The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1892-02-26

erpool, Now you can go that dis
lance in six or seven days, And so !
measure the distance between earth
and heaven and find it is only a
flash. 1t is one instant here, and am
other instant there, 1t is very near
today, Do you not feel the breath
of heaven on your facet Christ says
in one place it is not twenty-four
hours distance, when he says to the
penitent thief, This day, this day,
shalt thou be with me in Paradise. "
1t is not day, it is not an hour, it is
not a minute, 1t is not a second,
Oh, how near heaven is TO earth.
By oceanic cable you send a message,
AS it is expensive to send a message,
you compress great deal of meaning
in few words. Sometimes in two
words you can put vast meaning,
And it seems to me that the angels of
God who carry news from earth to
heaven, need to take up this hour, in
regard to your soul, only two words
in order to kindle with gladness all
the redeemed before the throne, only
two words, Father saved, mother
saved, !" son saved, daughter saved. !"
And there is joy in heaven among
the angels of God over one sinner
that repenteth."
THE SALVATION or THE SOUL.
My subject also impresses me with
the fact that tho salvation of the soul
is of vast importance. If you should
make 5000 600 this year, do you sup
pose that news would be carried to
heaven? 1t would not be of enough
Importance or significance to be car
ried heavenward If at the next
qlladrennial election you are made
president of the United States, do you
suppose that news would be carried
to heaven3 Do you suppose that tho
news of a revolution in France or
Spain would be carried to heaven2
These things are not of enough i'm
portance; but there is one item that
is sure to 10 carried 1t is the saliva
ton of your soul; it is your repent
ance before God
The flying hoofs of Gods couriers
clash throu. h the gates and the news
goes from gate to mansion and from
mansion to temple and from temple
to throne, and there is joy in
heaven" among the angels of God
over one sinner forgiven 1t must be
of vast Importance to be of any mo-
ment in heaven, your salvation in
that land where gladnesses are the
everyday occurrence in that land
where the common stones of the field
are jasper and emerald and chryso-
prasus and carbuncle and sardonyx.
And yet the news of your salvation
makes joy before the throne of God.
You remember years ago stage
driver in the White mountains be-
came very reckless. He had large
number of passengers on the stage,
and the stage was drawn by six
horses, wild and umgovernable, and
he drove near the precipice, and he
drove off, the stage with its precious
freight rolling down the embank-
ment, and many were slain but few
were saved, I suppose when they
wrote home they wrote with con-
CALCULATIONS at their rescue. The
angels of God look down and they
see men driving on the edge of great
precipices of ruin and danger drawn
by wild, leaping, foaming and an-
governable perils in this life, and if
any shall escape before they capsize,
do you not suppose the angels Of God
rejoice, crying: Good, good! Saved
from sin, saved from death, saved
from hell, saved forever2"
The supreme court of the United
States does not adjourn for anything
triliing. 1t must be the death of a
cabinet minister, OF the death of
president, or some matter of very
great moment. When | find all
heaven adjourning its other joys for
this one joy, | make up my mind it
is of very great importance if heav-
en- can afford to adjourn all other
festivities to celebrate this one tri-
umph.
Do you wonder that so many of
these Christian people have toiled
night and day in this work of soul
saving, if it is of such vast inpor
lance? Do you wonder that Nettle
ton and Finley and Bishop A3bury
and John Wesley and George White
field and Paul and angels and Christ
and God stripped themselves for the
work2 Around that one soul circles
the mist, the fire, the darkness, the
! joy, the anthem, the wailing, the
hallelujah and the woe Of Gods uni
verse. If the soul is saved, then lip
comes to trumpet and fingers to harp
and hammer to bell and there is
joy among the angels of God over
that one soul forgiven" For such a
soul l plead.
RELIGION A COMFORT AND A JOY.
Having found in my own expert
ence that this religion is comfort
and joy, | stand here to commend
it to you. In the days of my infancy
was carried by Christian parents to
the house of God, and consecrated in
baptism to the Father, and the Son,
and the Holy Ghost; but that did
not save me. In after time l was
taught to kneel at the Christian
family altar with father and mother
and brothers and sisters, the most Of
them now in glory; but that did not
save me.
In after time | read Doddridge's
Rise and Progress" and Bakers
Call to the Unconverted, and all
the religious books around my ia
theirs household, but that did not
save me. But one day the voice OF
Christ came into my heart, saying,
Repent, repent; believe, believe,
and | accepted the offer of mercy,
and though no doubt there was more
joy in heaven over the conversion OF
other souls because of their far reach.