The Portland daily press., 1892-10-08

;l4,; jsioancd and tslunlcrct: when lis
died.
A missionary IN France offered a
Bible to an humble dwelling. The man
took it. tore out a dozan pages, and
with them began to light his pipe.
Some years after the missionary hap
pencd in the same house. The family
had just lost their son in the Crimean
war, and his Bible had been sent back
home. The missionary took it up and
saw that it was the very same Bible
that he had left in the house, and from
which the leaves had been torn. The
dying soldier had written on one of the
leaves of the Bible: Rejected and
scoffed at, but finally believed in and
saved" The Bible may be used to light
the pipe of witicism by some, but for
us it is staff in life, pillow in death,
and our joy for eternity.
Walk all up and down this Bible do,
main. Try every path. Plunge in at
the prophecies and come out at the
epistles. Go with the patriarchs until
you meet the evangelists. Rummage
and ransacl1, as children who are not
satisfied when they come to a new
house, until they know what is in every
room, and into what every door opens.
Open every jewel casket. Examine the
slxylights. Forever be asking questions.
Put to a higher use than was intended
the oriental proverb: "Hold all the
skirts of thy mantle extended wher
heaven is raining gold"
Passing from Bonn to Coblentz on the
Rhine the scenery is comparatively tame.
But from Coblentz to Nfayence it is en-.
chanting You sit on deck and feel as
if this last fash of beauty must exhaust
the scene; but in moment there is a
turn of the river, which covers up the
former view with more luxuriant vine
yard, and more defiant castles, and
holder bluffs, vine-wreathed and grapes
80 ripe that if the hills be touched, they
would bleed their rich life away into the
bowels of Bingen and Hockheimer
Here and there, there are streams OF
water melting into the river, like
smaller joys swallowed in the
bosom of a great gladness. And
when night begins to throw its
black mantle over the shoulder of the
hills, and you are approaching disem-
barl1ation at Mayence, the lights along
the shore fairly bewitch the scene with
their beauty, giving one a thrill that ne
feels but once, yet that lasts him for
ever So this river Of Gods word is not
a straight stream, but winding SPLEEN
dor-at every turn new wonders to at
tract, still ripper vintage pressing to the
brink, and crowded with castles OF
strength (Stolzenfels and Johannis ber-
ger as nothing compared with the
strong tower into which the righteous
run and are saved, and our disembark-
alton at last, in the evening, amidst the
lights that CLEAN from the shore OF
heaven The trouble is that the vast
majority of Bible voyagers stop at
Coblentz, where the chief glories begin.
The sea Of Gods word is not like Gen
nesaret, twelve miles by six, but bound
less; and in any one direction yoa can
sail on forever Why, then, confine
yourself to a short psalm, or to few
verses of an epistle? The largest fish
are not near the shore. Hoist all sail
to the wind of heaven. Take hold of
both oars and pull away. Be like some
of the whalers that went out from New
Bedford or Portsmouth, to be gone two
or three years. Yea, calculate on life
time voyage. You do not want to land
until you land in heaven. Sail away, C
We mariners, for eternity! Launch out
into the deep.
The text is appropriate to all Chris
tians of shallow experience. Doubts
and fears have in our day been almost
elected to the parliament of Christian
graces. Some consider tia bad sign not
to have any doubts Doubts and fears
are not signs of health, but testers and
carbuncles You have a valua bic house
or farm. 1t is suggested that the title
is not good. You employ counsel. You
have the deeds examined. You search
the record for mortgages, judgments
and liens. You are not satisfied until
you have a certificate, signed by the
great seal of the state, assuring you
that your title is good. Yet how many
leave their title to Heaven an unde-
cided matter! Why do you not go to
the records and find out? Give yourself
no rest, day or night, until you can
read your title clear to mansions in the
skies.
Christian character is to come up to
higher standards. We have now to
hunt through our library to find one
Robert McCheyne, or one Edward Pay
son, or one Harlan Page. The time
will come when we will find half
dozen of them sitting in the same seat
with us. The grace of God can make
great deal better men than those I
have mentioned. Christians seem afraid
they will get heterodox by going too far.
They do not believe in Christian per-
lection. There is no danger of your
being perfect for some time yet. will
keep watch and give you notice in time,
if you get too near perfection for the
safety of your theology. One-half of
you Christians are simply stuck in the
mud. Why not cut loose from every
thing but God? Give not to Him that
formal petition made up of ''O's'' 30
Lord" this and go Lord!' that. When
people are cold, and have nothing to say
to God they strew their prayers with
''Os" and Forever and ever, Amen"
and things to fill up. Tell God what
l.