The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1892-08-16
rhE COMING OF TIE LORD.
10 VIII ne Unheralded and Awful for
Those Who Are Not Ready.


Those who Are Not Ready
"I had dream which was not ell a
dream" | saw in my dream that there
was no question of the event in any
mind Not voice denied the anthem
tcity and reality Of the case. Those
who had ever been wont to cavil, who
had hitherto attempted to dispose Of
mysteries by their own vain
philosophy, were silent now. Their
was baffied.
saw, too, how in that moment the
hands on times dial plate stood still. An
order Of arrest was declared before all
the departments of human activity, and
in that supreme moment the entire range
Of secular interests was paralyzed. Men
relaxed their grasp on eanthly things.
Merchants left their counters and pur-
chasers turned AWAY from their goods.
The voice of boisterous mirth was
checked; Q hush came over all, and a
look of awful expectancy was on every
face. I noticed, too, that while a com
mon feeling of awe seemed to pervade
the community, and all were laid under
the spell Of solemn silence, yet that oil
were not affected in the same way. The
agony Of terror which was depicted in
the face and mien 'of some contrasted
most significantly with the peaceful awe
of others.
/ noticed, too, that q significant dis
|tinction and separation was apparent
Character seemed to divide by its OWE
authority. The difference between those
who had served the Lord and those who
had served him not was very clear.
In the meantime nature was making
a change. A peculiar light pervaded
the atmosphere. The sun had with
drawn from sight, yet it was not dusk
and all around the horizon line o.
clouds settled down and continuous
lpeals of thunder broke the silence ant
enhanced the awe.
What moments those werel The earth
ly life seemed done with. Not though
was bestowed on interests which hat
hitherto been 30 pressing. All the none.
in the community WAS at the disposal O
any who might take it. Not a voice
would have been uttered in protest no
a hand raised in its defense. But no
an effort was made, not even q though
given, to embrace such opportunity. 1t
magic power was gone. 1t was no NOR
than the dust of the street.
Standing, waiting on the borders of
,dissolving world. History closing it
pages. The vast infinite unknown abou
to open before every soul-with this tn
vision closed. There was no light, no
even of a dream thrown on the scene
which attend the final dissolution of tn
present and usher in the new dispense
ton. There was no break of the seal
which shroud the unutterable and tn
unseen. But it is just this which die
tates the utterance Of that dream. l
was so natural. 1t was glimpse of tina
hour taken from the human side. Their
was nothing fanciful in 1t.
No tongue or pen can describe tn
coming of our Lord. But the sugges
tions of that dream are no harder t
conceive than any of the familiar earthl
Experiences. 1t accords with the dc
scription given in the word.
The suddenness with which that hou
was declared, the unquestioned convic
ton of its supreme reality, the instar
ltaneous cessation of an earthly interes
and pursuit, these are conceptions whic
come within the graspof human thought
It is an unheralded event. The day @
the Lord will come as q thief in th
might. In that sudden awful instant tn
affairs of earth will stand still and ever
eye shall see him. ...... H..
In our thoughts of the morrow whic
prudence dictates and sagacity controls
: let that morrow have its share Of though
: and care. Seeing we look for sue
: things, what manner of persons ougl
we to be?
Then, o my Lord prepare
My soul for that great day;
o wash me in thy precious blood,
Take all my sins away.
Rev. Isaac L. Kipp in Christian Int
llipancar