The Opelousas courier., 1890-03-08

from Jerusalem. 10 get from tnefe TO Jeiu-
salem she had to cross a country infested
deserts. Why did not the queen of Sheba
stay at home and send a committee to in
qu1re about this new religion, and have the
delegates report in regard to that religion
and wealth Of King Solomon2 She wanted
to see for herself, and hear for herself. She
could not do this by work of commit
tee. She felt she had a soul worth ten thou
sand kingdoms like Sheba, and she wanted a
robe richer than any woven by Oriental
shuttles, and she wanted a crown set with
the Jewels of eternity. Bring out the camels.
Put on the spices. Gather UP the jewels of
the throne and put them on the caravan.
Start now; no time to be lost. Goad on the
camels. Wien I see that C~aravati, dust COW
cred, weary and exhausted, trudging on
across the desert and among the bandits
until it reaches Jerusalem, [ say: "Ihere is
all earnest seeker after the truth"
But there are a great many VINO DO not act
in that way. They all want to get the
truth. but they want the truth to come to
them; they do not want to go to it. There
are people who fold their arms and say: Il
am ready to become & Christian DIT any time;
if I an to be saved l shall be saved, and if l
am to be lost shall he lost" But Jerusalem
will never come tC sou; you must go to Jeru-
salem. The religion of the Lord Jesus Christ
will not come to you; you must go and get
religion. Bring out the camels; put on all
the sweet spices, NIL the treasures of the
hearts affection. Start for tho throne. Go
In and hear the waters Of salvation dashing
in fountains all AROUND about The thronG.
Sit down at the banduet-the wine pressed
from the grapes of the heavenly Eshco!, the
angels of God the cup bearers. Goad on tho
cainels. The Bible declares it; "The
Queen of the ~southn-that Is, this
very woman l ami speaking of-'the
Queen of the south shall rise up
in Judgment against this generation and con-
denim it.: for she came from the utternlost
parts of the earth to hear the wisdom OF
Solomon; and. behold! a greater than Sol
ONION is here" What infatuation the sitting
down in idleuess expecting to be saved.
strive to enter in at the strait gate.
Ask, and it shall be given you seek, and We
shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to
ydet." Take the Kingdom Of Heaven by vio-
ience. Urge on tie c~aniels!
Again, my subject impresses me with the
fact that religion is a surprise to any one
that gets it. This story of the new religion
in Jerusalem, and of the glory of King Solo
mon, Who was a type of Christ-that story
rolled on and on, and was told by, every trav-
eler coming back from Jerusalem. The news
goes on the wing Of every ship and with
every caravan, and you know q story en-
larges as it is retold. and by the time that
story gets down into the southern part OF
AIaDId pSl1A anu NiIC RuCCll IL Slto iS"NS
it, it must be q tremendous story. Aud yet
this Queen declares in regard to it, although
she had heard so much and had her antics
pations raised SO high, the half-the half was
not told her:
So religion is always a surprise to any one
that gets it. The story Of grace-an old story.
Apostles preached it with rattle of chain;
martyrs declared it with arm of fire; death
beds have affirmed it with visions of glory,
and ministers of religion have sounded it
through the lanes, and the highways, and
the chapels, and the cathedrals. 1t has been
:ut into stone with chisel, and spread on the
| canvas with pencil; and it has been recited
in the doxology Of great congregations, And
yet when d man first comes to look OH the
! palace Of G6d's mercy, and to see the royalty
of Christ, and the wealth Of this banquet, n
| the luxuriance of His attendants; and the
loneliness of His face, and tile Joy of His SER
| vice, he exclaims with prayers, with tears,
with signs, with triumphG: "Ihe half-the
half was not told mef'
/ appeal to those who are Christians. Com
pare the idea you had of the joy of the
| Christian life before you became a Christian
| with the appreciation of that joy you have
now since you have become a Christian, and
you are willing to attest before angels and men
that you never, in the days of your spiritual
bondage, had any appreciation of what was
TO come, Yot are ready to-day to answer
and say it regard to the discoveries YOU
have made of the mercy and the grace and
the goodness OF God: 1.-THE half-the half
wa not told meT
We'll. we hear a great deal about the good
time that is coming to this world when 1t Is
to be girded with salvation. Holiness on the
bells of the horses. The lions name patted
by the hand of a babe. Chips of Tarshisfl
bringing cargoes for Jesus, and the hard,
drv, barren, winter bleached, storm Scared,
thunder split rock breaking into floods OF
bright water. Deserts into which drorneda'
ries thrust their h~ostrils, because they were
afraid Of the si~mqon-deserts blooming into
~eafnation roses and silver tipped lilies
isaiah told it, John told 1t, Paul told IT;
Ezekiel told it, Luther told it, Calvin told it,
John Milton told it-everybody tells it; and
tet-and vet when the midnight shall fly the
hills, and Christ shall marshal His great army
and China, dashing her idols into the dust,
shall hear the voice of God and wheel int
line: and India, destroying her Juggernau'
and snatcbing up her little children from
the Ganges, shall hear the voice OF Coo
and wheel into line; and vine covered
italy. and wheat crowned Russia, and all thu
nations of the earth shall hear the voice o
God and fall into line; then the Church
which has been toiling and struggling througi
the centuries, robed n garianea nke g or la
adorned for her husband, shall put aside ne
Ieii and look up into the face of her Lord tn
King and saw: 1.-THE half-the half was no
Well. there is coming q greater surprise ts
every Christian greater surprise tina
ANYTHING / have depicted. Heaven is an oil
story. Everybody talks about it. There
not refer to, it. Children read about
in their Sabbath-school books. Aged me
put on their spectacles to study il
We say~ it is q harbor from tn
storm. We call it lone. We say
is the house of mary mansions. w
weave together all sweet, beautiful, delicate
exhilarant words; we weave them into le
tiers. and then we spell it out in rose and iii
and amaranth. And yet that place is goin
TO be q surprise to the most intelligent Chri
tan, Like the Queen of Sheba, the repoI
has como to us from the far country, an
many OF us have started. 1t Isl desert marcl
but we urge on the camels. What thong
our feet be blistered with the way? We al
fastening to the palace. We take all OF
loves aud hopes and Caristian ambition
as frankincense and myrrh and cassia, to Il
great King. We must not rest. We mu
not halt. The night is coming on, and it
not safe out here in the desert. Urge on I'll
camels. / see the domes against the SIX,
and the houses of Lebanon and the tempt
and the gardens. See the fountains dance
the sun and the gates fash as they opea
let in the poor pilgrims.
Send the word up to the palace that '
are coming, and chat we are weary of I'll
march Of the desert. The King will come o.
i and say: "Wolcome to the palace; batl
j in these waters; recline OF these bank
, Take this cinnamon n frankincense al
J myrrh and put it upon a censer and sWil
, ID before the altar" And yet. my friend
when heaven bursts upon us it viii
q greater surprise than that-Jesus {
, the throne, and we made like Him! All o.
Christian friends surrounding us In glor.
D All our sorrows and tears and sins gone