Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1892-08-18

the wine that glOws In her sacramental
cups Blessed the songs ON which her dc
votions travel mp and the angels Of God
truvel down.
| SURVIVES ALL sTuT.NTS.
As the moon goes through the midst Of
the roaring storm clouds unfinished and
unharmed, 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 un-
injured, no worse for the fact that Robe
| spierre cursed it, and Voltaire carricatured
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"
l 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 noondayi The mists
travel mp 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 yoa thankful for
the sunshine which makes all the world SO
busy and so glad. The same sun which in
the morning kindled conflagrations 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 the focks 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"
Now, says my text, "Who is she that
looketh forth clear as the sum-" Our an
swer is the church. You have been 60
ing along rod before daybreak, and on
one side you thought 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 to come
forth "clear as the sum-" 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 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.
SUN OF THE CHURCH.
The lamps on her altars will cast their
glow on your darkest pathway and cheer
you until, far beyond the need of lantern
or 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 altars, but
they are quenchless, 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.
He'll 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 sun! Clear as the
sunr'
Further, Terrible as an army with ban
ners." l take one more step in this sub
ject and say that if you were placed for
the defense of a feeble town and a great
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 excites
soldiers enthusiasm so much as an old
flag. Many man almost dead, catching
glimpse of the national ensign, has
sprung to his feet and started again into
the battle. Now, my friends, l don't want
you to think of the church of Jesus Christ
as defeated institution, as the victim of
infidel sarcasm-something to be kicked
and cuffed and trampled on through all
the ages of the world. 1t is ian army
with banners" 1t has an inscription and
colors such as never stirred the hearts of
any earthly soldierY.
We have our banner of recruit, and on it
is inscribed, who is on the Lords side?"
Our banner of defiance, and on it is in
scribed, "The gates of hell shall not pre-
vail against u.s." Our banner of triumph,
and on it is inscribed, Victory through
our Lord Jesus Christp 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 we need not fear.
l will not underrate the enemy. They are
a tremendous host They come on with
acutest strategy. Their weapons by all |
the inhabitants of darkness have been |
forged in furnaces of everlasting fire. We |
contend not with flesh and blood, but with |
and powers and spiritual
in high places; but if God be
for us, who can be against US? Come on,
ye troops of the Lord! Fall into linel |
Close up the ranks! On, through burning
sands and over frozen mountain tops, until |
the whole earth surrenders to God. He |
made 1t, hs redeemed it, he shall have it. |
They shall not be trampled with hoofs,
they shall not be cut with sabers, they
shall not be crushed with wheels, they shall |
not be cloven with battle axes, but the
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 US, and angels to guard |
ns and ma rtur snir.its To hand from thair |