The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-09-24

there are three doxologies. Where there is
one day of cloud, there is Whole season OF
sunshine. Take the humblest Christian man
that you know-angels of God canopy him
with their white wings: the lghtpings of
Heaven arehis armed allies; the Lord is his
shepherd, picking out for him green
pastures by still waters; if he walk forth,
Heaven is his bodyguard; if he lie down to
sleep, ladders Of light, angel blossoTling
are let into his dreams; if he be thirsty, the
potentates of Heaven are his cup bearers; il
he sit down to food, his plain table blooms
into the Kings banquet. Men say ''Look
at that old fellow with the worn out coat;''
the angels of God cry: lift up your heads,
We everlasting gates, and let him come in u
Fastidious people cry: "Get off my front
steps;'' the doorkeepers of Heaven cry
Come you blessed OF my father, inherit
the kingdomr; When he comes to die,
though he may be carried out in a pine Dox
to the potter's field, to the potter's field
the chariots of Christ will come down, and
the calvacade will crowd all the boulevards
of Heaven.
bless Christ for the present satisfaction
of religion. 1t makes man all right with
reference to the past: it makes man all
right with reference to the future. o, these
neither springs Of comfort! They are pcren-
NAL The foundation of God standeth sure
having this seal, ''The Lord knoweth them
that are His. y. .'The mountains shall depart
and the hills be removed, but my kindness
shall not depart from thee, neither shall the
covenant of my peace be removed, saith the
Lord, who hath mercy upon them" Q,
cluster of diamonds set in FURNISHED gold
o, neither springs of comfort bursting
through all the valleys of trial and tribula-
tion When you see, you of the world, what
satisfaction there is On earth in religion, do
YOU not thirst after it as the daughter OF
Caleb thirsted after the water springs! 1t
is no stagnant pond, scummed over with
malaria but springs of water leaping from
the Rock of Ages! Take up one cup of that
spring water, and across the top of the
chalice will float the delicate shadows of the
heavenly wall, the yellow of jasper, the
green of emerald, the blue of sardonyX, the
fire of jacinth.
wish could make you understand Inc
Joy religion is to some of US. It makes
man happy while he lives, and glad when he
dies. With two feet upon chair and burst
ing with dropsies, heard an old man in the
poor house cry out: sBless the Lord, oh my
soulr' looked around and said: "What
has this man got to thank God fOr!" 1t
makes the lame man leap like the hart, and
the dumb sing. They say that the old Puri-
tan religion is juiceless and joyless relig-
ion; but l remember reading Of Dr.. Goodwin,
the celebrated Puritan, who, in his last mo-
ments said: as this dyings Why, my bow
abides in strength. l am swallowed up in
God" t'Her ways are ways Of pleasantness,
and all her paths are peace 0, you who
have been trying to satisfy yourselves with
the 'south land" of this world, do you not
feel that you would, this morning, like to
have access to the neither springs of spiritual
comforts Would you not like to have Jesus
Christ bend over your cradle and bless your
table and heal your wounds, and strew flow
ers of consolation all up and down the
graves of your deads
IT'S religion that can give
Sweetest pleasures While we live;
TITS religion can supply
Sweetest comfort when we die.
But I have something better to tell you,
suggested by this text. 1t seems that old
father Caleb on the wedding day of his
daughter wanted to make her just as happy
as possible. Though Othniel was taking
her away, and his heart was almost broken
because she was going, yet he gives her
'south land;n not only that, but the neither
springs not only that, but the upper
springs. o, God, my Father, thank Thee
that Thou hast given me ''south land" in
this world, and the neither springs of spirit
ual comfort in this world; but, more than
all, thank Thee for the upper springs in
Heaven.
1t is very fortunate we can not see Heaven
until we get into it. o, Christian man, II
you could see what place it is, we would
never get you back again to the Office, or
store, or shop, and the duties you. ought to
perform would 60 neglected. I am glad
shall not see that world until ! enter it. Sup
pose we were allowed to go on an excursion
into that good land with the idea of return
ing. When we got there, and heard the
song, and looked at their raptured faces,
and mingled in the supernal society, we
would cry out: ''Let US stay! We are COM
ing here anyhow. Why take the trouble OF
going back again to that old world. We are
here now, let us stay" And it would take
angelic violence to put us out of that world
if once we got there But as people who can
not afford to pay for an entertainment
sometimes come around it and look through
the door ajar, or through the openings in
the fence, so we come and look through
the crevices in that good land which
God has provided for us. We can just catch
a glimpse of it. We come near enough to
hear the rumbling of the eternal orchestra,
though not near enough to know who blows
the cornet or who fingers the harp. My soul
spreads out both wings and claps them in
triumph at the thought of those upper
springs. One of them breaks from beneath
the throne; another breaks forth from be-
meath the altar of the temple; another at
the door of the "house of many mansions"
Upper springs of gladness! Upper springs
oflight! Upper springs oflove! It no fancy
of mine. ''The Lamb which is in the midst OF
the throne shall lead them to living foun-
tains of water" o, Saviour divine, roll in
upon our souls one of those anticipated rap
lures! Pour around the roots Of the parched
tongue one drop of that liquid life! Toss be-
fore our vision those fountains of God, rain
bowed with eternal victory. Hear it. They
are never sick there; not so much as head
1che, or twinge rheumatic, or thrust neu-
ralgic The inhabitant never says: 81 am
sick'' They are never tired there.
Flight to farthest world is only
the play Of holiday. They never
sin there. 1t is as easy for them to be holy
as it is for us to sin. They never die there.
You might go through all the outskirts of
the great city and find not one place where
the ground was broken for a grave. The
Al. s., III,