Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1889-10-30

Cnristians. L thank God l never hav
been tempted to do it. I cannot be
sectarian. have been told ought to be
and l have tried TO be, but have no
| enough material in me to make such :
structure. Every time I get the thing
most done, there comes fire, or some
thing else, and all is gone. The angels o.
God shake out on this air, "Glory to Goo
in the highest, and on earth peace, gooc
will toward men," I do not know but
see on the horizon the first CLEAN of the
morning which shall unite all deuomina
tions in one organization, distinguished
only by the locality as in apostolic times
1t was then the Church of Thyatira, and
the,Church of Thessalonica, and the Church
Of Antioch, and the Church of Laodcea.
So do not know but that in the future
history, and not far off either, it may be
simply distinction of locality, and not OF
creed, as the Church of New York, the
Church of Brooklyn, the Church of Boston,
the Church of Charleston, the Church oil
Madras, the Church of Constantinople, the
Church of America.
My dear brethrep, we cannot afford to
be severely divided. Standing in front OF
the great foes of our common Christianity,
we want to put on the whole armor of God
and march down in solid column shoulder
to shoulder one commander! one trium oh
The trumpet gives martial strain
o Israel! grid thee for the fight;
Arise. the comba to maintain;
Arise. and put thy foes to flight.
We also feel reinforced by the thought
that we are on the way to heaven that
can never burn down. Fires may swee D
through other cities-but I am glad to
know that the New Jerusalem is flreproof
There will be no engines rushing through
those streets; there will be no temples con-
sumed in that city. Coming to the doors
of that Church we will find them open,
resonant with songs, and not cries of fire.
Oh, my dear brother and sisterl if this
short lane of life comes up so soon to that
blessed place, what is the use Of our worry
ing? have felt good many times this
last week like Father Taylor, the sailor
preacher. He got in long sentence while
he was preaching one day and lost himself,
and could not find his way out of the
sentence. He stopped and said: "Breth-
rem, l have lost the nominative of this
sentence, and things are generally mixed
up, but am bound for the kingdom any
how"
And during this last week, when 1 saw
the rushing to and tro and the excitement,
l said to myself, 81 do not know just
where we shall start again, but I am
bound for the kingdom anyhow" 1 do not
wa It to go just yet. want to be pastor
of this people until I am about eighty-nine
years of age, but l have sometimes thought
that there are such glories ahead that
may be persuaded to go little earlier-for
instance, at eighty-two Or eighty-three;
but | really thiuk that if we could have an
appreciation of what God has IN reserve for
US, we would want to go, stepning right
out of the Academy of Music into the
glories of the skies.
Ah! that is good land. Why, they tell
me that in that land they never have a
heart-ache. They tell me that a man
might walk five hundred years in that land
and never see tear or hear 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
band of Jesus familiarly. and that they
open that hand and see in the palm of it a
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 wadss through the
snow bank to her daily toll, and that the
clock never strikes 10 for the night, but
only 10 for the day.
See that light in the window. I wonder
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, 1 think must have set
that light there" No; guess again. You
say, ssMy darling little child, that last sum.
mer 1 put away for the resurrection.
I 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 on the latch
of the door and go in to be st home forever
Oh! when my sight gets black in death, put
on my eyelids that sweet ointment. When
in the last WEAKNESS I cannot take another
step, just help me put my foot on that
doorsill. When my ear catches no more
the voices of wife and child, let me go right
in, to have my deafness 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 il
| the heart of the earth, but are hidder
because God keeps down the hatches-those
| internal fires will after awhile break
through the crust, and the plains. and the
mountains, and the seas will be consumed,
and the flames will fling their long arms
| into the skies; but all the terrOrs of g
burning world will do more harm to t1at
heavenly temple than the fires of the set
ting sun which kindle up the window glass
of the house on yonder hilltop. Oh, blessed
| land! But l do not want to go there until
See the Brooklyn Tabernacle rebuilt. You
saw, "Will if be?" You might as well ash
me If the sun will rise tomorrow morning,
or if the next spring will put garlands on
it's head. You and l may not do 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 Israeltes get through the
Red sea? 1 suppose somebody may 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 sea as that?" How did they gel
through ii? Did they go back? No. Die
they 90 to the right? No. Did they go te
the left? No. They went forward in the
strength of the Lord Almighty; and that il
the way we mean to get through the Rec
sea. By going forward. But says some
| one: III we snOuiu Duiiu d laISoi CuuiCu
would you be able with your voice to fiji
it?" Why, have been wearing myself
out for the last sixteen years in trying tt
keep my voice in. Give mo room where
can preach the glories of Christ and the
grandeurs heaven.
Forward! We have to march on, break
ing down all bridges behind us, making
retreat impossible. Throw away vou1
knapsack if it impedes your march. KeeI
your sword arm free. Strike for Chris
and His kingdom while you may. NJ
people ever had better mission than YOU
are sent on. Prove yourselves worthy. 1
1 am not fit to be your leader, set me aside
The brightest goal on earth that l car
think of is country parsonage amidst the
mountains. But / am not afraid to Lead
,ou. have some dollars; they are at youl
disposal. l have good physical health; i
is yours as long as it lasts. havo en-
thusiasm of soul; will not keep it back
from your service. l have some faith il
God, and I shall direct it toward the re
building of our new spiritual house. Come
i Ioo1