The Red Cloud chief., 1892-08-19
sweet voice Of praise, while the stars

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more lovingly watched n sick cradle
than this pale watcher OF the sky bends
over the weary, heart sick. s~lumbcring
earth, singing To II silvcry music, while
IT Is rocked In the cradle Of the spheres
Now, says my text, "Who Is she, fair
as the moon"' Our answer Is the
church. Like the moon, she IL u bor-
rowed light. She gathers up the glory
OF a Saviour's su~ifcrings, n Saviour's
death, u Saviour's resurrection, u Sa-
viour's ascension, and pours that light
on palace and dungeon, on squalid
heathcnisn and elaborate skcpticism,
on widows tears and martyrs robe of
flame, on weeping pcnitencc and loud
mouthcd scorn.
She is the only institution to-day that
gives any light to world. Into her
portal the poor come and get the SYM
pathy of u nee pillowlcss Christ, the
bercavcd come and see the bottle In
which God saves all tears and the cap
tives come, and on the sharp corners of
her affairs dash off their chains, and the
thirsty come and put their cup under
the Rock OF Ages" which pours forth
from its siuittcn side living water.
sparkling water, crystalline water from
under the throne Of God and the Lamb.
Blessed the bell that calls her Worship
crs to prayer. Blessed the water in
which her members are baptized.
Blessed the wine that glows In her
sacramcntal cups blessed the songs
on which her devotions travel up and
the angels Of God travel down.
AS the moo goes through the midst
OF the roaring storm clouds unfinished
and unframed, and comes out calm and
beautiful on the other side, SO the
church OF God has gone through all
the storms OF this worlds persecution
and comc ou uninjurcd, no worse for
the fact that Robcspicrrc cursed II, and
Voltairc caricaturcd II, and Tom Paine
snccred AZ II, and all the forces ofdark-
ness have bombardcd IL. Not like some
balcful comet shooting across the sky,
scattering terror and dismay among
the nations, but above the long bowling
night Of the worlds wrctchcdness the
Christian church has made her mild
way, fair rs the moon"
take II step further in my subject
>iNtt hN Nv sun hlht ~ N'ugpl "
storm or fog, how you are thrilled
when the sun comes outatnoonday! The
mists travel mp hill above hill, mount
ain above mountain, until they are sky
lost The forests are full of chirp and
buzz and song; honey makers on the
log, birds bcak pounding the bark, the
chatter Of the squirrel on the rail, the
call Of a hawk out of the clear sky,
make you thankful for the sunshine
which makes all the world so busy and
SO glad. The same sun which in the
morning kindled contlagrations among
the castles OF cloud, stoops down To
paint the lily white, and the butter
cup yellow, and the forget-me-not blue.
What can resist the sun? Light for
voyagcr on the deep; light for shcp-
herds guarding the iiocks nficld; light
for the poor who have nolamp, to burn;
light for the downcast and the weary;
light for aching eyes and burning brain
and consuming captive; light for the
smooth brow Of childhood and the dim
vision OF the o~ctogcnarian; light for
queens coronct and sewing girls needle.
LET there be light"
Now, says my text: "Who IL she that
looketh forth clear rs the SUM-" Our
answer Is, the church. You have been
going along IA road before daybrcalS,
and on one side you thought you saw Il
lion, and and on the other side you
thought you saw n goblin Of the dark.
ness, but when the sun came out you
found these were harmless apparitions
And it is the great mission of the church
of Jesus Christ to come forth ''clcar as
the sum-" TO illume all earthly darkness,
to explain, as far as possible, all mystic
nv, and TO make the world radiant
in its brightness: and hat which you
thought was an aroused lion Is found
out to be n slumbering lamb; and the
s%epulchral gates of Heaven; and thai
which you supposed was Il flaming
swordto keep you out OF Paradise, is an
nngcl Of light TO beckon you in.
The lamps on her affairs will east
their glow on your darkest pathway,
and cheer you until. far beyond thu
need Of lantern or lighthouse, you are
safely anchored within the veil. O. sur
of the church,! shine on until there is M
sorrow to soothc. no tears to wip,
away, no shackles to break, no NOR,
souls to be redeemed. Ten Thousand
hands Of sin have attempted to extin
guish the lamps on her affairs, but they
are qucnchless; and to silence her pull
pits, but the thunder would leap ant
the lightning would flame.
Tho church of God will yet come u
full meridian, and in that day all tn,
mountains of the world will be sacred
mountains, touched with the glory o.
calvary, and all streams will flow by
the mount Of God like cool Sloan, ant
all lakes be radiant with gospel mem
cries like Genuesaret, and all islands O
the sea be crowned with apocalypti,
visions like Patinos, and all the cities
be sacred as Jerusalem, and all gardens
luxuriant as Paradise, with God walk
ing in the cool Of the day. Then tn,
chorals Of grace will drown out all thu
anthems Of earth. Then the throne O
Christ will overtop all earthly author
ity. Then the crown Of Jesus will ont
fame all other coronets Sin destroyed
DEATH dead. He'll defeated. Th