The Red Cloud chief., 1889-10-25

that would stand both for Christ and
catholiciiy. The last TWO words l uttered
in the old church on Friday night. some
Of you may remember; Were "HalieiuJah
Amen!"
The two words that l utter now as most
expressive Of my feelings in tris our FIRST
service after b baptism Of fire, are Hal
le!ujah! Amen! None Of these things
move me-"
We are kept in this mood by two or
three considerations. The first IL, that
God rules. In what way the church took
fire l do not know. It has been charged
OH the lightnings. Well, the Lord con-
trolls the l~ightnings He managed them
several thousand years before our cleo
tricians were born. The Bible indicates
that, though they lash down the sky
recklessly, God builds for them q road to
travel.
In the Psalms il is said: "He made a
way for the lightning and the thunder"
Ever since the time of Benjamin Franklin
the world has been trying to tame the
~iizhtnings. and they seem to be quite vel
harnessed, but they occasionally kick over
the traces. But though We can not master
great natural forces, God can and does.
and that is our Father and best friend,
and this thought gives Us confidence.
We are also reinforced by The increased
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
o 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 ear
the corner of the eve, and pretended il
was the sharp win made your eyes weak.
All! there was nothing the matter with
your eyes; it was your soul bubbling over.
tell you that it is impossible TO sit for
years around the same church fireside and
not have sympathy in common. Somehow
you feel h a you would like these people
on the other sid of the aisle. about whom
you know but little. prospered and par
doned and blessed and saved. You feel
as il you are in the same boat. and you
want to glide up the same harbor and
want to disembark at the same wharf. II
you put gold and iron and lead and zinc
in sufi:c ent heat they will melt into q con-
glomerate mass; and l really feel that last
Sabbath'S fire has fused US all, grosser and
finer natures. into one. 1t seems as if we
all had cur hands ON a wire connected
with an electric battery; and when this
church sorrow started it thrilled through
the whole circle. and we all felt the shock.
The oldest man and the youngest child
could Join hands in this misfortune.
Grandfather said: Il expected from these
affairs to be buried;" and one of the chill
dren last Sabbath cried: Grandpa, that
place was next 10 our house" Yea. we
are supported and confiden nj in this time
by 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 beneath. That
fearful, painful, tender, blessed cross
still stands. On it We hang
all u hoses; beneath it We put down all
cur sins; in the light of it we expect tO
make the rest Of our pilgrimage. Within
sight Of such n sacrifice, who can feel he
has il hard: In the sight Of such q SYM
boil who can be discouraged, however
CREST the darkness that may come down
upon him! Jesus lives! The loving, patient,
sympath:zing, mighty Jesus! 1t shall not
be told on earth, o. in he'll, or in Heaven,
that three Hebrew children had not
the Son of God beside them in the fire, and
that q " hoe church was forsaken by the
Lord when they went through . furnace
about two hundred feet wide.
o Lord Jesus! shall We take out of Thy
hand tbs flowers and the fruits. and the
brightness and tho Joys, and then turn
away b. aus Thou dost give US ono cup
of bitterness to drink: q. no, Jesus, We
will drink it dry. But how it il changed!
Blessed Jesus. what has Thou put into
the cup to sweeten it: Why. it has be-
come the wine Of Heaven, and our souls
strong.
I come now. and plses 10th Of my feet
deep down into the blackened ashes of our
consumed church, aud l cry out with an
exhilaratiOn that l never felt since the
day of my souls emancipation. Victory!
victory !! through our Lord Jesus Christv'
Your harps, ye trembling saints,
Down from the willows take.
Loud to the praise Of love divine
Bid every string awake.
We are also reinforced BY the catholic;ty
that l bave already referred to. We are
in the academy to-day. not b cause we
have no other place to go Last Sabbath
morning at nine O'Clock we had but ono
church; now va hav sbout thirty, all at
our disposal. Their pastors and their
trustees sav: ''You may take our main
audience rooms, you may take our lecture
rooms you may take our church pariors,
you may baptise in our bapiistries, and
sit in DUR anxious seats.n o! if there be
any larger hearted ministers or larger
hearted churches anywhere than in Brook
lyn. tell me where they are. that I may 60
and see them before I dia The millennium
has come. People keep wondering when
it is coming. 1t has come. The lion and
the lamb lie down together. and the
tiger eats straw like an OK. should
like to LAY seen two OF the old
time bigots, with their swords, fighting
through that great Ere on Scbermerhorn
street last Sabbath. ! am sure the swords
would have melted and they who welded
them would ave learned war no moro. I
can never say q word against any other
denomination Of Christians ! thank God
never have been tempted to do it. can
not be q sectarian. / have been told 1
ought to be and l have tried to be. but /
have not enough material in me to make
such . structure. Every time I get the
things most lone these comes . fire or
something else and all is gone. The angels
- h ~. No. AAs, - AEYU---A-