Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1891-10-02

Naomi. and Paul separated from his friends
at Ephesus, and the father in the
parable greeted the returning pro1igal,
and when the millennium shall come
we are told Righteousness aud peace will kiss
each other, and all the world is invited TO
kiss Christ rs inspiration cries out, kiss
the Son, lest He be angry and ye perish
from the way"-tbat the most sacred demon
stration OF reunion and affection was desc
Grated as the filthy lips OF Judas touched
the pure cheek Of Christ, and the horrid
smack of that kiss has its echo in the treach-
cry AMI debasement AMI hypocrisy of all
ages.
As in December, 1889, walked on thu way
from Bethany and at ths foot OF Mount
Oivet, half mile from the wall of Jerus-
alem through the Garden Of Gethsemane
and under the eight venerable olive trees
now standing. their pomoloyical ancestors
having been witnesses of tho occurrences
spoken OF, the scene OF horror and OF crime
came back to me, until shud1ere1 with the
historical "reminiscences.
In further following cur great ChieItain's
I march through the centuries, | find myself
in a crowd in front of Herod's palace in
Jerusalem, ami on a movable platform
placed u1on a tasselated pavement. Pontus
/ Plate sits. And as once year a condemned
| criminal is pardone1, Plate lets the peo-
pie choose whether it shall he an as
sassn or our Chieftan, and they all cry
/ out for the liberation OK the assassin,
thus declaring they prefer a murderer to the
salvation Of the world. Plate took a basin
Of water in front OF these people and triei
TO wash of the blood OF this murder from
his hands but h1 could not. They ara still
lifted, and | see them looming up through
all the ages, eight fingers and two thumbs
standing out ral with the carnage.
Still following our Chieftain, | ascend the
hill which General Gordon, the great Eng
lish explorer and arbiter made clay model
o.. It is hard climbing for our Chieftain,
for He has not only two heavy timbers to
carry on His back, the upright aud horizon
tai pieces of the cross but He is suffering
from exhaustion caused by lack OF food,
mountain chills desert heats. whippings with
elmwood rods and years Of maltreatment.
1t took our party in 1889 only fiftesl
minutes TO climb TO the top OF the hill and
reach that limestone rock In yonder wall,
which / rolled down from the apex Of Mount
Calvary. But think our Chieftau must
have taken a long time for the ascent for
He had all earth aud all heaven and all hell
on His back as IIe climbed from base TO
summit and there endure what William
Cowper and John Milton and Charles
Wesley and Isaac Watts and James Mont
pomery and all the other sacre1 poets have
attempted 10 put In verse, and Angelo and
Raphael and Titan and Leonardo da Vincl
and all the great italian and German and
Spanish and French artists have attempted
TO paint, and Bossuet and MasilOn and
George Whteheld and Thomas Chalmers
have attempted to preach.
Something OF its overwhelming awful
ness you may estimate from the fact that
he. in haaVAnS
not endure It: the sun which unflinchingly
looked upon the deluge that drowned the
world, which without blinking looked upon
the ruins of earthquakes which swallowed
Lisbon and Caracas, and has looked I'M
blanched on the battlelelds Of Arbela, Blen-
helm, Megiddo and Es1raelon, and all the
scenes of carnage that have ever scalde1
and drenchei the earth with human gore
that sun could not look upon the scene. Tne
sun dropped over its face veil OF cloud. IL
withdrew 1t hill itself IL said TO the mid
night, 81 resign to thee this spectacle up)1
which have no strength 10 gaz1, thou art
blind, o Midnight and for that reason con-
nit to thee this trage1yp Then the night
hawk and the bat few by, and the jacSal
howle1 in the rayines.
Now we follow our Cheftlin rs they
carry His limp and lacerated form amid the
flowers and trees OF a garden, the gla iioluses
the oleanders. the lilies the geraniums, tia
mandrakes, down five or six steps TO an aisle
of granite, where He sleeps. But only
little while He sleeps there, Sor there Is an
earthquake in all that region, leaving the
rocks to this day in their asllnt aud rup-
tured state deciarative OF tho fact that
something extraordinary there happened.
And we 500 our Chieftain arouse
from His bries slumber and wreStle down
the ruffian DEATH who would keep Him i'm
prisoned in that cavern. AM put both heels
on the monster, aud coming forth with
cry that will not CEASE TO be echoed until on
the great resurrection day the door OF the
lost sepulchar shall be unhinge aud hung
changing into the debris Of demolished GENE
teries.
Now we follow our Chleftain to the
shoulder OF Mount Oiivet, and without
wings He rises. the disciples clutchinS for Hit
robes too late to reach them. and across the
great CULTS OF space with one boun lie gains
that world which for thirty-thrse years had
been denied His companionship, AMI oil
heaven lifted shout os welcome
as He entered nn1 OF coronation as
up the me1atorial throne He mounted.
IL was the greatest day heaven
had ever seen. They had Him back again
from tears from woun1S from ills, from
world that never Apr sciate1 Him to world
in which He was the chief delight In all the
libretto Of celestial music it was harl - iinl
an anthem enough conjubilaut - celebrate
the JOY sanity. Seraphic, arch-anselc,
deifc
But still we follow orr Chsftan in His
march through the centuries. for invisibly
He still walks the elrth. and hy the eye OF
faith we still follow Him. You eau tell
where He walks by the churches and hos
fpff nd
houses Of mercy that spring up along the
way. hear His tread in the sick room and
in the abo1es Of bereavement. He marches
on and the nations are gathering
around Him. The islands of the sea are
hearing His voico The continents are fee
ing His power America will be His, EurOp,
will he hisl Asia will he His, Africa will b,
His Australia will be His New Zealand WI |
be Hisl All the earth will be His Do you real
IL, that until now il was impossible for the
world to be convertedy Not until very re
Gently has the world been found.
The Bible talks about "the ends OF the
Garth and the "utterm0st parts OF the
world az being saved. but not until now
nave the lends OF the eartn" been as
covered, AMI not until now have the
'uttermost parts OF the world been re-
yealed. The navigator did his work, the
explorer did his WORK, the scientist did
his work, and now for the first time since
the world has been created has tho world
been known, measured of and geogra-
phized. the lost hidden AMI unknown
tract has been mapped ont and now the
work OF evangelization will be begun with
on earnestness and velocity as yet unin-
imagined. The steamships are ready; tue
lightning express trains are ready the print
ing presses are ready; the telegraph and
telephone are ready, millions OF Christians
are ready and now sea Christ marching on
through the centuries. Marching on March
ing on
One by one governments will fall into line
and constitutions and literatures will adore
His name. More honored and worshiped Is
He in this year of 1891 than at any tlms
since the year one, and the day hastens when
all nations will ion one procession follow
ing the Lamb whittier soever He goeth."
Marching onl Marching on
This dear oil world whose back as been
scourged. whose eyes have been bliniet,
whose heart has besn wruug. will yet rival
heaven. This planets torn robe OF pain and
crime aud dementa will come Off and the
white and spo,less and glitterins robe OF
holiness aud happiness will come on. The
last wouni will have stung for the last time;
the last grief will have wiped its last tear;
l..