The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-02-17

NXyG4 3U3UI044 - &UX ~ - - - -
- Bekt aAsnd--ne stR v11fhle - 1ulde
= s1xu1y Into possY Ne hsse -
Ios1tne - - DARK - = n
fsins n0w III - inok - -
bsixh& What ars ~ fncts -
- fnd shem todsy conoerniug ehe fsantson
u III church ~ Christ 70 IL veslds pro-
Krszsf what DDS The seoOrds Il history
feach uss What ase tho signs q the times
and what b The promise q Gods word
The prOphes said ..Arise thou. Tor Inv
light u coms and Tho Glory of The Lord =
risen upon thee. for behold the darkness
shall cover tbes srd thsss pooDse.
bat the Lord ahaII aFise upon thee
and His glory shall BE- sssn rpon thes. and
tbs Gentle shall come 70 thy light and
bring to the brightness Of thy rising. then
II shas he asked, who are thess that ~
a . cloud and Is The doves 70 their win
dows. Then Z little one shall have .
thousand and small ons = great nation
Then the knOwiedee Of the Lord shall cover
the earth ~ the waters cover the SECS. and
Holiness 10 the Lord shall Be- written even
upon the walls cf the houses. Christ says.
Pear not, little Hock. for Is IL your
Fathers bod pleasure 70 give ron the
Kingdom Il not the pleasure
q
Christ permitting Satan to usurp his
throne and viii he not come In his might
and power 10 fuifll the will Of Him that
sent him? We must remember that Christ
Jesus sits on the throns II the universe
He guides and controls al events and has
pledged his word that ali things shall work
together for good 70 them that lore God.
70 them that are the called according TO
his purpose This world is not ruled by
chance. II is not subject to inflexible laws.
but there Ia an aiI-wise intelligence Who
holds the world in the hollow OF his hands
and notices even the fall Of . sparrow.
And although there may seem to be many
dangers threatening the cause OF Christ
today. Ne know he will care for his own
and the threatening evil viii do no harm.
He will even make these apparent evils the
stepping stones by which bis church shall
rise to higher power and greater influence
In the world. The opposition of wicked
men only strengthens the church. Perse-
cation has always caused renewed zeal.
When the apostles and early Christians
we're put to death. the gospel spread all
over the known world. The inquisition
did not hinder the true religion.
You know when the farmer wants good
crop he piows up and pulverizes the ground
well before he sows the seed. And these
upheavals in the church aud storms of OPP
position from without are only the prepar-
ing OF the ground for the sowing Of spiritual
seed that shall produce rich harvest. By
these evils in the world God Il preparing
good to come. These attacks Of Satan upon
the church are only preparing men Of
might 10 Be leaders In greater struggles.
1t was in The darkest night Of spiritual de-
fusion the church has ever seen that such
men Is Joseph and Elijah and Daniel were
produced. Had il not been for the dark
ages and the iniquities OF the Romish
clergy We would never have had Martin
Luther. 1t was the wickedness OF the pro-
fessed head Of the church and the licen-
ciousnsss Of the preiate that made John
Knox the terror to the queen. The heart
of William Lloyd Garrison was set afiame
from . spark struck out by the clanking
chains of slavery, and his zeal gave free
dom 70 the colored man, and believe the
evils Of the present day are instruments in
the hand Of God BY which He Is preparing
men for their destruction. Welcomes
and error are always their own avenger
and work ont their own destruction.
But now notice the forces that are ct
work In the world today in opposition to
Ill this evil. Notice the efforts that are be-
ing put forth for the spresd Of Christianity
and the church. The energy, push and
enterprise which IL SO manifest In business
circles has penetrated within the sanctuary
and religion IL carried on according to the
latest business principles. Never before
has there been such earnest zeal In relig-
ious matters as at the present time. Truly
we are seeing the prophecy Of Joel fulfilled
when he said: II viii pour out my spirit
UPON all flesh and your sons and your
daughters shall prophecy. your old men
shall dream dreams, your young men shall
zee Visions The spirit Of God Is abroad
in the land. The sons and daughters Of
the church are prophesying and leading an
aggressive warfare on tina hauuts of sin and
wicketiness. We have in that great o-gani-
ration the w. G. T. u. potent force.
whose influence has never yet been meas
ured. When the rum traffic had become
such an evil rs 10 threaten the country,
blight the home and curse the souls of
men, the noble women of this land,
unable longer to sit still and see sons and
husbands 80 down TO drunkards graves,
have arisen in their queenly dignity and
have gone forth 10 battle for God and home
and native land. They have girdled this
globe with the grAndest organization the
world has ever seen, with it's forty separate
departments. striking death Elbows 1t every
species OF wee and crime that poiIGfes the
face Of earth and drags men down 10 ruin.
Their influence has gone throughout the
world and Is felt in every corner of our
land, and were there no other regenerating
forces at work in the moral world, there is
enough gospel leaven in that white-rib-
boned host To rare to the dust every temple
70 vice in our fair land. and place the iia-
dem of rule upon the brow of Jesus. But
there are other forces at work which are
no less potent. The w. c. T. e. Is but one
finger et that hand by which God win
sweep from this land all that oppose His
viii. Our young men are also prophecy
Ing. We have also the y. NJ. c. A., an or
ganxation that is known in every land
II is penetrating to even the most remote
and tenighted hrathen, and BY enlisssng
the young men OF brain aud heart in its
enterprises, il Is casting the gospel light in
henlghted regions and dispelllng the
darkness of heather ignorance. In
ear own land il Is taking
prominent position in every city and has
marshased sn almost snvincihle army of
2pD,eo eanseeratea men devoted 10 the
spread OF Christianity another finger in
that almighty hand al God. The Young
Meas association naturally suggests the
young wonen's. and We have them com.
hined in that spsFtt-horn Society Of CHRIS
] tan Endsay0r." liz il bat vet in its in