The Russellville Democrat., 1889-05-30
FIFTEENTH YEAR---NO. 10.

thirsty, the potentates of Heaven are
his cup-bearers; if he sit down to food.
his plain table blooms into the Kings
banquet. Men say: "Look at that old
fellow with the worn-out coat;" the an
gels Of God cry: 'Lift up your heads, ye
everlasting gates, and let him come inl"
Fastidious people cry: ''Get off my front
steps," the doorkeepers of Heaven cry;
Come, you blessed Of my Father, inherit
the kingdoml" When he comes to die,
though he may be carried out in pine
box to the potter's field, to that potter's
field the chariots OF Christ will come
down, and the cavalcade will crowd all
the boulevards Of Heaven.
bless Christ for the present satisfac-
hon Of religion. 1t makes man all right
with reference to the past; it makes q
man all right with reference to the fut-
ure. Oh these neither springs OF COM
fortl They are perennial. The founda-
ton of God standeth sure having this
seal: THE Lord knoweth them that are
His" "The mountains shall depart and
the hills be removed, but my kindness
shall not depart from thee, neither
shall the covenant of my peace
be removed, saith the Lord, who
hath mercy upon them" oh,
cluster of diamonds set in FURNISHED
gold Oh, neither springs of comfort
bursting through all the valleys of trial
and tribulation! When you see, you of
the world, what satisfaction there is on
earth in religion, do you not thirst after
il as the daughter of Caleb thirsted after
the water springs? 1t is no stagnant
pond, scummed over with malaria, but
springs of water leaping from the Rock
of Agesp Take up one cup of that spring
water, and across the top of the chalice
Will float the delicate shadows of the
heavenly wall, the yellow of jasper, the
green Of emerald, the blue of sardonyx,
the fire of iacinth.
l wish | could make you understand the
JOY religion is to some of us. 1t makes a
man happy while he lives, and glad when
he dies. With two feet upon chair and
bursting with dropsies, I heard an old
man in the poor house cry out: "Bless
the Lord, oh my SOUL" / looked around
and said: "What has this man got to
thank God for?" 1t makes the lame man
leap like the hart, and the dumb sing.
They say that the old Puritan religion is
a juiceless and joyless religion; but re-
member reading OF DR.. Goodwin, the
celebrated Puritan, who in his last
moments said: "Is this dying? Why, my
bow abides in strength | am swallowed
up in Godv' "Her ways are ways of
pleasantness, and all her paths are
peace" Oh, you have been trying to
satisfy yours elves with the "south land"
Of this world, do you not feel that you
would this morning like TO have access
to the neither springs of spiritual COM
fort? Would you not like to have Jesus
Christ bend over your cradle and bless
your table, and heal your wounds, and
strew flowers of consolation all up and
down the graves of your dead?
IT'S religion that can give
Sweetest pleasures while we live;
'Tis religion can supply
Sweetest comfort when we die.
But have something better to tell you,
suggested by this text. 1t seems that old
father Caleb on the wedding day of his
daughter wanted to make her just as hap
py as possible. Though Othniel was TAX
en- her away, and his heart was almost
broken because she was going. yet he
gives her "south land;" not only that,
but the upper springs. o God, my Fa-
ther, ] thank Thee that Thou hast given me
"south land" in this world, and the
neither springs of spiritual comfort in this
world; but, more than all, thank Thee
for the upper springs in Heaven. 1t
is very fortunate we can not see
Heaven until We get into it. Oh,
Christian man, if you conld see what
place it is we would never get You back
again TO the office or store or shop, and
the duties you ought to perform would go
/ am glad shall not see that
world until enter it. Suppose we were
allowed to go or an excursion into that
good land with the idea of returning
When we got there, and heard the song
and looked at their raptured faces, and
in the supernal society, we would
cry out: "Let us stay! We are coming
here anyhow. Why take the trouble of
going back to that old world? We are
here now; let rs stay" And 1t would
take angelic violence to put us out of that
world, il we once got there.
But as people who can not afford to pay
for am entertainment sometimes come
around it and look through the door ajar,
or through the opening in the fence, so
we come and look through the crevioes in
that good land which God has provided
for us. We can just catch glimpse of
\ We come near enough to hear the
rambling of the eternal orchestra, though
cornet or who fingers the harp. My soul
spreads out both wings and claps them in
at tho thought of those upper
springs. One Of them breaks from be-
meath the throne; another breaks forth
rom beneath the altar of the temple; an
other at the door OF ''the house of many
mansions" Upper springs of gladnessl
Upper springs of hghti Upper springs Of
. - 90, ,fY .
which is in the midst Of the throne shall
ead them to living fountains of waters"
Oh, Saviour Divine. roll in upon our
souls one Of those anticipated raptures!
Pour around the roots Of the parched
ongue one drop Of that liquid life. Toss
before our vision th ose fountains of God,
'ainbowed with eternal victory. Hear it.
They are never sick there; not so much
IS a headache, or twinge rheumatic, or
hrust neuralgia. The inhabitant never
,avs: Il am sick" They are never
.ired there. Flight to farthest world
s only the play Of a holiday. They
never sin there. 1t is rs easy for them TO
Do holy as it is for us 10 sin. They never
lie there You mightgo through all the
outskirts of the great city and find not
me place where the ground was broken
u
S never blurred with tears. There is
iealth in every cheek. There is spring in |
very foot There is majesty on every
,row. There is JOY in every heart. There |
: hosanna on every lip. How they must |
,ity us as they look over and down and |
zee us, and say: "Poor things away |
lown in that world" And when some |
Christian is hurled into fatal aeei- |
lent, they cry; Good! he is COM
ng!" And when we stand around the |
,ouch of some loved one, whose strength |
IS going away, and we shake our heads |
lorebodingly they cry: IL am glad he is |
worse; he has been down there long |
enough. There, he IS dead Come home |
Come home :" Oh, il we could only get |
our ideas about that future world un- |
visited, our thought Of transfer from |
here IA the ere would be as nieagaut IN ms /