Connecticut western news., 1892-08-11

ChpblfSS COiu6, duu Ou Iuc sIdTp COTueTS of her altars dash off their chains, and the thirsty cAme and put their cup under the "Rock of Ages" which pours forth from its smitten side living water, spark ling water, crystalline water from under the throne of God and the Lamb. Blessed the bell that calls her worship CTS to prayer. Blessed the water in which her members are baptized. Bless ed the wine that glows in her sacra- mental cups. Blessed the songs on whicL her devotions travel up and the angels of God travel down.
 As the moon goes through the midst and unharmed, 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 come out uninjured, no worse for the fact that Robespierre cursed it, and Voltaire caricatured 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 wretched- ness the Christian church has made her mild way, Flair as the moon."
 take step further in my subject "Clear as the sum-" After a season of storm or fog, how you are thrilled when the sun comes out at noondayi The mists 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 chat ter of the squirrel on the rail, the call of hawk out of a clear sky makes you thankful for the sunshine which makes all the world so busy and so glad. The same sun which in the morning kindled conhagrations among the castles of cloud scoops down to paint the lily white and the buttercup yellow and the forgetmenot blue.
 WHAT CAN RESIST THE SUN?
 What can resist the sun? Light for voyager on the deep, light for shepherds guarding the focks afeld, light for the poor who have no lamps 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 octogenarian, light for queens coronet and sewing girls needle. "Let there be light"
 Now, says my text, "Who is she that looketh forth clear as the sum- Our an swer is, the church. You have been go- ing along road before daybreak, and on one side you thought you saw lion, | |, .l0 saw goblin of the darkness, 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 "clear as the sun,' ,'' to illumine all early darkness, to ex- plain, as far as possible, all mystery, and to make the world radiant in It's bright ness; and that which you thought was an aroused lion is found out to be a slumbering lamb; and the sepulchral gates of your dead turn out to be the opening gates of heaven; and that which you supposed was a flaming sword to keep you out of paradise is an angel of light to beckon you in.
 The lamps on her altars will cast their glow on your darkest pathway and cheer you until, far beyond the need of lan- tern or lighthouse, you are safely an chored within the veil. Oh, sun of the church, shine on until there is no sor- row to soothe, no tears to wipe away, no shackles to break, no more souls to be redeemedl Ten thousand hands of sin have attempted to extinguish the lamps on her altars, but they are quench- less, and to silence her pulpits, but the thunder would leap and the lightning would flame.
 The church of God will yet come to full meridian, and in that day all the mountains of the world will be sacred mountains, touched with the glory of Calvary, and all streams will flow by the mount of God like cool Sloan. and alllakes be radiant with Gospel memories l like Gennesaret, and all islands of the sea be crowned with apocalyptic vision l like Patmos, and all cities be sacred as | Jerusalem, and all gardens luxuriant as paradise, with God walking in the cool | of the day. Then the chorals of grace l will drown out all the anthems of earth. | Then the throne of Christ will overtop l all earthly authority. Then the crown | | Sin destroyed. Death dead. He'll de- feated. The church triumphant. All
 the darknesses of sin, all the darknesses
 of trouble, all the darknesses of earthly
 mystery hieing themselves to their
 dens. "Clear as the sun! Clear as the
 sunr'
 Further, Terrible as an army with
 banners" I take one more step in this subject and say that if you were placed | for the defense of feeble town, and a | gteat 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 at last marches
 on like "an army with banners" | You know there is nothing that ex-
 cites soldiers enthusiasm so much as
 sn old flag. Many man almost dead,
 catching glimpse of the national en-
 sign, has sprung to his feet and started
 again into the battle. Now, my friends,
 I don't want you to think of the church
 of Jesus Christ as defeated institu-
 ton, as the victim of infdel sarcasm
 something to be kicked and cuffed and
 trampled on through all the ages of the
 world. It is ''an army with banners. "
 It has an inscription and oolors such as
 never stirred the hearts of an earthly
 soldiery.
 We have our banner of recruit, and
 on it is inscribed, "Who is on the Lorde
 sideY' Our banner of defiance, and on
 ft is inscribed, ''The gates of hell shall
 not prevail against us." Our banner of
 triumph, and on it is inscribed, "Vic-
 tory through our Lord Jesus Christi
 and we mean to plant that banner on
 every hilltop and wave it at the gate of
 heaven.
 With Christ to lead us we need not
 fear I will not rnderrata the ananv