Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1892-03-04


quicker perception of what is right,
more ardent affection and capacity
for sublimer emotion. After the
women have received the Gospel then all
the distressed and the poor of both sexes,
those who have no friends, accept Jesus.
Last of all come the people OF affluence
and high social position. Alas, that it is
sol
II there are those here to-day who have
been favored of fortune, or, as / might
better put it, favored Of God, surrender
all you have and all you expect to be to
the Lord who blessed this queen of Sheba.
Certainly you are not ashamed to be found
in this queens company. l am glad that
Christ has had his imperial friends in all
ages--Elizabeth Christina, queen OF Prus-
STA; Maria Feodorovna, queen OF Russia;
Marie, empress Of France; Helena,
the imperial mother of Con.
stantine; Arcadia, from her great
/ fortunes building public baths in Constan-
tinople and toiling for the alienation of
the masses; Queen Clotilda, leading her
husband and three thousand OF his armed
warriors TO Christian BAPTISM; Elizabeth
of Burgundy, giving her ieweled glove to
beggar, and scattering great fortunes
among the distressed; Prince Albert,
singing Rock of Ages" in Windsor Castle,
and Queen Victoria, incognita, reading
the scriptures to dying pauper
l bless God that the day is coming when
royalty will bring all its thrones, and
music all its harmonies, and painting all
its pictures, and sculpture all its statuary,
and architecture all its pillars and con-
quest all its sceptres; and the queens OF
the earth, in long line OF advance, frank
incense filling the air and tle camels laden
with gold, shall approach Jerusalem, and
the gates shall be hosted, and the great
burden of splendor snail be lifted into the
palace Of this greater than Solomon.
Again my subject teaches me what is
earnestness in the search of truth. Dc
| you know where Sheba vast 1t was in
! Abyssinia, or some say in the southern
! part of Arabia Felix. In either case it
was great way off from Jerusalem. To
! get from there to Jerusalem she had to
cross a country infested with bandits, and
| go across blistering deserts. Why did not
the Queen OF Sheba stay at home and
send Il committee to inquire about this
new religion, and have the delegates re.
! port in regard to that religion and
wealth of King Solomonl Sac wanted
to see for herself and hear for herself.
She could not do this by work of COM
mittee. She felt she hal a soul worth
ten thousand kingdoms like Sheba, and
she wanted robe richer than any woven
by Oriental shuttles, and she wanted a
crown set with the jewels of eternity.
Bring out the camels. Put on the spices
Gather up the jewels of the throne and
! put them on the caravan. Star. now; no
time to be lost Goad on the camels
| I flaN 4
weary and exhausted, trudging on across
the desert and among tho bandits until it
reaches Jerusalem, / say, There is an
earnest seeker after the truth"
But there are great many of you, my
friends, who do not act IN that way. You
all want to get the truth, but you want
the truth to come to you; you do not want
to go to it. There are people who fold
their arms and say, Il am ready to become
Christian at any time; if 1 am to be
saved l shall be saved, and if am to be
lost l shall be lost" ALL Jerusalem will
never come to you; you must go to Jeru-
salem. The religion of the Lord
Jesus Christ will not come TO you
! you must go and get religion. Bring
out the camels; put on all the sweet
| spices, all the treasures of the hearts af-
lection. Start for the throne. Go in and
hear the waters of salvation dashing in
/ fountains all around about the throne. Sit
down at the banquet-the wine pressed
from the grapes of the heavenly Eschol
the angels of God the cup-bearers. Goad
! on the cames; Jerusalem will never come
! to you; you must go to Jerusalem. The
Bible declares it: "rhe Queen of the
! South''-that Is, this very woman 1 am
speaking of-"the Queen Of tue South
suall rise up in judgment against
! this generation and condemn it; for
she came from the uttermost parts oil
the earth to hear tho wisdom OF Solomon
and behold: greater than Solomon is
here" God help me to break up the in
fatuation of those people who are sittin G
down in idleness expecting to be saved.
"Strive to enter in at the straight gate.
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and
We shall find; knock. and it shall be
opened to you" Take the kingdom OF
heaven by violence. Urge on the camels |
Again, my subject impresses me with
the fact that religion is surprise to any
one that gets IL. This story OF the new
religion in Jerusalem, and Of the glory of
King Solomon, who was type OF Chris
that story rolls on aud on. and is told by
every traveller coming back from Jerusa-
lem. The news goes on the wing of every
ship and with every caravan, and you
know story enlarges as it is retold, and
by the time that story gets down in to the
southern part Of Arabia Folk and the
Queen Of Sheba hears it, it must BE- ire.
mendous story. And yet this queen de-
clares in regard to it, although she had
heard so much and had her antcipations
raised so high, the half-the half was no;
told her.
So religion Is always a surprise to any
one that gets it. The story of grace-au
old story. Apostles preached it with rattle
of chain martyrs declared it VITA arm OF
! fire; death beds have affirmed it with Wis.,
ions Of glory, and minister's of religion
have sounded it through the lanes, aud
the highways, and the chapels, and the
cathedrals. 1t has been cut into stone
with chsel and spread on tho canvas with
pencil; and IL has b 'on reclted in the dox
ology of great congregations. And yet
when man first comes to LOOK on the pal
ace of Gods mercy. and to see the royalty
OF Carist and the wealth. OF this ban
.quet, and the luxurance OF His attend
ants, and the lovelnnss OF His face, and
the Joy of His service, he exclaimS with
prayers, with tears, with sig 10, W tn tri-
umphs: 'Tne half-the half was not told
mei'
Send the word up to the palace that we
| are comino and that we ara weary of thu