Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1889-10-23

er than all the voices OF bondage is tn
trumpet of Gods deliverance, sounding
Oh, Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself
but in me is thy help" At the barred gate
of our dungeon, the conqueror knocks ant
the hinges creak and grind at the swinging
open. The famine struck pick up the man
na that falls in the wilderness and the food
clap their hands, saying: "Drink, oh thirst.
soul. and live forever" snd the feet tina,
we're torn and deep cut ON the rocky bride
path of sin now come into smooth place
and the dry alders crackle as the painting
hart breaks through to the water brooks
and the dark night of the soul begins tc
grow gray with the morning, yea to purple
yea to fame, from horizon to horizon. Th e
batteries of temptation silenced. Troubles
that fought against US captured and made
to fight on our side. Not as result of any
toll or trouble on our part but only as re-
suit of 'Iooking unto Jesus" "But what
do you mean by Looking unto Jesus ?'"
some one inquiries. I mean faith. "What
do you mean by faith ?" Imean believing.
| "What do you mean by believing? ?" ]
mean this: If you promise to do certain
thing for me, and have confidence in your
eracity-if you say you will give me such
thing and need it very much, come in
confidence that you are an honest man and
will do what you say. Now, the Lord Jesus
Christ says; "You are in need of pardon
and life and heaven, you can have them if
you come and get them" You say: 81 can t
come and ask first. am afraid you won't
give it to me-" Then you are unbelieving.
But you say: 81 will come and ask. know,
Lold Jesus, thou art in earnest about this
matter. l come asking for pardon. Thou
hast promised to give it to me, thou wilt give
= 20, - hoe 80, VI,
is faith. Do you see it yet? "Oh," says
some one, 81 can't understand it." No
man ever did, without divine help. Faith
| is the gift of God You say: "That throws
| the responsibility off my shoulders" No.
Faith is the gift of God, but it comes in au-
swer to prayer.
| All over glorious is my Lord
He must be loved and yet adorned;
His worth if all the nations knew.
Sure the whole earth would love Him, too.
Jesus as an example. Now, a mere copyist,
you know, is always failure. If painter
go to portfolio or gallery of art, however
exquisite, to get his idea of the natural
world from these pictures, he will not sue
ceed as we'll as the artist who starts out and
dashes the dew from tbe grass and sees the
morning just as God built it in the clouds,
or poured it upon the mountain, or k1ndled
it upon the sea. People wondered why
Turner, the famous English painter, sue
ceeded so we'll in sketching storm upon
the ocean. 1t remained a wouder until it
was found out that several times he had
been lashed to the deck in the midst of
tempest and then looked ont upon the wrath
of the sea, and coming home to bis studio,
be pictured the tempest. 1t is not the copy
ist who succeeds, but the man who con-
fronts the natural world. So if a man in
literary composition resolves that he will
initiate the smoothuess of Addison, or the
rugged vigor of Carlyle, or the weirdness
of Spenser. or the epigrammatic style of
Ralph Wald Emerson, he will not succeed
as well as that man who cultures his own
natural style. What is true in this respect
is true in respect to character. There were
men who were fascinated with Lord Byron.
He was lame and wore a very large collar.
Then there were tens of thousands of men
who resolved that they would be just like
Lord Byron, and they limped and wore
large collars, but they did not have any of
his genius. You cannot successfully copy
man, whether he is bad or good. You may
take the very best man that ever lived and
try and live like him, and you will make
failure. There never was bette man
than Edward Payson. Many have read
his biography, not understanding that he
was sick man, aud they thought they were
growing in grace becanse they were grow
ing like him in depressiOL of spirit. There
were men to copy Cowper, the poet glori-
Gus man, but some times afflicted with mel
ancholy almost to insanity. The cOpyists got
Cowper's faults, but none of his virtues.
There never was but one Being fit to
copy. A few centuries ago be came out
through humble surroundings, and with a
gait and manner and behavior different from
anything the world had seen. Among all
classes of people he was perfect model.
Among fishermen, he showed how fisher
men should act. Among taxgatherers, he
showed how taxgatherers should act.
Among lawyers, he showed how lawyers
should act. Among farmers, he showed
how farmers should act. Among rulers, he
showed how rulers should act Critics tried
to fiud in his conversation or sermons some
thing unwise or unkind or inaccurate; but
they never found it. They watched him,
oh, how they watche1. himl He never went
into house bat they knew it, and they
knew how long he stayed, and when he
came out. and whether he had wine for
dinner Slander twisted her lips and wag
but could not catch him. Little children
rushed out to get from him kiss, and old
men tottered out to the street corner to see
him pass.
Do you want an illustration of devotion,
behold him whole nights in prayer. Do
Jou want an example of sufferinr, see his
path across Palestine tracked with blood.
Do you want an example of patience, see
him abused and never giving one sharp re-
tort. Do you want an example of Industry,
see him without one idle moment Do you
want an example of sacrifice, look at his
life of self-denal, his death of igr ominy, his
sepuloher of humiliation. Oh, what au ex.
ample! His feet wounded, vet he submitted
to the journey. His back lacerated, and
yet he carried the cross. Struck, lie never
struck back again. Condemned, yet he
rose higher than his calumnators, and with
wounds in bis hands aud wounds in his feet
and wounds on his brow and wounds in bis
side, ne ejaculated: ''Father. forgive them,
they know not what they dol' Ah, my
brethren, that is the pole by which to set
your compass, that is the headland by
which to steer, that is the light by which to
kindle your lamps. that is the example that
We ought all to follow. How it would
smooth out the roughDess in our disposition
duu tuS WOsiu Wbuiu VI pTeSobU ny buo
transformation and would say: IL know
what is the matter with that man-he has
been with Jesus and has learned of HIM."
Alexander was going along with his army
in Persia, and the snow aud ice were so
great that the army halted and said: 1--WE
can't march any further" Theu Alexau-
der dismouDted from his horse, took pick
ak, went ahead of his army and struck into
the ice and snow The soldiers said: "If
be can do that, we can do it." and they
took their picks and soon the way was clear
ed and the army marched on. So our Lord
dismonnted from his glory, and through all
icy obstacles hews path for Himself aud a
path for us, saying: "Follow me! / do not
ask you to go through any suffering or fight
any battles where do not lead the wayl
Follow mep'
Again l remark, that we are to look to
Christ as sympathizer. Is there anybody
in the house to-day who does not want SYM
pathy? do not know how anybody can
live without sympathy. There are those,