Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1889-05-30


down to food his plain table blooms into
the Kings banquet. Men say: Look at
that old fellow with the WORKOUT coat;''
the angels of God cry: Lift up your
heads, We everlasting gates, and let him
come in" Fastidious people cry: "Get
off my front steps," the doorkeepers of
Heaven cry: "Come, you blessed of my
Father, inherit the kingdom" When he
comes to die, though he may be carried
ont 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 boulevartls of Heaven.
bless Christ for the present satisfac-
tion of religion. 1t makes a man all right
with reference to the past; it makes a
man all right with reference to the future.
o these neither springs of comfort! They
are parental The foundation of God
standeth sure having this seal. The Lord
knoweth them that are His" ''The mount
aims shall depart and the bills be re-
moved, but Ny kindness shall not depart
from thee, Ieither shall the covenant of
Ny peace be removed, saith the Lord,
who hath mercy upon them" o, cluster
of diamonds set in FURNISHED gold! u,
neither springs of comfort bursting
bhiOuBu OH the fdiISy . VI u loi ohN eAADN
lation!
When you see, you of the world what
satisfaction there is on earth in religion,
do you not thirst after it as the daughter
of Caleb thirsted after the water springs?
1t is no stagnant pond, scummed over
with malaria. but springs of water leap
ing from the Rock of Ages! 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 jaciuth. wish
could make you unders tand the joy reli-
gion is to some of u.s. 1t makes a man
happy while he lives and glad when he
dies. With two feet upon a chair and
bursting with dropsies, l heard an old
man in the poor house cry out: BLESS
the Lord, o. my souI!" l 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 gay that the old
Puritan religion is a juceless and joyless
religion; but / remember reading OF DR..
Goodwin, the celebrated Puritan, who in
his last moments said: is this dying?
Why. my bow abides in strength! l am
swallowed up in God" Her ways are
ways of pleasantness, and all her paths
are peace" o. you have been trying to
satisfy yourselves 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 comfort?
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;
IT'S religion can supply
Sweetest comfort when We die.
But have something better to tell you,
suggested by my text Il seems that old
father Caleb on the wedding day of his
daughter wanted to make her just as
happy as possible. Though Othniel was
taking her away, and his heart was almost
broken because she was going, yet he gives
her a south land;" not only that but the
upper springs. o God, my Father, i
thank Thee that thou hast given me a
south land" in this world, and the neither
springs of spiritual comfort in this world;
but, more than all. l thank Thee for the
upper springs in Heaven.
1t is very fortunate we can not see
Heaven until we get into it u Christian
man, if you could see wkat a 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 neglected. l
am glad 1 shall not see that world until 1
enter it. Suppose we were allowed to go
on 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, AMI mingled in the super
nal society, we would cry OUT Let US
stay1 We are coming here anyhow.
Why take the trouble of going back again
to that old worlds We are here now; let
us stay" And it would take angelic vio-
lenee to put US out of that world il we
once got there. But as people who can not
afford to pay for an entertainment some
times come around it and look through
the door ajar, or through the open
ings in the fence. so we come and look
through the crsvices in that good land
which God has provided for us We can
just catch glimpse of it We come near
enough to hear the rumbiing of the eter-
nal orchestra, though not near enough to
know who blows the cornet or who fingers
the harp. My soul spreads cut both wings
and claps them in triumph at the thought
of those upper springs One of them
breaks from beneath the throne; another
breaks forth from beneath the altar of the
temple; another at the door of the house
of many mansions" Upper springs of
gladness! Upper springs of light! Upper
springs of love! 1t is no fancy of mine.
''1he Lamb which is in the midst of the
throne shall lead them to living fountains
of water" o Saviour divine, roll i'm upon
our souls one of those antici-
pated raptures! Pour around the
roots of the parched tongue one
drop of that liquid life! los, before
our vision those fountains of God, rain
bowed with eternal victory. Hear it.
Thew are never sick there; not so much as
a headache or twInge rheumatic, or thrust
The inhabitant never says:
Il am sick" They are never tired there
Flight to farthest world is only the play
of a holiday. They never sin there. 1t is
as easy for them to be holy as it is for US
to sin. They never die there You might
go through all tue outskirts of the great
city and find not one place where the
ground was broken for a grave. The eve
sight of the redeemed is never blurred
with tears. There is health in every cheek
There is spring in every foot There is
majesty on every brow. There is joy in
every heart. There is hosanna on every
lip.
How they must pity us as they look over
and down and see US and say: Poor
things away down in that world" And
when some Christian is hurled into a fatal
accident they cry: Good! He is COM
ngw And when we stand around the
couch of some loved one (whose strength
IS going away and we shake our heads