The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-03-17

warmly slfnrhed - H. church and dseSty
devoted 10 Il The vesy fset fhas tbsse
thinxs srs not a man. nes b. man. bat Of
God, ere c1lenistsd - rniss your highest
devotion.
That uh5ch H. church has done for
yoa personally II vel calculated 10 drzw
ycur dsvosSon 70 IL Her ministers have
brought you eood tidirgs, snd her sanetu-
airy has been ycur refu<e- As others have
heeoms prey 70 eyn. youf protection has
been found rithin her pale. II others have
hem storm-drsven on the high seas Of M
iquity, you have found safe hafoor ~
the ehurcn OF Christ. and - tAey have
been sunk. ron hare bsen saved siive-
You owe n the church more than you can
well estimate.
Arsfn. The church Of Christ IL the de-
posisory al I'll Gods promises 70 onr
world. Your anticipetions for Whist wiz
yef be done for onr world are very great
You fully expect the Lord Of Glory 10 M
serpo~e His mighty power ell the white
banner Of peace shall be borne upward and
onward I'll ia folds shall ware over every
land ami In every cline This and much
more shall surely come 70 pass.
The hops Of this worlds redemption Is
through she church Of Christ
let us notice. in the next place. that
our text gives IA IN example Of what this
devotion 10 the church should be.
That ancient trmpie meant 10 the Jew
what orr church should mean 20 u.s. He
saw in IL the place where Jehovah had re-
corded bis name and registered his promise
to bless. Around IL gathered tbe hope OF
every earthly and heavenly good. All bus
49,. fHzf -
that temple.
religion and patriotism conferred there.
Deprive him Of bis temple and you robosd
him IT once Ut his fifsside and his altar.
Our text finds these people at sad time
in their history. the DARKEST Of all clouds
had come over their nation Their coan.
Try was ruined by the victorious spoiler;
their once fair city was laid waste, their
affairs were thrown down. their temple was
in ashes. thsy were capsives. and in for
eign land they hung their harps upon the
willow and sat down to weep out their
grief. There. while they remembered
better days and were the more crushed
With sorrow. they were asked TO sing.
Whist mockesy, How could they sing
when they remembered lions departed
eiorys Could mother sing at the funeral
ii her child. or bride 81 the grave Of her
husband Yet these prisoners did answer
this mockery with music. They sang. and
their notes Ne deserve TO swell the ages
with heroic melody.
Fire and sword and captivity left their
hearts toward Zion. A change in their for
times made no change in their love for
God . change Of sky made no change in
their religion. the bitter taunts Of their
enemies move them not from one princi-
ME. There Ii q picture for the artists
brush. These captives have hung their
harps upon the weeping willows OF Baby
Ion. they sit down by the river in grief.
Their faces are troubled SCARED and care
worn with their bercavements and their
Journey. Their hearts are broken behind
are wasted country and their sacred dead:
before them il wasting captivity. Now
come ous their captors to view the pris-
oners. perchance. TO buy some slaves, ana
they say: I'VE have heard that you are
musicians. sing ~ one Of your songs"
That was more cruel than the lash. Thous-
ands have been crushed with snecrs and
mockcry who could not have been con-
quefed with sword or fire. But
these people remain firm 70 the
last They would let their tongues
become pAlsied and their right arms para
lyscd and hang useless by their sides be-
fore they would surrender their religious
convictions. One writer tells us that after
mockery come hattery: that these Baby
ionians wanted these sweet singers to 80
and grace their heathen orgies with music
and song from Jerusalem. and that priv
leges and preferments were offered these
captiyes Il they would do 80.
Here we're strong inducements for them
10 cast the memory Of Zion behind them
why remain loyal In this far-osf land9
Were they not deprived OF church privi-
legesY Others had plainly not done their
duty. circumstances were all against them.
therefore why should they remain loyal ia
these distant prsonss But you see that
true loyalty TO Christ accepts no such reas-
oning and insinustions a. that.
They would not prostitute their divine
powers at heather shrines. this Was fixed
forever with them. Rather than be false
to Zion they would prefer TO become
MANNED and speeches. This was devo-
ton worthy OF all commentator. And
only such devotion Is worthy Of the cause
OF Christ.
II would he in place 10 mention here the
fact that Just such devotion Is now ser
ionsly needed in our churches We should
be devoted 90 that church where our mem
hershipis. The notion Is all wrong that
we stand higher by seeming not TO believe
anything much. You may lay il down ~
. maxim that the more you prize your own
church the more will all classes OF society
prize you.
You can love all men. all children OF
God better Tor being deeply in earnest in
your own work. and you may be sure that
this love will be reciproested
Away with the idea that in order 10 he
aggressive. liberal. evangelical we must
tear down the walls which our Lord baiided
with his redemption work. One whose
wort has had great weight with thinking
Christian men for nearly a liEeti me
uses these worsis: Let us not cherish
ans harsh or ankind feelings toward any
lei US recognize nil the socd we find In any
ether people. but let US also remember that
upon us "a upon no other denomination.
rests the responsibility OF teaching through
out the world true and complete essnge-
ism.
The world must he eysngelixed. and we
must he up and deing. We must not think
these principles so plain that men cannot
help seeing them. There are many things
that blind the mind. and ia order that
these principles shall 80 forth coaeuering
and 90 conquer. We must. FIRST OF all. be-
iieye them ourselves heartily. he who IL
rot firnly convinced os the truth he utiers
cannot convince others. To pgail men oas