The San Saba news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1873-1966, 1890-03-28


l truth, but they want the truth to come tc
them; they do not want TO go to it. There
are people who fold their arms and say: Il
am ready to become Christian at any time
If am 70 be saved 1 shall be saved, and if ]
am to be lost shall be LOST But Jerusalem
viii never come TO you; you must 60 TO Jeru-
salem The religion OF the Lord Jesus Christ
viii not come to you; you must 60 and get
religion. Bring out the camcls; put on all
the sweet spices, all the treasures of the
hearts affection Start for the throne. Go
in and hear the waters of salvation dashing
in fountains all around about the throne
Sit down at the banquet-the wine pressed
from the grapes Of the heavenly Eshcol, the
angels Of God the cup bearers. Goad on the
camels. Inc Rihle declares it: "The
Queen of the south"-T,,-. IS. this
very woman 1 am Speaking 0f-'rnv
Queen Of the south shall rfse tiu
IN Judgment against this generation and con
denim it; for She came from the uttermost
parts Of the earth TO hear the wisdom of
Solomon; and. behold greater than Sol
ONION is here" What infatuatiCn the sitting
down ii idlehess expecting to bo saved.
Strive to enter in at the strait gate
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and %
shall find; knock, and it shall be opened TO
you" Take the Kingdom OF Heaven by vio-
ence. Urge on the camelsi
Again, my subject impresses me with the
fact that religion Is a surprise to any one
that gets it. This story Of the new religion
in Jerusalem. and of the glory of King Solo
mon, who was type OF Christ-that story
rolled on aud on, and was told by every tray
soming back from Jerusalem, Tho news
% 'Spa the wing Of every ship and with
y Caravan, and you know q story en-
Ssesseetlles as it is retold and by the time that
story gets down into the southern part Of
Arabia Felix and the Queen Of Sheba hears
it, it must be tremendous story. And vet
this Queen declares in regard to it, although
she had heard so much and had her antici-
pations raised so higA, the half-the half was
not told her.
So religion is always a surprise to any one
that gets it. The story Of grace-an old story.
Apostles preached It with rattle Of chain:
martyrs declared it with arm of fire: death
beds have affirmed it with visions of glory.
and ministers Of religion have sounded it
through the lanes, and the Highways and
the chapels, and the cathedrals. 1t has been
cut into stone with chisel and spread on the
canvas with pencil; and it has been recited
in the doxology Of great congregations. And
yet when a man first comes to look on the
palace of Gods mercy, and TO see the royalty
Of Christ, and the wealth of this banquet, and
the luxuriance of His attendants, and the
loveli1ess Of His face and the joy of His ser
wee, no eXclalms with prayers, with tears,
half was not told men5
I appeal to those who are Christians. Com
pare the idea you had of the Joy Of the
Christian life before you became d Christian
with the appreciation of that joy YOU have
now since You have become a Christian. and
you are willing to attest before angels and men
that you never, in the days Of your spiritual
bondage had any appreciation of what was
to come You are ready to-day to answer
in, owl 70,
have made of the mercy and the grace and
the goodness of God: THE half-the half
was not told mep
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 cargoes for Jesus, and the hard,
drv barren, winter bleached, storm Scared
thunder split rock breaking into floods of
bright water. Deserts into which dromeda-
ries thrust their nostrils, because they were
afraid of the simoon--deserts blooming into
carnation roses and silver tipped lilies
1t is the old story. Everybody tells it.
Isaiah told it, John told it. Paul told it,
Ezekiel told it, Luther told it, Calvin told it.
John Milton told it-everybody tells it: and
yet-and vet 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 hear the 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 fsii-iutU- tine; then the Church
which has been bOiling and struggling through
the centuries, robed and garlaned like bride
adorned for her husband, shall PUT aside her
veil and look up into the face of her Lord tho
King and say: THE half-the half was not
told meF'
Well, there is coming 4 greater surprise to
or ~ Christian-a greater surprise than
anything l have depicted. Heaven is an old
story Everybody talks about it. There is
hardly hymn in the hymn book that does
not refer to it. Children read about it
in their Sabbath-school books. Aged men
put on their spectacles to study it.
We say it is a 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 let
ters, and then we spell il out in rose and lily
and amaranth. And yet that place is going
to be a surprise 10 the most intelligent Chris
tan. Like the Queen of Sheba, the report
has come to US from the far country, and
many of US have started. 1t is a desert march,
but we urge on the camels. What though
our feet be blistered with the way2 We are
Fastening to the palace. We take all our
loves aud hopes and hiistia1 ambitions,
as franlincense and myrrh aud 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. I see the dOmes against the sky,
and the houses of Lebanon and the temples
and the gardens. See the fountains dance in
the sun and the gates flash as they open to
let in the poor pilgrims.
Send the word up to the palace that we
are coming, and that we are weary of the
march of the desert. The King Will come out
and say: "Welcome TO the palace; bathe
in these waters; recline on these banks.
Take this cinnamon and frankincense and
myrrh and put it upon a censor and swing
it before the altar" And yet my friends
when heaven bursts upon us it will be
a greater surprise than that-Jesus on
the throne, and we made like Himl All our
Christian friends surrounding US in gloryI
All our sorrows and tears and sins gone by
foreveri The thousands of thousands, the
one hundred and forty and four thousand,
the great multitudes that no man can num-
Der, will cry, world without end: 1.-THE half
the half was not told mer'