Sharp County record., 1890-02-06

every CdEdfdH' anu you know a Sto,-
enlarges as tits retold, and by the pn!!
that story gets down into the sontba-S
part of Arabia Felix, and the Oueon =,
Sheba hears it, it must be a tremen1oUs
story. And yet this Queen declares ~
regard to it, although she had heard ~
much and had her anticipations raisoS
so high, the half-the half was not tolS
her.
So religion is always a surprise to an,
one that gets it. The story of grace
an old story, Apostles preached it with
rattle of chain; martyrs declared il wih
arm of fire; death-beds have affirmed :.
with visions of glory, and ministers q,
religion have sounded it through tba
lanes, and the highways, and tbo
chapels. ard the cathedrals Il b.,
been cpt into stone with chisel and
spread on canvas with pencil; and Il
mas been recited in the doxologv ~
great congregations. And yet when A
man first comes to look on the palaco
of Gods mercy, and to see the ROYALTY o,
Christ, and the wealth of this banouet
and the luxuriance of His attendants
and the loveliness of His face, and tha
Joy of His service, he eXclaimS, with
prayers, with tears, with sighs, with
triumphs: "The half-the half was not
told mel"
Iappeal to those who are Christians.
Compare the idea you had of the ov Of
the Christian life before you became
Christian with the appreciation of that
Joy you have now since you have be.
come a Christian, and you are willing to
attest before angels and men that YOU
never,in the days Of your spiritual bond
age, had any appreciation of what was
to come. You are ready to-day to an.
swer and say in regard to the discover.
les you have made Of the mercy and the
grace and goodness of God: "Ihe half
the half was not told me!'
Well, we hear a great deal about the
good time that is coming to this world
when it is to be girded with salvation
Holiness on the bells of the horses. The
lions name patted by the hand Of a
babe. Ships of Tarshish bringing car.
goes for Jesus, and the hard, dry, bar.
rem, winter -bleached, storm SCARED;
thunder-split rock breaking into floods
of bright water. Deserts into which
dromedaries thrust their nostrils, be-
cause they were afraid Of the simoOn--
deserts blooming into carnation roses
and silver-tipped lilies.
It is the old story Every body tells
it. Isaiah told it, John told it, Paul
told it, Ezekiel told it, Luther told it,
Calvin told it, John Milton told it-eyery
body tells it; and yet-and yet 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
into line; and India, destroying her
Juggernaut and snatching up her little
children from the Ganges, shall hearthe
voice of God and wheel into line; and
vine-covered Italy, and wheat-crowned
Russia, and all the nations Of the earth,
shall hear the voice of God and fall into
line; then the Church, which had been
toiling and struggling through the cent
uries, robed and garlanded like a bride
adorned for her husband, shall put
aside her vail and look up into the face
of her Lord and King and say: "The
half-the half was not told men'
"Well, there is coming greater sur
prise to every Christian-a greater sur
prise than any thing have depicted.
Heaven is an old story. Every body
talks about it. There is hardly hymn
in the hymn-book that does not refer to
it. Children read about it in their Sab
bath-school books. Aged men put on
their spectacles to study it. We say it
is harbor from the storm. We call it
home. We say it is the house Of many
mansions. We weave together all
sweet, beautiful, delicate, exhilarant
Words we weave them into letters and
then spell it out in rose and lily and
amaranth.
And yet that place is going to bea
surprise to the most intelligent Chris
tian. Like the Queen OF Sheba, the re-
port has come to us from the far coun-
try, and many Of US have started luz
a desert march, but we urge on the
camels. What though our feet be bis
tered with the way? We are hastenlnS
to the palace. We take all our loves
and hopes and Christian ambitions as
frankincense and myrrh and cassia, to
the great King. We must not rest. we
must not halt. The night is coming on
and it is not safe out here in the desert
Urge on the camels. / see the domes
against the sky, and the houses Oh
Lebanon and the temples and the gar
dens See the fountains dance IN tne
sun and the gates flash as they open 70
let in the poor pilgrims.
Send the word up to the palace tha'
we are coming, and that we are weary
of the march of the desert. The King
will come out and say: "Welcome u
the palace; ,bathe in these waters; :e'
elmo on these banks. Take the .clnDa,
mon and frankincense and myrfh ana
put it upon a censor and swing 1t beloro
the altar" And yet, my friends, wnen
Heaven burst upon us it will be greaF
er surprise than that-Jesus on Vhe
| th,-nn,r L., 1.1-n AII Oul