Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1892-08-25

ulOuIneu scOrn.
She is the only institution today that
gives any light to our world. Into her
portal the poor come and get the sympathy
of once pillowless Christ, the bereaved
come and see the bottle in which God saves
all our tears, and the captives come and
on the sharp corners OF her affairs dash off
their chains, and the thirsty come and put
their cup under the Rock of Ages" which
pours forth from its smtten side living
water, sparkling water, crystalline water,
from under the throne of God and the
Lamb. Blessed the bell that calls her wor-
shippers to prayer. Blessed the water in
which her members are baptized. Blessed
the wine that glows in her sacramento
cups. Blessed the songs ON which her de
votions travel up and the angels of God
travel down.
SURVIVES ALL STORMS.
As the moon goes through the midst Of
the roaring storm clouds Unfinished and
unframed, and comes out calm and beau
tiful on the other side, so the church of
God has gone through all the storms of
this worlds persecution and come out I'M
injured, no worse for the fact that Robe
sphere cursed it, and Voltaire carricatured
it, and Tom Paine sneered at it, and all the
forces Of darkness have bomb 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 Indebtedness
the Christian church has made her mild
way, Fair as the moon.p
/ take a step further in my subject
"Clear as the SUM- After season of
storm or fog how you are thrilled when
the sun comes out at noondayl 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 chatter OF the
scai rel ON the rail, the call of hawk out
of the clear sky make you thankful for
the sunshine which makes all the world so
busy and so glad. The same sun which in
the morning kindled CONGREGATIONS among
the castles of cloud, stoops down to paint
the lily white and the buttercup yellow
and the forgetmenot blue.
What can resist the sun? Light for
voyager on the deep, light for shepherds
guarding the fiocks afield, 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 con-
Stunning 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. F"
Now, says my text, "Who is she that
looketh forth clear as the sunW Our an
swer is the church. You have been go
ing along a road before daybreak, and ON
one side you thought a saw 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
apparitions And it is the great mission
OF the church of Jesus Christ 70 come
forth clear as the sun, " to illumine all
earthly darkness, to explain as far as
possible all mystery, and to make the
world radiant in its brightness, and that
which you thought was an aroused lion
is found out to be 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 heckon you in.
SUN OF TIE CHURCH.
The lamps on her affairs will cast their
e,o.Y on your darkest pathway and cheer
Sou until, far beyond the need Of lantern
OF lighthouse, you are safely anchored
within the vail. Oh, sun Of the church,
shine on until there IS no sorrow to soothe.
no tears to wipe away, no shackles to
break, no more souls to be redeemed! Ten
thousand hands of sin have attempted to
extinguish the lamps on her affairs, but
they are quenehless, and TO silence her pull
pits, but the thunder would leap and the
lightning would fame.
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 ra-
diant with Gospel memories like Gennesa-
ret. 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 an
thems Of earth. Then the throne of Christ
will overtop all earthly authority. Then
the crown of Jesus will outfame all other
coronets. Sin destroyed. Death dead.
Hell defeated. The church triumphant.
All the darknesses of sin, all the dark
nesses Of trouble, all the darknesses OF
earthly mystery hieing themselves TO their
dens. Clear as the sum Clear as the
sum-
Further. Terrible as an army with ban
ners [ take one more step 10 this sub
iect and say that if you were placed for
ths defense az a feeble town aud a great
army were seen coming over the hills with
fving 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 IAN army
with banners"
You know there is nothing that excites
a soldiers enthusiasm so much as an old
flag. Many a man almost dead, catching
glimpse Of the national ensign, mas
sprung to his feet and started again into
the battle. Now. my friends, don't want
YOU TO think Of the church Of Jesus Christ
as a defeated institution, as the victim Of
infdel accommodating to be kicked
and cuffed and tTamplei on through all
the ages Of the world IL is IAN army
with banners" 1t has an inscription and
colors such as never stirred the hearts Of
ans earthly soldiery.
We have cur banner Of recruit. and on Il