Charlotte messenger. [volume] (Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., N.C.) 1882-18??, 1888-10-20


fortress, and propose without any perturba-
ton to launch upon an unknownf future trium-
plant in the fact that my Father drives. Yes.
He drives very near. know that many Of
the clouds that you see in summer are far
Oft, the bases OF some of them five miles
above the earth. High on the highest peaks
of the Andes travellers have seen clouds far
higher than where they were standing
Gay Lussac. after he had risen in
balloon twenty-three thousand feet, still
saw clouds above him.
But there are clouds that touch the earth
and discharge their rain, and, though the
clouds out of which Gods chariot is made
may sometimes be far away, often they are
close by and they touch our shoulders, and
they touch our homes, and they touch us all
over l have read of two rides that the
Lord took in two different chariots
will take. One day, in a chariot Of
clouds that were mingling of fog and
smoke and fire. God drove down to the top
OF a terrible crag fifteen hundred feet high,
now called Jebel-M usa. then called Mount
Sinai, and He stepped out of His chariot
mountaii shook as with an ague, and there
were ten voleys of thunder, each of the ten
emphasizing a tremendous "1hou shalt or
Thou shalt not" Then the Lord resumed
His chariot of Cloud and drove up
the hills of heaven. They were
chariot at the giving of the law. But one
day He took another ride, and TINS time down
10 Mount Tabor, the clouds out OF which His
chariot was made. were bright clouds, roseate
clouds, illumlned clouds, and music raned
from all OF them, and the music was ming
ling of carol aud chant and triumphal
march: ''This is My ielo led Son, in whom
am we'll pleased" TRANSPORTATION chariot
son. say hundreds of you, ''Iwish could
have seen those chariots-the black one that
brought the Lord to Jebel-Musa at the giving
of the law, and the white one that brought
Him down to Tabor Never mind, you will
see something grander than that, and it will
he a mightier mingling of tn sombre and
the radiant, and the pomp of it will
be such that the chariots in which
Trajan, and Diocletian, and Zenobia,
and Caesar, and Alexander, and
all the conquerors of all the ages rode Will
be unworthy of mention; and what stirs me
the most is that when he comes in that
chariot Of cloud and goes back, He will ask
you and me to ride with Him both ways.
How do l know that tue Judgment
chariot will be made cut of clouds.
Revelation l., z: Behold He cometh with
clouds" Oh, He will not then ride through the
heavens alone as lie does now. He is going
to bring along with Him escort Of ten fun
regiments Inspiration says; behold the
Lord coneth with ten thousand of his saints. "
But these figures simply mean that there
will be a great throng And as we shall
probably through the atonement of Christ
that we can come down in that es-
cort of chariots. Christ in che centre
chariot, but chariots before Him to clear the
way, and chariots behind Him, and chariots
on either side of Him Perhaps the proph-
cts and patriarchs lof the old dispsnsation
nay ride ahead each one chariote1- Abraham
and Moses and Ezekiel and David and joshua
,h..f l.fc IN, off ID
of the central chariot apostles and martyrs
who in the same or approximate centuries
suffered for Him-Paul, Stephen, and lgna-
titus, and Polycarp and Justin Martyr, and
multtudes who went up in chariot of fire
now coming in chariot of cloud, while in the
rear of the central chariot shall be the rlulti-
tudes of latter days and OF our own time who
have tried to serve the Lord, ourselves Ihope
among them. Behold the Lord cometh with
ten thous and of His saints Yes, although
all unworthy of such companionship we
want to come with Him on that day to see
the last of this old world which was our resi-
dence. Coming through the skies myriads of
chariots rolling on and rolling down. By
that time how changed this world will be.
Its deserts all flowers, its rocks all messed
and lichened, its poor houses all palaces,
its sorrows all joys, its sins all virtues,
and in the same pasture field lion and calf,
and on the same perch hawk and dove. Now
all the valleys, and covering all ths mount
ain SIDES, and halting in all the cemeteries
and graveyards and over the waters deep
where the dead sleep in coral sarcophagus.
A loud blast of the resurrection
trumpet is given and the bodies of the dead
rise and join the spirits from which they have
long been separated. Then Christ, our King,
rising in the center chariot of cloud, with his
SCARED hands waves the signal, and the
chariots wheel and come into line for glorious
ascent Drive on! Drive up Chariots OF
cloud ahead Of the King, chariots OF
cloud on either side of the King,
chariots of cloud following the King. Up
ward and apast starry hosts, and through
immensiCies. and across infinitudes higher,
higher, higher, unto the gates, the shining
gates. Lift up your heads We Everlasting
: Gates for Him who maketh the clouds His
+, chariot, and who through condescending and
uplifting grace invites us to mount and ride
| with Hint