Milford chronicle., 1892-08-12

SURVIVES ALL STORMS
As the moon goes through the midst Of
the roaring storm clouds unfinished and
unharmedS land comes out calm and bean
tiful on the other side, so tho church OF
God has sac through all the storms Of
this worlds i,tseluuon aud come out I'M
injured, no worse for the fact that Robe
sphere culsed it, and Voltaire earricatured
It, and Tom Paine sneered at it, and all the
forces of darkness have bombarded it, Not
like some baleful comet shooting across
the sky, scattering terror and dismay
among the nations, but above the long
bowling night of the worlds wretchedness
the Christian church has made her mild
way, 'Fair as the moon"
4 / take a step further In my subject
Clear as the sun" After a season Of
storm or fog how you are thrilled when
the sun comes out at nOondayl Tho niists
travel up hill above hill mountain above
mountain, until they are sky lost The
forests are full Of chirp and buzz and song,
honey makers on the log, birds beak
pounding the bark, the chatter OF the
squirrel ON the rail, the call Of hawk out
of the clear sky make You thankful for
the sunshine which makes all the world 50
busy and so glad. The same sun which in
the morning kindled conhagrations among
the castles OF cloud, stoops down to paint
the lily white and the buttercup yellow
and the forgetmenot blue,
What can resist the sum- Light for
voyager on the deep, light for shepherds
| guarding tho flQcks afeld, light for the
poor who have no lamps 70 burn, light for
/ the downcast and the weary light for
aching eyes and burning brain and con
/ Stunning captive, light for the smooth brow
Of childhood and the dim vision Of the
Octogenarian, light fer queens coronet and
sewing girls Reedle. Let there be light"
| Now, says my text "Who is she that
! looketh forth clear as the stunt" Our an
swer is the church. You have been go
/ ing along road before dayhrcak, and ON
one side you thought a saw n lion, and on
the other side you Thought you saw COB [
lin of the darkness, but when the sun
came out you found these were harmless I
apparitions. And it is the great mission 1
Of the church of Jesus Christ to come /
forth "clear as the sum- TO illumine all /
earthly darkness to explain as far rs /
possible all mystery, and 70 make the 4
world radiant in its brightness, and that /
which you thought was an aroused lion (
is found out to be a slumbcring lamb, and I
the sepalehrul gates of your dead turn out 7
to be the opening gates Of heaven, and /
that which you supposed was flaming 1
sword to keep you out Of paradise is an 4
angel Of light to beckon you in.
SUN OF THE CHURCH
The lamps on her altars viii cast their
r,r'v on your darkest pathway md cheer
,uu until, far beyond the need Of lnntern
or lighthouse, you are safely anchored (
within the vail Oh. sun Of the church,
shine on until there is no sorrow to soothe,
- tears to wipe away, no shackles TO
rtetk, 40 more souls TO be reGeemedi Ten
thousand hands Of sin have attempted to
exlinguish the lamps on her affairs, but
they are queuchless, and to silence her pull
pits, but tho thunder would leap and the
lightning would flame.
The church OF God will yet come to full
meridian, and in that day all the noun
tains Of the world will be sacred noun
tains, touched with the glory of Calvary
and all streams will flow by the mount Of
God like cool Sloan, and all lakes be re-
Giant with Gospel memories like Genuesii-
ret, and all islands of the sea be crowned
with ppucHlyptio vision like Patpos and
all cities be sacred as Jerusalem, and ali
gardens luxuriant as paradise, with God
walking in the cool Of tho day, Then the
chorals Of grace viii drown out all the AN
thems of earth Then the throne of Christ
will overtop all earthly authority. Then
the crown of Jesus will Outflame all other
corOnets. Sin destroyed. peath dead
Hell defeated, The church triumphant
All the durknesses of sin, all the dark
nesses Of trouble, all the -darknesses OF
earthly mystery hieng themselves to their
dens CLEAR as the spnI Clear as the
sunp'
Further, "rcrribie as an army with ban
ncrs.n / take one more step in this sub
ieet and sag that if you were placed for
army were seen coming over the hills with
flying ensigns, then you would BE- able to
get some idea of the terror that will strike
the hearts of the enemies OF God when the
church ut LAST marches on like IAN army
with banners"
You know there is nothing that exeites
Il soldiers enthusiasm so much rs an old
flag, Many man almost dead. catching
Il glimpse OF the national ensign, mas (
sprung to hiss feet and started again into
the battle. Now, my friends, don't want
You to think Of the church of Jesus Christ
as u defeated institution, as the victim Of
intldcl sarcasm something to be kicked
and cuifcd and trampled on through all
the ages II the world. It is IAN army
with banners" 1t has an inscription and
colors such rs never stirred the hearts OF
any earthly soldierY.
We have orr banner Of recruit. and on it
is inscribed, "Who Is on the Lords sidc?"
Our banner Of defiance, and on 10 IS in
sctibed, 1.-THE gates Of hell shall not pre-
vail against us" Our BANNER Of triumph. .
aud OH il is inscribed, Victory through ,
, ir Lord Jesus CHRISTI and we mean TO
plant that banner ON every hilltop and
wave it at the gate of heaven,
CHRIST OUR LEADER
With Christ to lead us VIC need not fear
will not underrate the enemy They are
a tremendous host. They come on with
acutest strategy. Their weapons by all 4
the inhabitants Of darkness have been q
forged in furnaces Of everlasting fire. We /
contend not with flesh and blood, but with @
aud powers and spiritual
wiceedness in high places; bat If God be a
for MS who can be against usy Come on, t
ye troops of the Lord! Fall into line y
Close mp the ranssl On, through burning
sands and over frozen mountain tops. until 2
The whole earth surrenders to God lie Q
n1li!e IT, he redeemed IT, lac shall have il,
They shall not be tramp!ed with hoofsi J.
they shall not be cut with sahers, they
3h II not De crushed with wheels they shall y
not be cloven with battle axes but the J
and the onset, and the victory
will be none the less decisive for that.
With Christ to lead us. and heaven to
look down upon as, and angels to guard
us. and martyr spirits 10 bend from their 4
thrones. and the voice Of God to bid us
forward into the combat, our enemies shall
iy like chan in the whirwind, ana an the
towers Of heaven ring because the day is
ours. divide this army with banners IN
10 two wings-the American wing and the
European wing. The American wing viii
march on across the wilds Of the west
over the tablelands, and come to Tie
pecan, no more stopped by the Pacific than
The Israeiites were stopped by the Red Sea,
on until the remaining walls Of 1
China will fall before this army with ban .
lers and cold Siberia viii s. TURNED to the I
Rarm heart Of Christ. aud over lofty I
Iiinialayan peaks shall 20 this army with I
banners until il halts as Palestine g