The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-10-30

said to myself, Il do not know just where
we shall start again, but | am bound for
the kingdom anyhow" | do not want TO
60 Just vet ! want to be pastor of this
people until / am eighty-nine years OF
age, but / have sometimes thought that
there are such glories ahead that / may be
persuaded to 60 a little earller-for IN
stance, at eighty-two or eightY-three; but
really think that if we could have an
appreciation of what God has in reserve
for us we would want to go, stepping right
out of the Academy OF music into the glo-
ries of the skies.
All! that is a good land. Why, they
tell me that in that land they never have
a heartache. They tell me that a man
might walk 500 years in that land and
never see tear or hear a sigh. They tell
me that our friends who have left us and
gone there, their feet are radiant as the
sun, and that they take hold of the hand
of Jesus Familiarity. and that they open
their hand and see in the palm of it
healed wound that must have been very
cruel before it was healed. And they tell
me that there is no winter there, and that
they never get hungry or cold. and that
the sewing-girl never wades through the
snow-bank to her daily toll, and that the
clock never strikes u for the night, but
only II for the day.
See that light in the window. wonder
who set it there ooh" you say, my
father that went into glory must have set
that light in the window" No. Guess
again. My mother, who died fifteen
years ago in Jesus, think, must have set
that light there" No. Guess again.
You say: "My darling little child, that
last summer / put away for the resurrec-
ton, think she must have set that light
there in the window" No. Guess again.
Jesus set it there, and He will keep it
burning until the day we put our finger to
the latch of the door and go in to be at
home forever. Oh, when my sight gets
black in death, put on my eyelids thatsweet
ointment. When in the last WEAKNESS l
cannot take another step, just help me put
my foot on that door-sill When my ear
catches no more the voices OF wife and
child let me 60 right In to have my deaf
ness cured by the stroke of the harpers,
whose fingers fly over the strings with the
anthems of the free.
Heaven never burns down. The fires of
the last day, that are already kindled in
the heart of the earth, but are hidden be-
cause God keeps down the hatches-those
internal fires will after a while break
through the crust, and the plains, and the
mountains, and the seas will be con-
sumed, and the flames will fling their
long arms into the skies; but all the ter
rors OF burning world will do no more
harm to that heavenly temple than the
fires of the setting sun which kindle up
the window-glass of the house on yOnder
hilltop. Oh, blessed land But do not
want to 90 there until 1 see the Brooklyn
tabernacle rebuilt. You say: "Will it be ?"
You might as well ask me if the sun will
rise tomorrow morning, or If the next
spring will put garands on its head. You
and | may not see it-you and | may not
live to see it; but the church OF God does
not stand on two legs nor on thousand
legs.
How did the Israelites get through the
Red sea? | suppose somebody NAV have
| come and said: There is no need of try
ing; you will get your feet wet; you will
spoil your clothes; YOU will drown your
selves. Whoever heard of getting through
such a sea as that ?" How did they get
through it? Did they 90 back? No. Did
they 60 to the right? No. Did they 90
to the left? No. They went forward in
the strength of the Lord Almighty; ard
that is the way we mean to get through
the Red sea. BY going forward. But says
some one: eff we should build a larger
church would YOU be able with your voice
to fill it," Why, l have been wearing N.Y.
self out for the last sixteen years in trying
to keep my voice in. Give me room where
can preach the glories of Christ and the
grandeurs of heaven.
Forward! We have to march on, break
ing down all bridges behind us, making
retreat impossible. Throw away your
knapsack if it impedes your march. Keep
your swOrd-arm free. Strike for Christ
I l.. H.. l..
people ever had better mission than you
| are sent on. Prove yourselves worthy.
If am not fit TO be your leader, set me
aside The brightest goal on earth that l
can think of Is a country parsonage amid
the mountains. But / am not afraid to
lead you. l have some dollars; they are
at your disposal. / have good physical
health; it is yours as long as it lasts. |
have enthusiasm of soul; / will not keep it
back from your service. have some faith
in God, and l shall direct it toward the re-
building of our new spiritual house. Come
on, then. will lead you.
Come on, We aged men, not vet passed
over Jordan! Give us one more lift be-
fore you 90 into the promised land. You
men in middle life, harness all your bust
ness faculties to this enterprise. Young
man, put the fire of your soul into this
work. Let women consecrate their per-
suasiveness and persistence to this cause
and they will be preparing benedictions
| for their dying hour and everlasting re-
wards; and if Satan really did burn that
tabernacle down, as some people say he
did, he will find it the poorest job he ever
| undertook.
Goodbye, old tabernacle. | put my
| fingers to my lip and throw a kiss to the
| departed church. In the last day may we
| be able to meet the songs there sung, and
the prayers there offered, and the sermons
there preached. Goodbye, old place,
where some of us felt the gospel peace and
others heard the last message ere they fled
away into the skies Goodbye, Brook
| Ign tabernacle of 1873! But welcome our
new church. Il see it as plainly as though
it were already builtD Your gates wider,
your songs more triumphant, your ingath-
erings more glorious. Rise out OF the
| ashes and greet our waiting vision Burst
on our souls, o day of our church's resur-
rection! BY your affairs may we be pre-
pared for the hour when the fire shall try
! every mans work of what sort it is. We'll
come, Brooklyn tabernacle OF 1890?
Taking Time by the Forelock.
Boston Transcript
Stranger lat the hotel)-T rather like the
! looks of your town, and | don't know but I'd
/ settle here if / thought"
4 II