheba,
and she wanted robe richer than any woven by
Oriental shuttes, and she wanted a crown set
with the jewels of eternity. Bring out the cam
els. Put on the spices. Gather up the jewels of
the throne and put them on the caravan. Start
now-no time to be lost. Goad on the camels.
When | that caravan, dust covered, weary
and exhausted, trudging on across the desert and
among the bandits until it reaches Jerusalem, I
say: There is an earnest seeker after the
truth" But there are great many of you. my
frlencs who do not act that way. You all want
to get the truth, but you want the truth to come
TO you; you do not want to go to it. There are
people who fold their arms and say: II am
ready to become Christian at any time; if
am to be saved | shall be saved, if am to be
lost shall be lost" man who says that and
keeps on saying it will be lost Jerusalem will
never come to you; you must go to Jerusalem.
The religion of the Lord Jesus Christ will not
come to You; you must go and get religion.
Bring out the camels; PCT on all the sweet spices,
all the treasures of the hearts affection. Start
for the throne Go in and hear the waters of
salvation dashing in fountains all around about
the throne. Sit down at the banquet-the wine
pressed from the grapes of heavenly Eshcol, the
angels of God the cup-bearers. Goad the
camels; Jerusalem will never come to you; you
must go to Jerusalem The Bible declares it,
1.-THE Queen Of the South"-that is, this very
woman am speaking of-''The Queen of the
South shall rise up in judgment against this
generation and condemn it, for she came from
the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the
wisdom Of Solomon, and 10! a greater than Solo
mon is here" God help me to break up the in
fatuation of those people who are sitting down
in idleness expecting to be saved. Strive to
enter in at the strait gate Ask, and it shall be
given you: seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it
shall be opened to you" Take the kingdom of
heaven by violence. Urge on the camels.
RELIGION SURPRISE TO IT'S PossEssoR.
Again, my subject impresses me with the fact
that religion is a surprise to any one that gets it.
This story of the new religion in Jerusalem. and
Of the glory of King Solomon, who was a type
of Christ-that story rolls and on, and is
told by every traveller coming back from Jerusa-
lem. The news goes on the wing of every ship,
aud with every caravan. and you know a story
enarges as it is retold. and by the
time that story gets down into the
southern part of Arabia Felix and the Queen of
Sheba hears it, it must be a tremendous story
And yet this queen declares in regard to it,
although she had heard much and had her
anticipations raised SO high the half-the half
was not told her. So religion is always a sur
prise to any one that gets it. The story of
grace-an old story. Apostles preached it with
rattle OF chain; martyrs declared it with arm of
glory, and ministers of religion have sounded il
through the lanes, and the highways and the
chapels and the cathedrals. It has been cut into
stone with chisel, and spread ON the canvas with
pencil, and it has been recited in the doxology Of
great congregations And yet, when a man
first comes to look on the palace Of Gods mercy
and to see the royalty of Christ and the wealth
| of this banquet. and the luxurance of His
| attendants. and the loneliness of His face, and
the JOY of His service, he exclams with prayers
half-the half was not told TO me' appeal to
those in this house who Christians Com
pare the idea you had of the joy of the Chris
tan life before you became Christian with the
appreciation of that joy you have now since you
have become Christian. and you willing to
| attest before angels and men that you never in
the days OF your spiritual bondage had any
appreciation of what was to come. You are
ready to-day to answer. and if / gave you an
opportunity i'll the midst of this assemb!age
you would speak out and say, in regard TO
the discoveries you have made of the mercy, and
the grace, and the goodness of God: The half
| a great deal about the good time that
is coming to this world, when il is
to be girded with salvation. Holiness on the
bells of the horses. The lions name petted by
the hand of babe. Ships of Tarshish bringing
cargoes for Jesus, and the hard dry barren
winter bleached. storm SCARED, thunder-splt
rock breaking into floods of bright water
Deserts into which dromedaries thrust their
nostriis, because they were afraid OF the simeon,
deserts blooming into carnation roses and silver
| tipped lilies. 1t is the old story. Everybody
tells it. Isaiah told it, John told it, Paul told it.
Ezekiel told it. Luther told it, Calvin told it,
John Milton told it, every body tells it, and yet
and yet, when the midnight shall fly the hills,
and Christ shall marshal his great army, and
China, dashing her idols into the dust, shall
hear the voice Of God and wheel into line; and
India, destroying her Jusgernaut and snatching
up her little children from the Ganges.
hear of and who pfo
and vine-covered Italy, and wheat-crowned
Russia, and all the nations of the earth shall
hear the voice of God and fall into line then the
Church. which has been toling and struggling
through the centuries robed and garlanded like
bride adorned for her husband, shall put aside
her veil and look up into the face of her Lord
the King and say: ''The half-the half was not
told mel"