Dodge City times., 1890-06-20

THE RAINBON'S PROMISES.
d. Talmags Dslivsn . Stirring Dis
course On Heavens Beauties
An People Advised b xAtsr IL Ark e sal.
vstioa as o,ss-1As Brightest The Aftsr
IL sesrm-0lsriss 4 IL 1stars WuN
Dspistsl
preached in the Bfooklyn Academy Of
Music. ON the subject aAn Troubles
Past" and tho tsxt Revelations ", 81
There WAS Q rainbow roand about the
throne" Following ID the ssrmoas
Al after Q night Of fearful tempest q
sea ono ship. moro stauach than another,
r.des on undamaged among the fragments
Of spars and hulks that loat about 20 old
Noah's ark as the close Of the deluse floats
on over the wreck Of dead world. Look
Ing out Of tho window Of The ark, you see
the pianks Of houses, and the sheaSss Of
wheat ard the carcasses Of cattle, and the
corpses Of men. No tower u left to toll
the burial; no mourners 70 form In tbs line
Of procession; NO ground on which to burg
the dead. DSinking . line q feet long, you
Just touch tho toys OF the mountainA
Ghastlinoss and horror! ThS ark, instead
Of walking the sea, like . modern ship, in
nateaty and beauty, tosses helplessly; NO
helm to guide; no sail to set; no shore 70
steer for. Why protract tbs agony Of the
good people in such . craft, when they
might in ono dash OF the wave have been
put out Of their misery.
But at yonder spot n tho horizon We sec
colors gathering in the sky; at just the
opposite point in the horizon other colors
sre gathering. ] find that they are the two
buttresses Of an arched bridge Tbs yell
low. tho red, the orange, the blue. the
indigo, the violet are mingled, and by in
visible hands the whole structure Is hung
into the sky, and the ark has . triumphal
arch to sail under. An angel Of light
swings his hand across the sky, and in the
seven prismatic colors he paints with pen
ell Of sunbeam the everlasting covenant
between God and every living creature.
God lifted up that great arched bridge, and
set 1t over His own head In heaven John
saw it. for he says: ''Thers was q rain
bow round about the throne"
notice that none but the people who
were in the ark saw the rainbow. 1t cast
its shadow clear down into the water where
the people were hurled and lighted up the
dead faces with . strange radiance, but
they could not see it! So only those who
arc at last found in Christ, the Ark. will
see tho overspanping glorics Of the throne.
Hence you had better get into the arkl As
you call your family out st the close Of the
shower to show them the sign in heaven,
30 want you all at last to see the Rrander
rainbow round about the throne. Look
there, says Noah to his wife, Eat that bow
in the clouds; and, Shem and Japhst, lookl
lOok!-the green, the yellow, the red and
the orangew should not wonder II some
OF your own children in the good land
should after . while cry out to you, 'Look,
round about the throne" You had better
get into the ark, with all your families,
If you want to see it
notice also that the chief glory Of God
comes after the rain. No shower, no rain
bow; no trouble: no brightness Of Christian
consolation. Neavers are sometimes. by
reason Of their work, dusty and rough in
their apparel; and so it is the coarse clad
tempest. whose hand and foot swing the
shuttle, that weaves the rainbow. Many
Chri tians are dull, and stupid, and useless
because they have not had disaster enough
to wake them up. The brightest scarf that
heaven makes Is thrown over the shoulders
Of the storm. You can not mako . thorough
Christian life out Of sunshine alone. There
arc some very dark hues in the ribbon of
tho rainb bow; you must have in life the blue
As well as the orange. Mingling all the
{ olors Of tho former makes . white light;
and It takes all the shades, and sadness,
and vicissitudes Of life to make the white
luster Of pure Christian character.
Your child asks you: "Father, what
makes the rninbowp and you say, at il
the sunlight striking through the rain
drops." Therefore, l wondered how there
could be . rainbow in heaven, since there
arc no storms there; but then l conclude
that that rainbow must be formed BY the
striking Of heavens sunlight through the
falling tears Of earthly sorrow. When We
see q man overwhelmed with trouble, and
his health goes. and his property goes, and
his friends 60. say, "Now we shall SEQ
the glory of God in this good mans deliv- |
erance." As at Niagara Falls l saw one
day ten rainbows spanning the awful
plunge Of the cataract, 10 over the abyss OF
Of the christians trial hover the rich hued
wings Of all the promises.
notice that the most beautiful things of
this v orld are to be preserved In heaven
When you see the last color fade out from
the rainbow Of earth you need not feel sad.
for you will SEQ the rainbow round about
the throne. That story about the world
Svn8 h0a rYIU
When I reld that Paris was besieged, I
said: 'Now the pictures and statues in the
Louvre and Luxembourg will be destroyed,
all those faces Of Rembrandt, and those
bold dxshes Of Rubens, and those enchant-
ments OF Raphael on canvass, and those
statues Of CanovA" But 10 IL not moro
thought that ruin Is to come up
On this great glory of the earth In which
the mountains ars the chiseled sculptures
and upon the sky, in which the ''transng-
:ration" Of sunrise and sunset is hung with
oops and tassels Of fire! was relieved
when found that the pictures had been re-
moved from the Louvre and the Luxem-
oourg, and am relieved now when think
hat the best parts of this earth arc either
10 be removed or pictured In the good land.
TIE trees must twist In the last hre-the
,aSs and the cedars and tbs naples; but In
heaven there shall be the trees Of life on
he bank Of the river, and the palm trees
rom which the conauerors shall pluck their
branches
The Hudson and the St. Lawrence and
he Ohio shall boil in the last fame but We
hall have moro than their beauty In the Riv-
II Of Life from under tho throne. Tho daises
md the portulaoas and the roses Of earth
will wither In the no: sirocco Of the Judge |
neut. but John tells Of tho gsrlsnds which |
he gloriiied shall wear; and there must be |
lowers or there could be no Rarlands. The |
'ainbow on our sky, which Is only the |
pillow Of the dying storm, must be re- |
noveaI but then, glory Be to God there
b Q rainbow round Ab, ut the throne" |
AVE but to look up to tho radiant arch |
hove tho throne Of God 10 assure myself |
hat the most glorious things Of earth ara |
o be preserved IN heaven. Then let the |
world burn; all that il worth saving will |
70 snatched out Of the fret
SEQ tho Same truth set forth in the |
~alva for, "A afiona NJ thu ~all AZ haaven