Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1892-08-13
-ACooMAC- G. H, VA. SATURDAY. AUGUST l3 1892

watcher Of the sky bendSover the weary
heartsick, slunlbering earth. singing tt
tia silvery music. while it is rocked il
the cradle Of the spheres
. FAIR AS THE MOON"
Now. says my text. "Who is she. fail
as the mcon?" CTR answer is the church
Like tie moon. she is IL borrowed light
She gathers mp the glory of Saviour's
sufferings, II Sayiours death. a Saviour,s
resurrection. IL Saviours ascension, anu
rours that light on palace and dungeon
on isqualitl EenthelNs,n and elaborate
skepticisln, OF widows tears and mar.
tyr's robe OF flame, on weeping peni.
tence anil loul mouthcl scorn.
She is the only institution today that
gives amy light To our world. Into her
portals the poor come and get tho SYM
pathy OLA once rillowless Christ, the
bercaved come and see the bottle in
which God saves all our tears, and the
captiyes come, and OH the sharp corners
of her, affairs .dashsoff their chains, and
the thirsty come and put,tLeir. cup under
sthe esR oek of Ages hielrp feossI
from its smitten sido living water, spark
ling water, crystalline water from under
the throne of God and the Lamb.
Blessed the bell that calls her worship
ers to prayer. Blessed the water il;
which her members are baptized. Bless
ed the wine that CLOVIS i'll her sacra-
mental cups. Blessed the songs on whicl.
her dcvotions travel up and the angel
of God travel down.
As the moon goes through the midst
of the roaring storm clouds ul:fr.het:
and unframed, 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 Voltairc caricaturcd it, and Tom
Paine sneered at it. and all the forces
Of darkness have bombarded it. Not
like some balcful 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, ''Tuir rs the MOON"
take step further in my subject
"Clear rs the sun" After u season of
storm or fog; how you are thrilled when
the sun comes out at MONDAY! 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 tho bark, the chat
ter of the squirrel on the rail, the call Of
/. hawk ont of 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 llindled
conGagrations among the castles of
cloud scoops down to paint the lily
white and tile buttcrcup 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 imd the dim vision of
the octoyenarian. light for queens
coronct 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
OH one side you thought you saw lion,
and on the other side you thought you
saw u 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 sur"
to illumine all early darkness. to ex-
plain. as far as possible, allmystery, and
to make the world radiant yp its bright
ness; and that which you thought was
an aroused lion is found out to be
slumbeling lamb; and the sepulchral
gates Of your dead turn out to be the
opening gates of heaven; and that which
you supposed was flaming sword to
keep you out of paradise is an angel Of
light to beckon you in.
The lamps on her affairs will cast their
glow on your darkest pathway and cheer
you until. far beyond the need of Ian
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 (: i'reall. no more souls to
be redeemed! Ten thousand liiiliGi5 Of
sin have attempted to extinguish TIE
lamps on her affairs, but they are quench-
less, and to silence her pul3its, but the
thunder would leap and the lightning
would fame.
The. e. lrch 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
flakes be radiant with Gospel memories
like Gennesaret, and all islands of the
sea be crowned with apocalyptic vision
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
will drown out all the anthems of earth.
Then the throne of Christ will overtep
all-ea1thly authority Then the crown
of Jesus will outfame all other coronets.
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
sum-"
Further. ''Ter1ible as an army with
banners" take one more step in this
subject and say that if you were placed
for the defense of feeble town, and