The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1889-02-28

anthems of heaven would never have
been sung Heaven could never have
been thousandth part Of the heaven
that it is. - viii not say that
I am glad that sin and sorrow did en-
ter, but ! do say that I am glad that
after God has given all his reasons to an
assembled universe he will be more
honored than if sin and sorrow had
never entered, and that the unfallen
celestials will be outdone and will put
will be in heaven when those who
have conquered sin and sorrow shall
enter, as it would be in g small sing
ing school on earth if Thalberg and
Gottschalk and Wagner and Beetho-
ven and Rheinberger and Sshumann
should all at once enter. The immor-
tails that have been chanting ten thou
sand years before the throne will say,
as they close their librettos "Oh, if we
could only sing like that!' But God
will say 10 those who have never fallen
and consequently have not been re-
deemed: 'sYou must be silsnt now;
you have not the qualification for this
anthem" SO they sit with closed lips
and folded hands and sinners saved
by grace take up the harmony, for
the Bible says mo man could learn
that song but the hundred and forty
and four thousand which were re-
deemed from the earth. = 'ee 8 -
A great prima donna, who can now
do anything with her voice, told me
that when she first started in music
her teacher in Berlin told her abe
could be good singer, but certain
note She could never reach. And
then," she said, II went to work and
studied and practiced for years until I
did reach it." But the song of the
sinner redeemed, the Bible says,
the exalted harmonists who have
never sinned could not reach and
never will reach. Would you like to
hear me in very poor way play q
snatch of that tune2 l can give you
only one bar of the music on this gos-
pei harp: "Unto him that hath loved
us and washed us from our sins in his
own blood and hath made US kings and
priests unto God and the Lamb, to him
be glory and dominion forever and
ever, Amen" But before leaving this
interrogatory, Why God let sin come
into the world2 let me say that great
battles seem to be nothing but suffer
ing and outrage at the time of their
occurrence, yet after they have been a
long while past we can see that it was
better for them to have been fought,
namely, Salamis, Inkerman, Toulouse,
Arbella, Agincour, Trafalgar, Blen-
heim,A Lexington, Sedan. So now
that the great battles against sin and
suffering are going on we can see
mostly that which is deplorable. But
twenty thousand years from now,
standing in glory, we shall appreciate
that heavensis better off than if the
battle of this worlds sin and suffering
had never been projected.
THE QUESTION ASKED BY THE DIsCoN-
TENTED.
But now / como nearer home and
put dark saying on the gospel harp
a style of question that is asked a mil
lion times every year. Interrogation
the fourth: Why do / have it SO hard
while others have it SO easy2 or, why
do / have SO much difficulty in getting
a livelihood while others go around
with full portemonnaie2 or, why
must | wear these plain clothes while
others have to push hard to get their
wardrobes closed, so crowded are they
with brilliant attire2 or, why should I
have to work SO hard while others
have three hundred and sixty-fve hol-
idays every year2 They are all prac-
.stically one question. answer them
by saying, it is because the Lord has
his favorites and he puts extra disci-
pline upon you, and extra trial, be-
cause he has for you extra glory, ex-
ira enthronement and extra felicities.
That is no guess of mine, but divine
say-so !: Whom the Lord loveth he
chasteneth." "Well, "says some one, II
would ratherhavea a little lessinheaven
and little more here. Discount my
heavenly robe 10 per cent. and let me
now put it on, fur lined overcoat I;
put me in q less gorgeous room of the
house of many mansions and let me
have a 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-sa century, and where you may
perhaps stay only ten years longer, or
only one year, or perhaps q month
more. Now you had better eheerfully
let God have his way, for, you see, be
'has been taking care Of folks for near
seven thousand 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. It was said that
Diana, the goddess, could pot be pres
ent to keep her temple at Ephesus from
burning because she was attending
upon the birth of him who was to bt
Alexander the Great. But tell you
that your God and my God is SO great
in small things as well as large thing:
that he could attend the cradle of {
babe and at the same time the burning
of world.
And God will make it all right will
you, and there is one song that yol
viii sing every hour your first tel
years in heaven, and the refrain O
that song will be: 81 am so glad Cox
did not let me have it my own way.
Your case will be all fixed up il
| heaven and there will be such O re
versal of conditions that we can hardl,
| find each other for some time Som,
of us who have lived in first rat
! houses here and in first rate neighbor
hoods will be found, because of ou
lukewarmness of earthly service, liv
ing on one of the back streets of tn
celestial city, and clear down at tn
! end of 1t at No. sos, or 900, or 1906
while some who had unattractiv
earthly abodes, and a cramped one a
that, viii, in the heavenly city, be in
house fronting the Royal plaza, righ
by the imperial fountain, or on th
Heights overlooking the River of Life
! the chaIiots of salvation halting a
your door while those visit you VIII
are more than conquerors, and thos
who are kings and queens unto Co
| forever. You, my brother, and you
my sister, who have it so hard her
viii have it so fine and grand there tina
i you will hardly know yourself an
viii feel disposed to dispute your owl
identity, and the first time see yo
there I will cry out: Didn't tell yo
so when you sat down there in tn
Brooklyn Tabernacle and looked il
credulous because you thought it TO
good to be .rue2" And you wi
answer: .sYou were right, the hal
was not told me-" So this morning
open your dark saying Of despondenc
and complaint on my gospel harp an
give you just one bar of music, for
do not pretend to be much of player
The Lamb which is in the midst c
the throne shall lead them to livin
fountains of water and God shall wip
away all tears from their eyes" Bu
! must confess am little perplexe
how some ofsyou good Christians ar
. going TO get through the gate, becaus
there will be SO many there to gres
you and they will all want to shak
Il hnt,ds nj o,t,ca s,,d mill all sxxa,,t Il,