The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1888-10-05

III CLOUD anu OrOV0 up TIE nllls OF ne0vens
They were dark and portentous clouds
that made that chariot at the giving Of
the law. But one day he took another
ride, and this time down to Mount Tabor,
the clouds out of which his chariot was
made bright clouds, roseate clouds, II.
lumined clouds, and music rained from
all Of them, and the music was a min
Cling of carol and chant and triumphal
march; "This Is my beloved Son, IN whom
am well pleased" TRANSPORTATION
chariot
oh" say hundreds of you, "a wish
] 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 some-
thing grander than that, and it will be a
mightier mingling of the somber 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 men,
ton; 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 know
that the judgment chariot will he made
out of clouds2 Revelation l, Z: "Be-
hold he cometh with Clouds" Oh, he
will not then ride through the heavens
alone as he does now. He is going to
bring along with him escort of ten full
regiments. Inspiration says: "Behold
the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his
saints" But these figures simply mean
that there will BIZ great throng. And
as we shall probably through the
atonement of Christ be in heaven be-
fore that, l hope that we can come
down in that escort of chariot. Christ
in the center chariot, but chariots before
him to clear the way, and chariots be-
hind, and chariots on either side of him.
Perhaps the prophets and patriarchs of
the old dispensation may ride ahead,
each one harioted-Abraham and Moses
and Ezekiel and David and Joshua, who
foretold his first coming. On either side
of the central chariot apostles and mar
tyrs who in the same or approximate
centuries suffered for him-Paul, Stephen
and Ignatius and Polycarp and Justin
Martyr and multitudes who went
up in chariot of fire now coming
in chariot of cloud, while in
the rear of the central chariot
shall be the multitudes of later days and
of our own time who have tried to serve
the Lord, ourselves hope among them.
"Behold the Lord cometh with ten thou
sand 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
once our residence. 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, it's rocks all messed and
lichened, it's 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 the chariots of cloud strive
the earth, filling all the valleys, and cox
ering all the mountain sides, and hating
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 clouds
following the King. Upward and apast
starry hosts. and through immensities,
and across infnitudes, higher, higher,
higher, unto the gates, the shining gates.
Lift up your heads, ye Everlasting
Gates, for him who maketh the clouds
his chariot, and who through conde-
scending and uplifting grace invites us
to mount and ride with him!