The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1888-09-21
NUMBER Ii.

Christ has ret free, n stood kide by ode,
would make an army. Quicker than ship
chandlsr's furnace ever melted Q oab3A
qt1icksr than q Key ever unlocked . han6ou6,
quicker than the bayonets Of revolution prisd
open the Bastile, you may be liberated and
made q free SON or Q free daughter Of God
You have only to choose between ssgf-
dom and emancipation, between o chain and
Q coronet between Satan and God. Mako up
your mind and make It up quick. Whsn ~
king Of Sparta had crossed the Hellespou1
and was about to march through Thrace, b
sent word TO the people In the differ
emit regions asking them whethr he
should march through their countries
Is q friend or an enemy. "By all means
Is Q friend" answered most Of the
regions, but the king of Macedon repiieds Il
win take time to consider It." "Then,s odd
the king of Sparta, ''lst him consider Il, but
meantime, we rnarch-we march, So
Christ, onr King, gives rs our choice between
his friendship and his frown, and many a
u have long been considering what We bad
better do; but meantime he marches on, and
our opportunities are marching by. And we
shall be the loving subjects Of bis reign. OF
the victims Of our own obduracy. So, Iurgs
you to precipitancy, rather than dow
elaboration, and win write ell over ycu
soul the words Of Christ saw inscribed on
tho monument Of Princes Elizabsth b the
Isle Of Wight, the words 70 which hsr indsx
finger pointed IA tho open Bible when shs was
found dead In bar bed after lifsttme Of
troubles "Come unto meg al ye who ase
weary and heavy laden, and win give you
restn Is there drunkard herei You may, hy
the Saviour's grace, hayethat FIRE Of thirst Ut
terly extinguished Il there defrauder
hersi You may be made saint. l. there Q
hbertine heref You may be made as pure e.
the light. When o minister IN an outdoor
meeting In Scotland was eulogizing goodness,
there were hanging around the edge Of The
audience some Of the most depraved men and
women, and the minister said nothing about
mercy for prodigals. And depraved woman
cried out: "Your rope Is not long enough f1
the Like of us" blessed be God, our Gospel
can fsthom the deepest depths and reach to
farthest wanderings, and here is rome that
Is long enough to rescue the worst: "Whoso.
ever wills
But why take extreme cases when we sl]
have been or are now the captives Of sin and
deathi And we may through the great
Emancipator drop our shacldes and ta3ks Q
throne. You have looked at your hand and
arm only as being useful now, and curious
piece Of anatomy, but there is something
about your hand and arm that maize ma
think they are an undeveloped wing. And
II you would know what possibilities ere
suggested by that, ask the eagle that ha<
looked close into the eye Of the MONDAY sun,
or ask the alabatross that has struck its claM
into the black locks of the tempest; or sxh
the condor that this morning Is descending
to the highest peak Of Chimborazo. You
right hand and arm and your left hand end
arm, two undeveloped wings, better gsl
ready for the empyrean.
Rise, my soul, and stretch thy wing,
Thy better portion trace.
There have been chains famous In tn
worlds history, such as the chain which fas
tened the prisoner of Chillon 10 the pillar,
into the staple of which I have thrust nav
hand, ON the isolated rock Of the Lake d
Geneva; such as the chain which the Russian
exile clanks on his way to the mines Of O.
IBERIA; such as the chain which Zenobda, tn
captive queen, wore when brought into th<
presence Of Aurelian. Aye. there have bean
races In chains, and nations In chains, and
there has been q world In chains; but
thank God, the last ono Of them shall
power Of the omnipotent Gospel the shacklea
shall fall from the last neck and the last arm
and the last foot But these shattered fet
tiers shall all be gathered up again from chs
dungeons and hework houses and the MINIS
and the rivers and the fields, and they shall
again be welded and again strung link b
Link, and polished and transformed until this
world which has wandered or and BEEN 70
- Ill A.