Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1889-03-07

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never sinned could not reach and never
will reach. Would you like to hear me in
very poor way play a snatch of that
tune: I can give you only one bar of tbs
music of this gospel harp: Unto Him
that hath loved us and shed ms from onr
sins In His own blood and hath made US
Kings and priests unto God and the Lamb
to Him be glory and dominion for ever and
ever, amen." But before leaving this in
terrogatory, Why did God let sin come
into the world! let me say that grea,
battles seem to be nothing but suffering
and outrage at the time of their occur
renee, yet after they have been a long time
past we can see that it was better for them
to have been fought.
But now come nearer home and put a
dark saying on the gospel harp. a style of
question that is asked a million times
every year. Interrogation the fourth:
Why do l have it so hard while others have
it so easy? or, why do have so much diff
Guilty in getting livelihood while others
go around with full portemonnaie? or,
why must l wear these plain clothes while
others must push hard TO get their ward
robes closed, so crowded are they with
brilliant attire? or, why should / have to
work so hard while others have three hun
dred and sixty-ffve holidays every year?
They are all practically one question. 1
answer them by saying, it is because the
Lord has His favorites and he puts extra
discipline upon you, and extra trial, be-
cause He has for you extra glory, extra
enthronement and extra felicities. That
is no guess of mine, but a divine say so:
"Whom the Lord eth He chasteneth."
"Well," says some =. 81 would rather
have little less in b. aven and a little
more here. Discount my heavenly robe
ten per cent. and let me now put on fur
lined overcoat; put me in a less gorgeous
room OF the house of many mansions nd
let me have house here in better neigh
borhood." No, no; God is not going to
rob Heaven, which is to be your residence
for nine hundred quadrillion of years, TO
fix up your earthly abode, which you will
occupy at most for less than a century,
and where you may perhaps stay only ten
years longer, or one year. or perhaps
month more. Now you had better care
fully let God have His way, for, you see,
He has been taking care of folks for near
1000 years, and knows how to do it, and
can see what is best for you better than
you can yourself. Don't think you are too
insignificant to be divinely cared for. 1t
was said that Diana, the goddess, could
not be present to keep her temple at
Ephesus from burning because she was
attending upon the birth of him who was
to be Alexander the Great. But 1 tell YOU
that your God and my God is so great in
small things as well as large things that
He could attend the cradle of babe and
at the same time the burning of world.
And God will make it all right with you,
and there is one song that you will sing
every hour your first ten years in Heaven,
and the refrain of that song will be: Il
am so lad God did not let me have it nv
own way" Your case will be affixed up in
Heaven and there will be such a reversal
Of conditions that we can hardly find each
other for some time. Some of US who have
lived in first rate houses here and in first
rate neighborEoods will be found, because
Of our lukewarmness of earthly service,
living on one of the back streets of the
celestial city and clear down at the end of
it at No. sos, or 900, or 1906, while some
who had unattractive earthly abodes, and
ones at that will in the heavenly
city be in house fronting the royal plaza,
right by the imperial fountain, or on the
heights overlooking the River of Life, the
chariots of salvation hating at your door
while those visit you who are more than
and those who are kings and |
queens unto God forever You, my
brother, and you. my sister, who |
have it so hard here will have |
{ so fine and grand there that you |
will hardly know yourself and will feel
disposed TO dispute your own identity, and |
he first time 1 see you there 1 will cry
'ut: Didn't tell you so when you sat |
Town there in the Brooklyn tabernacle and
ooked incredulous because you thought it
90 good to be true?" and you will answer:
You were right, the half was not told
ne" SO this morning l open your dark
aging of dependency and complaint on
ny gospel harp and give you just one bar
# music, for do not pretend to be much
# player. "The Lamb which is in the
midst of the throne shall lead them to liv-
ng fountains of water, and God shall
wipe away all tears from their ewes"
But must confess l am little perplexed
low some of you good Christians are go
ng to get through the gate, because there
will be so many there to greet you and
hey will all want to shake hands with
gu at once and will all want the first kiss.
Amid the tussle and romp of reunion
ell you whose hand of welcome you had
etter first clasp and whose cheek is en-
tiled to the first kiss. 1t is the hand of
linn without whom you would never have
OF there at all, the Lord Jesus, the dar-
ng of the skies, as He cries out, 81 have
oved thee with an everlasting love and
he fires could not burn it and the floods
ould not drown it" Then you, my dear
eople, having no more use for my poor
arp on which l used to open your dark
wings and whose chords sometimes snap
ed, despoiling the symphony, you will take
own your own harps from the willows
nat grow by the eternal water courses
nd play together those celestial airs,
ONE of the names of which are entitled.
The King in His Beauty, "''The Land That
Vas Far OFF," Jerusalem. the Golden"
Home Again" The Grand March of
cd, +" THE Life Everlasting" And as
lie last dark curtain of mystery is forever
fled it will be as though all the oratorios
lat were ever heard had been rolled into
ne, and Israel in Egypt" and "Jephtha's
aughter" and Beethoven's Overture in
" and Ritter's first sonata in D minor
nd the "Creation" and the messiah" had
cen blown from the lips of one trumpet
been invoked by the sweep of one bow
: had dropped from the vibrating chords
one harp.
But here must slow up lest in trying TO
Dive mysteries 1 add to the mystery that
g have already wondered at, namely:
Thy the preachers should keep on after
Il the hearers are tired? So gather up
to one great armful all the why's, and
ows, and wherefores of your life and !
inc which we have not had time or the
,ility to answer, and write on them the L
ords, adjourned to eternity" 1 rejoice
at we do not understand all thin ps now | .