National Republican., 1886-08-02


statement OF the Pentatouch. God knew
that the poet would want to read IT, and so
he allows Job TO picture the heavens as q
curtain, and Isniah the mountains as
weighed In a balance, and the waters as
held In the hollow OF the Omnipotent hand;
and lod touched David until, In the latter
part OF the Psalms, he gathered a great
choir standing In galleries above each
other-beasts and men In the first gallery
above them, hills and mountains; above
them, fire and hail and tempest; above them
sun and moon and stars Of light; and on the
highest gallery arrays the hosts Of angels,
and then, standing before this great choir,
reaching from the depths OF earth to the
heights OF heaven, like the leader OF great
orchestra, he lifts his hands, crying: "Pralse
the Lord leteverythlng that hath breath,
praise ye the Lord, and all earthly crea-
lures In their song, and mountains with
their waving cedars, aud tempests in their
thunder and rattling hail, aud stars on all
their trembling harps Of light, and angels
on their thrones, respond In magnificent nc
claim: Praise ye the Lord; let everything
that hath BREATH praise the Lordn
God knew that the pensve and complain
ing world would want to read IL, and so he
inspires Jeremiah to write: "Oh, that my
head were waters and mine eyes fountains
OF tears" God knew that the lovers OF the
wild, the romantic, and the strange would
mysterious rolls, and winged creatures, and
flying wheels OF fire. God prepared IL for
all zones--for the Arctic and the troplc, ns
well ne for the temperate zone Cold
blooded Greenlanders would find much to
interest them, and the tanned inhabltant
at the equator wouh find his passionate
nature boil with the vehemence OF heavenly
truth. The Arabian would read IL on his
dromedary, and the Laplander on the swift
NJ ar1-
ing the cattle In the grass, and the Swiss
girl reclining amid Alpine crags. "Oh,
when l see that the Bible is suited in style,
exactly suited, to all ages, TO all conditions,
TO all lands, cannot help repeating the
conclusion Of my text: The statutes OF the
Lord are right. "
III. remark again, the Bible Is right In
its doctrines. Man, sinner; Christ, u
saviour--the two doctrines. Mau must
come down--his pride, his self.righteous.
ness, his worldlluess; Christ. the annointed,
must go up. IL It had not been for the set
ting fourth OF the Iatonoment, Moses would
never have described the creation; prophets
would not have predicted apostles would
not have preached. IL seems to me as II
Jesus in the Bible were standing on plat
form in a great amphitheater, as II the
prophets were behind him, throwing light
forward on His sacred person, and as IL
the apostles and evangelists stood before
Him, like footlights throwing up their light
into His blessed countenance, and then as
II all the earth and heaven were the ap.
plauding auditory. The Bible speaks Of
Pisgah, and Carmel, aud Sinai, but makes
all mountains how down to Calvary. The
focks led over the Judean hills were em-
blcms Of "the lamb Of God that taketh
away the sins Of the world,n and the lion
leaping out of its lair, was an
emblem of "the lion of Judah's tribe" l
VIII In my next breath recite TO you the
most wonderful sentence ever written
"This is faithful saying and worthy OF all
acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the
world to save slnners.n No wonder that
when Jesus was born In Bethlehem heaven
sympathiZed with earth, and wave OF Joy
dashed clear over the battlements and
dripped upon the shepherds In the words,
"Glory to God In the highest and on earth
peace, good will toward men," In my next
sentence every word weighs ton /: "God
so loved the world that He gave His only
begotten son that whosoever believeth In
Him should not perish, but have everlasting
life.n Show me any other book with such
doctrine, so high, so deep, 80 vast.
~. Again: THE Bible is right in its
effects. / do not care where you put the
Bible, It Just suits the place. You put II in
the hand Of q. man seriously concerned
about his soul. i see people often giving to
the serious soul thisand that book. 1t may
be very well, but thereiis no book like the
Bible. He reads the commandments and
pleads to the Indictment, uGullty." He
takes up the Psalms Of David and says:
"They just describe my feelings" He flies
to good works; Paul -stArtsh him out OF that
by the announcement: "a man is not justi-
fed by works." He falls back in his
Encouragement; the Bible starts him up
with the sentences: Remember Lots
wife" ""Grieve not the SPIRITS" ssPiee the
wrathto come" Then the man in despair
begins to cry out: "What shall do? where
shall goqn and voice reaches him say
ing: "Come INTO melall ye who are weary
and heavy laden and will give you rest"
Take this Bible and place 1t in the hands
OF men In trouble. is there anybody here
in troubleP All, might better ask are
there my here who have never been in
trouble. Put this Bible In the hands OF the
troubled. You find that as some OF the
best berries grow on the sharpest thorns,
so some OF the sweetest consultations OF the
Gospel grow on the most stinglng aflliction.
You thought that death had grasped your
child. Oh, no 1t was only the Heavenly
Shepherd talking a lamb out OF the cold.
Christ bent over you as you held the child
in your lap, and, putting His arms gently
around the little one, said, "0f such Is the
kingdom OF heaven" -
Put the Bible In the school. Palsled be the
hand that would take the Bible from the
| college and the school. Educate only a
mans head and you make him an inhdel.
| Educate only mans heart and you make
him fanatic. Educate them both together
| and you have the noblest work OF God. An
educated mind without moral principle Is a
ship without q helm, rushing railroad
train without brakes or reversing rod to
control the speed. Put the Bible in the
family. There 1t lies on the table, an un-
limited power. Polygamy and anscriPtu,
raj divorce are prohibited. Parents are kind
and faithful, children polite and obedient.
Domestic sorrows lessened by being di-
vided, Joys increased by being multiplied.
| q fatheri o motherl take down that long
neglected Bible and read II yourselves, and
let your children read It'll
. Put the Bible ON the rail train and on
shipboard, till all paris Of this land and
all other lands shall have its illumination.
This hour there rises the yell OF heathen
worship, and In the face of this days sun
smokes the blood of human sacrifice. Give
them the Bible. Uubind thatwife from the
funeral pyre, for no other sacrifice Is needed
since the blood Of Jesus Christ cleanseth
from all SIN. .... .-...
am preaching this sermon because there
are so many who would have you believe
that the Bible is an outlandish book, and
obsolete. IL Is fresher and more intense
than any book that yesterday came out Of
the great publishing houses. Make 1t your
guide in lie and your pillow in death.
After the battle OF Richmond a dead
soldier was found with his hand lying on
an open Bible. The summer insects had
eaten the flesh from the hand, but the
skeleton finger lay on these words; .'Yea,
though Iwalk through the valley OF the
shadow Of death, win fear no evil, fol-
Thou art with me;" Thy rod and Thy statr
they comfort me-" Yes, this book VIII
become in your last days, when you turn
away from all other books, q solace fol
your soul. Perhaps II will be your mothers
Bible; perhaps the one given you on your
wedding day, Its cover now worn out, aud
Its leaf faded with age: but its bright
promises will fash upon the open gates OF
heaven.