News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1889-03-07

Righteousness unto them which are exer.
cIsed thereby Weep nG may en-
dure for a night but Joy cometh in
the morning" What sweet thing is a
harp, and L wonder rot that in Wales the
country of my ancestors, the harp has be-
come the national instrument and that they
have festivals where great prizes are offered
in the competition between harp an harp;
or that weird Sebastian Erard was
most of his time bent over this chorded
and vibrating triangle, and was not
satisfied until he had given 1T com
pass Of six octaves from J. to e with all the
semi tones or that when King Saul was &c.
mented The son of Jesse came before him
and putting his fingers among the charmed
strings of the harp played the devil out of
the crazsd monarch, or that in heaven there
shall be harpers harping with their harps.
So you will not blame me for opening the
dark saying on the gospel harp.
Your harps, We Trembling saints,
Down from he willows take;
Loud 10 the pra sc of love divine
Bid every string awake!
Interrogation third: Why did COOL God
let sin and trouble come into the world when
He might have kept them out. My reply Is,
He had good reason. He had reasons that
He has never given US He had reasons which
He could no more make Us understand
in our finite state than the faith r
elaborate enterprise could make the two
year-Old chill IN Its armed chair compre-
bend 1t. ne wa TO demonstrate what
grandeur of character may be achieved on
earth by conquering evil. Had there been
no evil to conquer and no trouble to console
then this universe would never have
known an Abraham or a Moses or a Joshua
or an Ezekiel or Il Paul or a Christ or
Washington or a John Milton or a John
Howard. AMI million victories which have
been CAMEL by the consecrated spirits of all
ages would never have been gained Had
trere been no bate there would have
teen no victory. NinC-tenths OF the anthems
of heaven would never have been sung.
Heaven could never have been a thousandth
part of the heaven that 1t is. l will not say
that l am glad that sin and sorrow did
enter, hut | do say that | am glad that
after Col has given all His reasons to an
ass ambled universe He will be more
honored than if s.n and sorrow had never
entered, and that the unfalen celeStials viii
be outdUne AMI will put down their trumpets
to listen and it VIII lie in heaven VIII those
who have conquered sin and sorrow shall
enter as it would be in a small sing
ing school on earth if Thalberg and
Gottschalk and Wagner and Beethoven and
Rhtlnherger and Schumaun should all at
on enter. Tae immortalS that have been
chanting tn THOUSAND years before the
throne will say, as they close their librettos:
"Oh, if we could only sing like that"
Eut God will say to those who have never
fallen and Consequently have not been re-
deemed: ''Hou must lie silent now; you
have not the qualification for this anthem
50 trey sit wit closed ,i1s an sde"l hands
ana sinners saved by grace take up Jne
harmony, for the Bible says mo man could
learn that song but the hundred and forty and
four THOUSAND which were redeemed from
the earth.
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 tod her she could be a good singer,
but a certain note she could never reach.
Ind hon, che TO- srDpl-o and
studied and practced for years until l did
reach it, But the song of the
sinner redeemed. the Bible says,
the exalted harmonists who have
reach. Would you like to hear me in very
poor way play a snatch of that tune! l can
give you only one bar of the music on this
gospel harp: Unto Him that hath loved us
and washed US from our sins in His own
blooj and hath made us kings and
priests unto Col and the Lamb, to
Him he glory and dominion forever
and ever, Amer" But before leaving this
interroc atory, Why God let sin come into
the world. let me say that great battles seem
to lie nothing hut suffering and outrage at
the time of their occurrence. yet after they
have been a long while past we can sec that
it was better for them to have been fought
namely, Salamis, Inkerman, Toulouse, Ar
bella, Agincourt, Trafalgar, Blen-
helm, Lexington, Sedan. So now
that the great battles against sin and suf-
ering are going on we can see mostly that
which is deplorable, But twenty thousand
years from nov. standing in glory. we shall
appreciate that heaven is better of than if
the battle of this worlds sin and suffering
had never been projected.
But nov | come nearer home and put a
dark saying on the gospel harp, a style of
question that is asked n million times a year
Interrogation the fourth: Why do l have
it so hard while others have it so easy? or,
why do | have so much difficulty In getting
q livelihood while others go around
with a full portemonnaie? OF, why
Others have to push hard to get their ward
robes closed. 50 crowded are they with brill
liant attire' or, why should have to work so
hard while others have three hundred and
sixty five holidays every year? They are all
practically one question ] answer them
hv saying. it is because the Lord has
His favorites and He puts extra diSci-
pline upOn You, and extra trial, be-
cause be has for you extra glory, extra en-
throneme7t and extra feli:itieS. That is no
guess of mine, but n divine say so: Whom
the Lord loveth He chaStenethn "Well
saws some one, AZ would rather have little
less in heaven AMI little more here Discount
my heavenly robe ten per cent, and let me
now put it on, fur lined overcoat; PIT me
In n less gorgeous room of the house of many
mansions and let mo have a honse here in
a better ne ghborhOOd." No no: God is not
gum W Ittl HtdNt'H. WHICH Il gong 10 bs
your res dence for nine hundred 0uahrliiOn
of wears, to fix up your earthly abode.
which YOU viii occuHy at most for less than
century, and where You may perhaps
stay only ten years longer, or only
one year, or perhaps a month
mora. Now you hal better cheerfuliy let
God have His way. for, you see, He has been
taken 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 insgnii-
cant to be divineiy cared for it W said
that Diana, the goddess. coul not be pres
ent to keep her temple at EphesuS from burn
ing because she was attending upon the birth
OF him who was to he Alexander the Great
Put / tell You that your God and my Cod is
so great in small things as well as large
things that He could attend The cradle of
bate and at the same time the burning of
world
AMI God 'cill make it all right with you,
and there IL one song that you win sing
every hour your first ten wears in heaven
and the refrain Of that song viii he: Il ain
so glad God did not let me- have it my own
wav." Your casa will re all fixed ND in
heaven end there will be such a reversal
of Conditions that we can hardly
lind each other for some time Some OF us
who have lived in first rate houses here and
in first rate neigh orhools will be found be-
cause of our lulIewarmn"ss of earthly
service, living on one of the hack streets Of
tle celeSJlf II Guy, an I c'e1r down nj the enI
OF il at No. 500, or 500. or 1896, while
some who had un1ttractire earthly
abodes, AMI cramped one at
that viii, in the heavenly city, be in a
house fronting tho Rova1 plaza. right by the
imperial fountain, or on the heights over
looking the River of Life the chnriots o.
salvation hating Mt your door while those
visit You vino are more thln con1uerors,
and those who are Kings and Queens
unto God forever. You. my brother and
you. my sister. who have it so hard here
will have il so fine and grand there that
you will hardly know Yourself and will feel
disposed to dispute your own identity, and
the first time see you there | will cry out:
"Didn't tell you so when you sat down
there in the Brooklyn Tabernacle and looked
increduous because you thought it too
good to he true.'' And YOU will
answer: lyon were right, the half
was not told mel' So this morning open
your dark saying of dependency and com
plant on my gospel harp and give you Just
one ar OF music, for do not pretend to be
much of player. THE Lamb which is in
the midst of the throne shall lead them to
living fountains of water and God shall wipe
away all tears from their eyes, But
| must confess | am n little perplexed
how some of you good Christians are going
10 get throu h the gate, because there will
be so many there to greet you and they will
ali want to shake hands at once aud Will al
want the first kiss. They viii have heard
that you ere coming, and they will all press
around To welcome you and will want Won to
say neither you know them after being so
long parted
Amid the tuSsle and romp Of reunion 7 tell
you whose hand of welcome yoa had better
first clasp and whose cheek is entitled to the
first kiss. 1t is the hand and the cheel,
of Him without whom you would
fl.n = arIS e