The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1892-05-11

pearlng, and soon the heather shall
be given to the Son for his inheri-
lance, and the uttermost parts of
the earth for his possession. The
cross of Christ will be soon sur
mounted with the crown of his
glory.
The gospel, in its advance, brings
with it all that beauties and adorns
life. The log school houses have
given place to magnificent universe
ties; the outcasts have been gather
ed into houses that well deserve the
name of homes the orphans have
the sheltering arms of loving SER
vans of God; che sick and suffer
ing find retreat where the highest
skill is at their service, and the
aged and infrm are comforted. The
servants of Christ need no longer be
distinguished by peculiarities of
dress and the badges that mark
their profession, but make them
selves conspicuous by a life that is
the exponent of what the grace of
God can do.
The strongest and most noble men
in the world to day are those who
are serving under the banner of the
cross; the gentlest, most graceful,
and most attractive of the women
OF the world are those who have
chosen the good part that shall not
be taken away from them.
One Fold and one Shepherd.
We praise God for the promise
to be fulfilled that there shall be
one fold and one shepherd.
The fulflment of this prophecy
will not be found at Chicago, in
1898, when the Parliament of Re-
ligions shall assemble where there
will be no worship, no praise to
Christ, no unity of the Spirit. The
realization of the promise will not
come by compromising the funda-
mental doctrines of Gods Word,
and trimming the confessional sym.
bols until a formulary is framed
upon which all men who have any
religious emotions may stand. 1t
will not be found In the sheltering
arms of the historic episcopate;
but it will be realized when He shall
come the second time, without sin,
unto salvation; when the Holy
Spirit shall reveal to us things to
come, when the unity of the Spirit
In the bonds of peace shall mani
fest itself in the uniformity of the
worship and service of Gods peo-
pie. We are restless and impatient
to have the prayer answered, THY
kingdom come" But all through
the generations this prayer is to be
uttered, and every earnest effort of
ChIist's church to convert the world,
hasiens the coming of the kingdom.
In our own hearts and lives the
kingdom is to come more and more,
and the gospel of grace must first
be preached to all nations. Genera
tions are yet to come before the bar
riers that separate the children of
God shall be removed, and our part
is to labor and wait till Gods pur-
pose shall be fulfilled. Gods plans
alone can issue in the fulfilment of
his promises, and he has all eternity
in which to verify his word
Preparing History.
We praise God that we are called
to prepare history for the genera
tons to come.
We cannot live upon the glory of
the past, but we may be stimulated
by il 10 DO more fully the duties of
the present. 1t behooves us to
write legibly upon the page of the
worlds history that will so soon be
turned, that the nobIest men that
Christianity has produced are not
those who have been long dead. 1t
becomes us to show that we are not
degenerate sons of those who con-
tended earnestly for t faith once
delivered to the saints If Christ
needs men to stand by him in the
hour Of darkness, we are the men
who should claim the place and the
honor. If but two swords can be
found for defence, let us handle at
least one of them.
Let us see to it that nothing be
allowed to corrupt the pure foun-
talo of Gods word. Let learning
profound md accurate range itself
upon The side of those who are
repositories of the truth. Let not
reason usurp the place that be-
longs to revelation Let the piety
Of Christi followers be more robust
and aggressive than it has ever been.
When he calls ne to follow him. and
some seductive voice suggests that
there are sacred offices of earthly
affection .Iaf will birIcr 1ct ma.