The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1890-05-22

turned from victorious war, the people In
wild transport would take hold of the gates
Of the city and lift them from their hinges,
MS much as to sar: "rhis city nes Is No more
gates to defend u since this conqueroc has
gothome. on from the hinges with tine gateSm
David, who was the poet OF poets fortells in
his own way tho iunphil eatranc> OF
Christ into heaven after His victory over sin
and death and hell. 1t was as IL the celestial
inhabitants had said: "Here He comes! Make
way for Him. Push back ths bolts of dia.
mond! Take hold of the doors OF pearl AMI
hoist them from their hinges OF gold LiSt
up your heads, o ye gates; an be ye littsl
up ye everlasting doors; and the King OF
Glory shall come in"
Among the mountains OF Palestine no one
Is more uplifting than Mount Olvet. 1t was
the peroratioa of on, Lords ministry. On
thereof Of a house in Jerusalem | asked,
(which is Oiivet" and the first gllncS trans
fixed ME. But how shall 1 describ,
my emotions when near the close OF
journey, in which we had for two
nights encampei amid the shattered
masonry of old Jericho, AMI tastsi of
the acrid waters of the Dead Sea, that crys-
tai sarcophagus of the buried cities of the
plain, aud waded down into the deep aai
swift Jordan to baptZe man. and vlsitel
the ruins OF the house OF Mary and Martha
and Lazarus we found ourselves in stirraps
rs and N horse, llthsrei with ths long AMI
ditilcultway, ascending Mount Oiivet. On,
that solemn and suggestive ridge! 1t is q
limestone hill, mile in length, and 80 feet
high, and 270o feet above the level of ths
sea. Over it King David feel with brokal
heart Over it Pompey lei his devasSst-
ing hosts. Here the famous Tenth Legion
built their batteries in bssiegenent. The
Garden of Gethsemane wesps ut the
foot of it. Along the base of this hill hasael
the lanterns and torches of thoss who cana
to arrest Jesus. From the trees on this kill
the boughs were torn OF and thrown into
the path of Christs triumpAal procession. Up
and down that road Jesus hal walSel twice
day from Bethany to Jerusalem, ami from
Jerusalem to Bethany. There, again AMI
again, He had taught His disciples. HALF
way up this mount He uttered His lamenta-
ton: 30 Jerusalem, Jerusalem" From its
height Jesus took fight no nswarl when Hs
had finished His earthly mission. Thera is
nothing more for Him to do. A sacrifice
was needed to make peace between the
recreant earth AMI the outraged heavel,anl
He had offered it. Death nee lei to be coa-
quered, AMI He had put His resurrection foot
upon it. The thirty-three years of voluntary
exile had ended. The gran lest, tendsres5,
mightiest good-Sy ever heard was now to b,
uttered.
On Mount Olivet Jesus stands in a group
of Galilee fish rnen. Tney hal been to-
getner in many scenes Of sadness and perse-
cution and had been the more en1eare1 by
that brotherhooi OF suffering. They hal
expected Him to stay until the day of coro-
nation when He would take the earthly
throne and wave scepter mghtier, AMI
rule dominion wider than any Pharoah,
than any David, than any Cesar. But now
all these anticipations collapse Christ has
given His last advice. He has offered His
last sympathy. Hehas spoken His last word.
His hands are spread apart as one is apt to
do when he pronouces benediction, when
suddenly the strongest and most stu pen lous
law of all worlds is shattered. 1t is
the law which, since the worlds created,
hold them together. 1t is the law which
holds every thing to the earth, or
temporarily hurled from earth, returns
it; the law which keeps the planets whirling
around our sun, and our solar system whirl-
ing around other systems, AMI all the sys-
tens whlrllng around the throne of God
the law of gravitation. That law is sus-
pended Or relaxed, Or broken, to let the boly
of Jesus go. That law had laid hold of Hin
thirty-three years before, when He descended.
1t had relaxed its grip Of Him but onc,, an1
that when it declined to sink Him from the
top of the waves on Lake Gahlee on which
He walked, to the bottom OF the lake. That
law of gravitation must now give way to
Him who made the law. 1t may hold the
other stars, but it cannot LONGER hold tia
Morning Star of the Redemption. 1t may
hold the MONDAY sun, but ii cannot hold the
Sun OF Righteousness. The fingers OF that
law are about to open to iesgo tue most illus
trious Being the world has ever seen, and
whom it had worst malbreate1. The strong
est law of nature which philosophers ever
weighed or measured must at last give way.
1t will break between the rock of Qsiyet AMI
the heel of Christs foot Watch it, all ye
disciples! Watch it, all tae ear5n! Watch
it, all the heaveasl Christ about to leave
this planet. How? His friends will no5 coa-
sent to have Him 90. His enemies catching
Him would only attempt by another Calvary
to put Him into Some other tomb. Twill tell
YOU how The chain ot the II 0s5 tro nan
dous natural law is unlinkei. The sacred
foot OF our Lord and the limestone rock part,
and part forever.
Leaning back, and with pallid cheek and
upliftad eyes, the disciples see their Lord rls-
ing from the solid EARTH Then, rushing for
ward, they would grasp His feet to hold HIM
fast, but they are out OF reach and it is
too late to detain Him. Higher than the
tops Of the fig trees from which they had
pluckei the fruit. Higher than the olive
trees that shaded the mount. Higher,
until He is within sight of the Bethlehem,
where he was born, and the Jordan where
He was baptized. AMI the Golgotha whers
feecy cloud He steps. Higher, until into g
sky bluer than the lake that could not sjnS
Him, HIS disappears into sea of glory
whose billowing spiendors hide Him. The
fishermen watch and watch, wondering il
the law of nature will not rsassert its IF
and He shall in a few moments cone back
again, and they shall seq Him descen lin &,
first His SCARED feet collinr in sight. thea
the scarreI side, then the sclrret brow, an
they may take again His Scared hand. Bus
the moments pass by ani tae hours, AMI no
reappearaace. Gone out OF sight OF ear5a,
but como within sight OF heaven. And risin J
still not welcomed by one al selic cnoir Xix !,
those who ons CHRISTMAS night escorted h n
down, but all heaven turns ol5 tt greet Hi n
home. and the moies have espacial altle II,
and the palaces especial banquet, and the
streets especial throngs; AMI all along the
line to the foot OF the throne, for years va
Gated but now again TO be taken, taere ara
arches lifted, au1 banners waved, and trum
pets solnisi and doxologies chantel, AM
coronets cast down.
The angels throng'd His chariot wheels,
And bore Him TO His throne;
Then swept their golden harps and sung
"rhe glorious work is done"
Itwas the greatest day in heaven! As H.
goes the steps OF the throne that thirty
three years bosoce He alb licltel for oar a l.
vantage, thsre rises from all the hosts OF
heaven a. shout, sanity, c1srd DC, s.tl ol.c
archangelic. "Hallelujah. Anal"
Ogarlen of olives, th,1 5alr hylorcl spot.
The fame of thy glory sl,i ne'e. o. forgo;.
No wonler that FOR at least fo1rtesl hun
dred years the churches have, foxy days at
ter Easter, kept Ascension Day; foc tn, les.
sons are most inspiring AMI glorious. L
takes much of the uncertainty ont OF tn
idea of heaven, when from Olivet we S,
human nature ascending. The sane bod
that rose from Jcsaph's tomb ascenie
from Mount Olivet. Our human nature
in heaven today. Just as taey had So
Christ for forty days, He ascenisi, hsa
face, shoulders, hands, fee AMI tn, ent;r
human organism. Humanity ascenie1
All, how closely that keeps Christ in syn
pathy with those who are still in the straf
glel Ascende1 scars. face scars. hand scar
feet scars, shoulder scars! That will kee
Him in accord with all the suffering, wit
all the weary with all the imposed upon
No more is He spirit now than body, n
mora of heaven than earth. Those of tn
celestial inhabitants who never saw Oh
world now walk around Him aud learn fron
His physical contour something of what on
race will be wnen, in the resurrection
heaven will have uncounta1 bo1ies wei
as uucounted spirits. GA Ascension Day H
lifted Himsslt through the atmosphere o
Palestine until, amid the i'm nslsities, q
disappeared, He was the only baiay tn
world ever saw WlO )lll lift Himself: Slra,'