The Portland daily press., 1892-10-29

will saw to those who have never fallen ana
consequently have not been redeemed:
you must be silent now you have mol Inc
qualification for this anthem so they slt
with clcsed lips and folded hands and SIN
ners saved by grace take up the harmony,
for the Bible says ''no man can learn that
song but the hundred and forty and four
Thousand which were redeemed from the
earth.'
A great prima donna, who can now DO any
thing with her voice, told me that when she
first started in music her teacher in Berlin
told her she could be a good singer, but GER
tain note she could never reach. Sand then"
she said, II went to work and studied and
practced for years until I did reach it." But
the song of the sinner redeemed, the Bible
SAYS, the exalted harmonists who have never
sinned could not reach and never will reach
Would you like to hear me in very poor
way play snatch of that tune! can give
you only one bar OF the music on thls
gospel harp: Unto him that hath loved
US and washed us from our sins in His own
blood and hath made us kings and priests
unto God and the Lamb, to Him be glory
and dominion forever and ever, Amen"
But before leaving this interrogatory, why
God let's sin come into the wcrlds let me say
that great battles seem to be nothing but
suffering and outrage at the time OF their
occurrence, yet after they have been long
while past we can see that it was better for
them to have been fought, namely. Salamls
Inkermann, Toulouse, Arbela, Agincourt,
Trafalgar, Blenheiln, Lexington, Sedan. So
now that the great battles against sin and
suffering are. going on we can see mostly
that which is deplorable. But twenty
thousand years from now, standing in glory,
we shall appreciate that Heaven is better
off than if the battle of this worlds sin and
suffering had never been projected.
But now / come nearer home and put a
dark saying on the gospel harp, style of
question that is asked million times every
year. Interrogation the fourth: Why do
have it so hard while others have it so easys
or why do have so much difficulty in get
ting livelihood while others go around with
full portemonnaie? or, why must Iwear
these plain clothes while others have to
push hard to get their wardrobes closed, so
crowded are they with brilliant attire! or,
why should have to work so hard while
Others have three hundred and sixty five
holidays every years They are all practic-
ally one question. I answer them by saying,
it is because the Lord has his favoritos and
he puts extra discipline upon you and extra
trial because he has for you extra glory, ex-
ira enthronement, and extra facilities.
That is no guess of mine but adivine sayso:
s'Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth."
''Well," says some one, II would rather
have little less in Heaven and a little
more here. Discount my heavenly robe
ten per cent. and let me now put it on, a fur
lined overcoat; put me in a less gorgeous
room of the house of many mansions and
let me have house here in a better neigh
borhood." No, no; God is not going to rob
Heaven, which is to be your residence for
nine hundred quadrillion of years to fix up
your earthly abode which you will occupy
at most for less than a century, and where
you may perhaps stay only ten years longer,
or only one year, or perhaps month more
Now you had better cheerfully let God have
His way, for, you see, He has been taking
care of folks for near seven thousand years,
and knows how to do it, and can see what is
best for you better than you can yourself.
Don't think you are too Insignificant to be
divinely cared for. 1t was said that Diana,
the goddess, could not be present to keep
her temple at Ephesus from burning be-
cause she was attending upon the birth Of
him who who was to be Alexander the
Great But tell you that your God and my
God is so great in small things as well as
large things that He could attend the cradle
of world.
And God will make it all right with you,
and there is one song that you will sing
every hour your first ten years in Heaven,
and the refrain of that song will be: Il am
so glad God did not let me have it my own
way" Your case will be all fixed up in
Heaven, and there will be such reversal OF
conditions that we can hardly find each other
for some time. Sumo of us who have lived
in frst-rate houses here and in frst-rate
neighborhoods will be found, because of our
lukewarmness of earthly service, living on
one of the back streets of the celestial city,
and clear down at the end of it as No. sos, or
908, or 1905, while some who had unat-
tractive earthly abodes, and cramped one
at that, will, in the heavenly city, be in
house fronting the royal plaza, right by the
imperial fountain, or on the heights overlook
ing the River of Life, the chariots of saliva
ton hating at your door while those who
visit you are more than conquerors, and those
who are kings and queens unto God for
ever. You, my brother, and you, my sister,
who have it so hard here will have it so fine
and grand there that you will hardly know
yourself, and will feel disposed to dispute
your own identity, and the first time l see
you there will cry out: Didn't tell yon
so when you sat down there in the Brook
lyn Tabernacle and looked incredulous be-
cause you thought it too good to be trues"
And you will answer: .sYou were right, the
half was not told me!' So this morning I
open your dark saying of dependency and
complaint on my gospel harp and give you
just one bar of music. for 1 do not pretend
to be much of player. 'sThe Lamb which
is in the midst OF the throne shall lead them
to living fountains of water and God shall
wipe away all tears from their eyes," But
must confess I am little perplexed how
some of you good Christians are going to
get through the gate, because there will be
so many there to greet you and they will
all want to shake hands at once and will all
want the first kiss. They will have heard
that you are coming, and they will all press
around to welcome you and will want you
to say whether you know them after being
so long parted.
Amid the tussel and romp of reunion I
will tell you whose hand of welcome you
had better first clasp and whose cheek is
entitled to the first kiss. It is the hand and
the cheek of Him without whom you would
never have got there at all, the Lord Jesus,
the darling of the skies, as he csies out, 81
have loved thee with an everlasting love and