Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1892-03-05

come to you; you must go 70 Jerusalem
The Bible declares it: THE queen OF the
southn-that is, this very woman am speak
ing of-.'the queen OF the south shall rise up
in Judgment against this generation and
condemn it for she came from thu uttsrmost
parts of the earth to hear the wisdom OF
Solomon; and, behold a greater than Solo
mon is here" God help me TO break up the
infatuation of those people who are sitting
down in idIeness expecting to be saved
Strive to enter in at the straight gate.
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek and ye
shall fms; knock, and it shall be openet u
youn Take the kingdom OF heaven BY yio-
lence Urge on the camels
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, VINO was type OF Christ-that story
rolls on and Oh and is told by even traveller
coming back from jerusalem. The news
goes on thu wing Of every ship and with
every caravan, AMI yaa know a story EN-.
larges as it is retold, and bv the time that
story gets down into the southern part of
Arabia Felix, and the Queen Of Sheba hears
II, 1t must be tremendous story. And yet
this queen declares in regard to it, although
she had heard so much and had her antici-
pations raised so high, 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;
deathbeds have affirmed it with visions of
glory and ministers of religion have sounded
1t through the lanes and the highways and
the chapels and the catAedrals It has been
cut into stone with chisel and spread on the
canvas with pencil, and it has been recited
IN the doxoiogy of great congregations
And yet when man first comes to look on
the palace of Gods mercy and to see the
royalty of Christ, aud the wealth of this
banquet, an the luxuriauce of His attend
ants, and the lovliness of His face, and the
JOY OF His service, he exclaims with PRAYERS.
with tears, with signs, with triu nphs, "Fhe
half-the half was not told map
appeal to those in this house who are
Christians. Compare the idea YOU had of
the JOY of the Christian life before YOU be.
clmea Christian with the appreciation of
that joy you have now since you have be-
come Christian, and you are willing to at
test before angels and men that you never in
ths days OF your spiritual bondage had any
appreciation of what was to come You are
ready to-day to answer and if ] gave you
an opportunity in the midst of this assem-
blage you would speak out and say in re-
gard to the discoveries you have made of the
mercy and the grace and the goodness of
God, THE half--the half was not told men
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 Tarshisl
bringing cargoes for Jesus, and the hard
dry, barren, winter bleached, storm SCARED,
thunder split rock breaking into floods of
bright water. Deserts into which drome-
diaries thrust their nostrls, because they
were afraid of the simoom-ieserts bloom
ing into carnation roses and silver tipped
lilies.
1t is the old story. Every body tells it,
Isaiah told it, John told it, Paul told it, Eze-
kiai told it, Luther told it, Calvin told it,
john Milton told it-everybody tells it, and
yet-and yet 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 voica of God and wheel
into line; and India, destroying her jugger.
naut and snatcEing up her little children
from the GangeS, shall hear the voice of
God and wheel into line. aud vine covered
Italy, and all the nations of the earth shall
hear the voice OF God and fall into line; then
the church which has been toiling and struz-
Cling through the centuries, robed and gar
landed like bride adorned for her husband
shall put aside her vail and look up into the
face of her Lord and King, AMI say, 1.-The
half-the halt was not told mel"
Well, there is coming greater surprise to
every greater bldf
anything | have depicted. Heaven is an
old story. Everybody talss alb out it. There
is hardly a hymn in the hymn book that
does not refer to it. Children real about it
In their Sabb ath-school book Aged men
put on their spectacles to study it. We say
it is harb0r from the storm. We call
it our homes. We say it is the house of
many mansions. We weave together all
sweet, beautiful, delicate exhilarant words;
I've yyaaya than info iatfarS mil thar, -ua
spell 1t out in ross and lily and anarauth.
And yet that place is going to b. surprise
to the most intelligent Christian.
Like the Queen of Sheba, the report has
come to us IRON the far country, and many
of us have started. 1t is a desert march, but
we urge on the cameis What though our
/ feet be blisteret with the way? We are
fastening to the palace. We take all our
loves and hopes aud Christian ambitions, as
/ frankincense and myrrl AMI casSa to the
| great King. We must not rest We must
not halt The night is coming on aud it is
not safe out here i'll the desert. Urge on the
| camels. l see the domes against the sky,
and the houses of Lebanon, and the tenn
pies and the gardens. See the fountains
dance in the sun, and the gates fash as they
open to let in the poor pilgrims
Semi the word up to the palace that we
are coming, and tnat we are weary OF the
march OF the dessrJ. The King will come
out ana say; wv elcome 10 the palace;
battle in these waters reclins on these
banks Take this cinnamon aud frankiu-
cense and myrrh and put it upon a censor
and swing it before the altar" Aud yet my
friends, when heaven bursts upon us it will
be greater surprise than that-Jesus on the
/ throne, and we male like Him All our
/ Christian friends SURROUNDING us in glory !
| All our sorrows and tears and sins gone by
forever The thousands of thousands, the
one hundred and forty and four thousand,
the great multItu les that no man eau mum.
! the half was not told us7