Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1889-10-26

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preach religion as wide as heaven
and as good as God We have said
we had total loss. But there was
one exception. The only tlG1gs we
saved were the silver communion chal-
ices, for they happened 10 be III an
other building, and take tibet fact as
typical that we are TO be incommu-
MON with all Christendom. 81 believe
in the communion Of saintsl'
think. if all the Brooklyn firemen
and all insurance companies should
search among those ruins on Scher.
mcrhorn street, they would not find a
splinter large as the tip end OF the lit
tie finger marked with bigotry. And
as it is said that the exhumed bricks
OF the walls of Babylon lave on them
tile letter N. standing for Nebuchad-
nezzar, / declare to you that il we
ever get anew church the letter we
should like to have on every stone
and every timber would be the letter
y for3tl IatsWou dsstand. both for. hrist
AIT Eli
%
friday night, some Of your may re.
member, We're "Hallelujahl Amlenris
The two words that | utter now as
mostexprcssivc of my feelings in this
our first service after the Baptism Of
Fire. are Hallelujahl Amen! None
of these things move me-"
GOD RULEsI
We are kept in this mood by two or
three considerations The first is, that
God rules In what way the church
took fire do not know. II has been
charged on the liglltnings Well, the
Lord controls the lightnings. He
managed them several thousands of
years before our electricians were
born. The Bible indicates that, though
they flash down The sky recklessly.
God builds for them road 10 travel.
III the Psalms it is said: He made
a way for the lightning and the thun-
der" Ever since the time Of Benja-
min Franklin the world has been try
ing to tame the lightnings. and they
seem to be quite well llarnessed, but
they occasionally kick over the traces.
But though we cannot master great
natural forces, God can and docs. and
that God is our Father and best Friend,
and this thought gives US confidence.
We are also reinforced by the i'll
creased consolation that comes from
confraternity Of sorrow. The people
who, during the last sixteen years,
sat on the other side OF the aisle, whose
faces were familiar to you, but to
whom you had never spoken-you
greeted them this week with smiles
and tears as you said: well, the old
place is gone" You did not want to
seem to cry, and so you swept the
sleeve near the corner of the eye, and
pretended it was the Sharp wind made
your eyes weak. All there was moth
ing the matter with your eyes; it
was Jour soul bubbling over. l tell
you that it is impossible to sit for
years around the same church fireside
and not have sympatliies in common.
Somehow you feel that you would
like those people OH the other side Of
the aisle about whom you know but
little, prospercd and pardoned and
blessed and saved You feel as if you
are III the same boat, and you want to
glide up the same harbor and want to
disembark at the same wharf.
If-you put gold and iron and lead
and zinc III sufficient heat, they will
melt into conglomerate mass; and /
really feel that last Sabbath'S fire has
fused us all. grosser and finer natures,
into one. 1t seems as if we all had our
hands ON q wire connected with an
electric battery; and when this church
sorrow started 1t thrilled through the
whole circle, and VIC ell felt the shock.
The Oldest man and the youngest child
could join hands in this misfortune.
Grandfather said, II expected from
those affairs to be buried" and one Of
the children last Sabbath cried,
Grandpa, that place was next to our
own house" Yea, we are supported
and confident in this time by the cross
of Christ.
THE CROSS OF CHRIST.
That is used to the fire. On the dark
day when Jesus died. the lightning
struck it from above, and the flames
of hell dashed up against it from be-
meath. That fearful, painful, tender,
blessed cross still stands. On it we
hang all our hopes; beneath it we put
down all our SINS in the light of it
we expect to make the rest of our pill
grimage. Within sight of such a sac
rilicc, who can feel he has it hard2 In
the sight of such a symbol, who can
be discouraged, however great the
darkness that may come down upon
him2 Jesus livesl The loving, pa
tient, sympathizing, mighty Jesus!
1t shall l.ot be told on earth, or in
hell, or i'll heaven, that three Hebrew
children had the Son of God beside
them in the fire, and that whole
church was forsaken by, the Lord
when they went through a furnace
about two hundred feet wide.
o Lord Jesus shall we take out OF
thy hand the flowers and the fruits,
and the brightness and the joys and
then turn away bccausethou' dost give
US one cup of bitterness to drink Oh,
no, Jesus VIC will drink it dry. But
how it is changedl Blessed Jesus,
what has thou put into the cup to
sweeten it, Why,.i has become the
wine Of heaven, and our souls grow
strong. / come now, and place both
Of MY feet deep down into the black
enel ashes of our consumed church,
and cry out with All exhilaration that
never felt since the day of my souls
emancipation, ''Victory victoryl
through our Lord Jesus Christi"
Your harps, ye trembling saints,
Down from the willows take,
Loud to the praise of love divine
Bid every string awake.
THE KINDNESS OF MINDS.
We are also REINFORCED by the CATH
olicity that have already referred to.
We are in the Academy today, not be-
cause we.lave no other place to go.
Last Sabbath morning at 3 o'clock we