National Republican., 1886-07-05

QueTeT on Jne WnlJe nOTbe, OF Tue bun Oh
setting everything ablaze
with light; or the bridegroom, coming with
lantern and torches. To me IL has been
very quiet and undemonstrative experience.
II has been something very sweet, but very
still. How shall describe itY / have Il
now "My beloved is unto me as cluster
Of campfire from the vineyards OF Engedl.n
But ] remark further: This campfire
plant Of the text was a symbol OF Christ in
the fact that It gives eoloring., From, the
Mediterranean to the Ganges the people OF
the East gathered II, dried the leaves, pull
verified them, and then used them as dye
for beautlfying garments or their own per-
cons. IL was that fact that gave the cam
phire plant OF the text It's commercial value
In the time Of King Solomon-a type Of my
Lord Jesus, who beautifies aud adorns and
colors everything he touches. l have no
faith In that mans conversion whose re-
ligion does not color his entire life. IL was
intended SO to do. II q man has the grace
Of God in his heart It ought TO show Itself
In the life. There ought to be this "cluster
OF campfire" in the ledger, In the roll Of
government securities, In the medical pre-
scription, In the law book. A religion is OF
no value 10 n merchant unless It keeps him
from putting false labels on his goods; or
TO the plasterer, unless It keeps him from
putting up ceiling which he knows will
unless 1t keeps him from lash
ing his horses to eight miles
an hour when the thermometer Is at ninety,
or TO the farmer, unless II keeps him from
putting the only sound pippins on the top
OF the barrel; or to the shoemaker, unless It
keeps him from substituting brown paper
for good leather in the soles. In other
words, the religion Of Christisgood forevery-
thing or IL is good for nothing. The grace
of God never Affects us by piecemeai. II
the heart is changed, the head is changed,
and the liver is changed, and the spleen is
changed, and the hands are changed, and
the feet are changed, and the store Ia
changed, and the house is changed, aud
everything over which the man has any in.
fluence comes to q complete and radical
change. The religion OF the Lord Jesus
Christ is not pot Of hyacinths, to be set In
q parlor bay window for passere-by to look
at and to be examined only by ourselves
when we have company, but II is 10 be n
perfume filling all the room OF the heart as
ga cluster OF campfire from the vineyards OF
Engedi." The trouble is men do not take
their religion with them. The merchant
leaves IL outside the counter, lest It dis
turb thegoods. The housekeeper will not
let her religion trail It's robes in the kitchen
on washing day. The philosopher will not
let his religion come In amid the batteries,
lest II get galvanic shock. But tell you
unless your religion goes with you every
where, II goes nowhere. That religion was
intended TO color all the heart and the life.
But, mark you, 1t was bright color.
For the most part 1t was an orange dye
made Of this campfire plant, one OF The
most brilliant Of all the colors; and 80 the re-
ligion Of Jesus Christ casts no blackness or
gloom upon the soul. It brightens up
life; 1t brightens up everything. There Is
no more religion In funeral than there is
In wedding; no more religion In tears
than in smiles. David was no better when
he said he cried out Of the depths Of hell
than he was when he said that his mouth
was filed with laughter and his tongue
with singing. The best men that l have
ever known have laughed the loudest. Re-
ligion was intended to brighten up all our
from your coat and put In "a cluster of
campfire from the vineyards Of Engedi."
Religions 'ways are ways Of pleasantness,
and oil her paths are peace" / have
found II so. There are hundreds In this
house who have found It so.
remark again, that the campfire plant
OF the text was symbol Of Jesus Christ,
because 1t is a mighty restorative. You
know that there is nothing that starts
respiration SO soon In one who has tainted
as camphor, as we have 1t. Put upon n
sponge or handkerchief, the effects are
almost immediate. Well, this campfire
plant Of the text, though somewhat diff
ferent from that which we have, was q
pupgent aromatic, and in that respect 1t
becomes type Of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who is the mightlest Of all restoratives.
have carried this camphire-plant into the
sick room, after the doctors had held their
consultation, ,and said there was no hope, and
nothing more could be done, and the soul
frightened up under the spiritual restora-
tive. There is no fever, no marasmus, no
neuralgia, no consumption, no disease oi
the body that the grace Of God will
not help. wish that over
every bed Of pain and through every hos.
pital Of distress we might swing this "clus.
ter Of campfire from the vineyards Of En-.
gedl." Christ's hand is the softest pillow,
Christ's pardon is the strongest stimulus,
Christ's comfort is the mightiest anodyne
Christ's salvation is the grandest restora'
tive. IL makes q man mightier than his
physical distress.
"Art thou weary? Art thou languId2 Art thou
sore distressed?
Come to. me- faith onc-'aud coming, be al
rest. s.Hs.# .H
If ask Him to receive me, will he say mt
nay?
Not till earth, and not till heaven pass away
Finding, ioll3pylng' loving keeping struggling, is III
Saints. apostles, prophets, martyrs, answer
Yesl'
Nero tarred and put pitch upon the Chris
tians Of his day, and then set them on fire
that they might illuminate the night rount
about the palace, but, while they wer,
burning and the crowd beneath were jeer
ing, louder than all the noise went up thu
song Of praise and triumph from the dying
martyrs. John Bradford came out In tn,
| presence Of the instrument of torture tina
was to put him to death and said, 81 am
| Christian now; have never been BEFORE
And so again and again the lion Of Judah'l
tribe has torn to pieces the wild beasts o
martyrdom.
This grace is also o restorative for the
backsllder. Who do you mean by that
| you say. mean you who used to frequen
tho house OF God, but seldom go ther
now you who once used to pray, but neve
| pray now; you who once sat at the hol!
communion, but take not the Lords cuI
now / mean you who once rejoiced ii
| Christian society, but now sit amid scoifers
| Backslider oh, what suggestive word
| Backslider From what have you slil
back You have slid back from you
fathers faith, from your early good habits
You have been sliding back from Christ
from the cross-sliding back from heaven
where he will go. You have been slidinI
back toward darkness. You have beef
\ sliding back toward an unblessed grave, to
ward a precipice, the first ten million mile
OF which downward are only u small par
Of the eternal plunge. You were, perhaps
professors in the country; you have mad
shipwreck In the town. 1t may be that th
club blasted you; II may be that fashionabl
society destroyed you; It may be the kim
Of wife whom you married. You have n
more hope for heaven now than
you had lived In Central Asia an
never heard Of Christ and the judg
ment. Oh, where Is that Bible yo
used TO readY Where is that room wher
you used to pray9 What have you don
with that Jesus whose voice you one
cred priyiIeeesI u Oh, dead % opportnnities & ,s,
Wake up now and shrek In that mans ca
until he shall rouse himself from the hOrr