Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1889-06-15
Gods Way in the Sanctuary.
BY THE REV. c. p. DITMARs.

Inc PSalmlst had a deep and abld-
ing love for the house of the Lord.
He expresses that love again and
again in choice and eager words. In
the seventy-seventh Psalm he SEEM
ingly tells us one great reason for this
love. He says: "Thy way, o God,
is in the sanctuary" And the very
thought of it so thrills his soul with
praise that he adds the words, "who
is so great God as our God?" Here
is the one great reason why all those
who love the Lord ought to love the
Lords house-the sanctuary. 1t is
the place of his promised presence
and power. 1t is place of refuge
where Gods children find relief from
the corloding cares and pressing bur-
dens of life in the world. 1t is the
place of Christian fellowship. There
we hold sweet communion with our
Lord and Redeemer, and our hearts
are knit together in the bonds of
Christian hope and peace. 1t is in
the earthly sanctuary that we re-
ceive the very best Of our impulses in
preparing ourselves for the "house
not made with hands, eternal in the
heavens"
Gods way is in the sanctuary be-
cause there we come before his throne
with united worship. He ever de-
lights in the assembling of his people
before him. He pledges his presence
among them, and offers special
promises to their united prayers and
praises. Gods way is in the sanctu-
airy because there it is ordained that
his word Of grace shall be continually
preached. "It pleases God by the
foolishness of preaching to save them
that believe" This gives the preach
er of the gospel promise Of success.
1t also gives tone of character and
permanence to the place where the
messages are for the most part de-
livered. Gods way is, indeed, in
that place where he comes and, by
the instrument he has chosen, speaks
to mems souls. Although men have
again and again called preaching
"foolishness," and although many
preachers have made it foolishness
indeed, yet God makes it more and
more the mightiest force in the world
for righteousness and blessing. OF
the vast multitude of saved ones, by
far the majority found their quicken.
ing to thought and prayer, or were
led to give themselves up to God
through the messages ofthesanctuary
This has always been SO, and always
will be, for the promise is, "My wore
shall not return unto me void, but il
shall accomplish that which please
and it shall prosper in the thing
whereto 1 send it,"
Gods way is in the sanctuary, also
because there his sacraments are iC
be dispensed. These are as necessary
as the sermons for the saving anC
building up of people true to his
service. In fact, they are sermons il
type, which speak the messages o
grace and comfort with peculiar force
and they impress and draw thousand
to Jesus every year. How often, a
we used these means of grace, hav,
we been impressed with the blessed
power of that covenant of grace il
which 1--WE and our children" are in
vited to come before God. These ordi
nances have fixed deeper the truth
Goods way is in the sanctuary
Many time have we passed out o
the house of worship feeling as Jacol
did at Bethel, and saying in GU
hearts, "The Lord is in this place
surely this is none other than tn
house of God and the gate of heaven.
If Gods way is thus "in the sane
tuary," we ought to love it,aud regu
larly be found in it. We must draw
near to the appointed place with hol
fear and reverence, yet with high eX
pectatiOn. The reason why so man.
are unblessed in the services of tn
church is because they do not com
with open hearts and minds. 1t j
there principally that we meet Go
as the God of all grace and power
The power of his creating hand is o
the mountains and in the ocean; owe
the hills and in the valleys. Tn
power of his providence is with tn
birds of the air, the beasts of the field
and strongly marked in the bount
Of our own daily lives. But the wa
of his grace, the power of his savin
hand, is Gin the sanctuary" If yo
would know him as the great an
loving Father, great in forgiveness