Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1892-05-05

high behests and taking worlds In one cir
cult. rushing with infinite heroeness
against sin and cruelty and oppression,
and making the gates Of hell 10 quake at
the overthrow Of the principalities OF dark
ness, and in the same twinkle Of an eye
speeding back 10 their thrones with the
news Of sinners repentant. The River OF
Life Is ever flowing, and the palms ever
waving, and the hallelujahs ever rising,
and the harps ever sounding, and the tenn
pie always open, and the golden streets
always a-rush with chariots Of salvation,
and the last place which you ought ever to
want TO go 10 is heaven, unless you want
TO be busy.
Alas, my hearers, that in this world
there should be so many loungers and 80
few workers. We go into the vineyard Of
the church and we hear the arbor groan
under the heft Of the vines and the clus-
tiers hanging down, large and thick and
ripe, cluster against cluster, fairer than the
punches Of Eshcol and Engedi, and at n
touch they will turn into wine morn ruddy
than that Of LiDanus and Helbon. But
where are the men TO gather the vintage
and tread the wine press? There comes to
your ear a sound of a thousand wheat
fields ready for the sickle. The grain is
ready. 1t is tall, it is full, it is golden.
1t waves in the sunlight. 1t rustles in the
wind. 1t would fill the barns. 1t would
crowd the garners. After awhile it will
lodge, or the mildew and the rust will
smite it.
REAPERs IN THE WORLDS HARVEST.
Oh, where are the reapers to bind the
sheavesl The enemies of God are mar
shaled. You see the glitter of their buck
lers. You hear the paving of their chargers,
and all along the line of battle is heard the
shout of their great captain, and at the
armies of the living God they hurl their
| defiance. They come, not in numbers like
the hosts of Sennacherib, but their multi
tude is like the leaves of the forest and the
sound of their voices like the thunder of the
sea. Mailed in hell's impenetrable armor,
they advance with the waving of their
banners and the dancing of their plumes.
| Their ranks are not easily to be broken,
| for the batteries of hell will open to help
them and ten thousand angels of darkness
mingle in the fight. Where are the chosen
| few who will throw themselves into the
| jaws of this conflict?
| King James gave to Sir John Scott, for
| his courage, charter of arms with num-
ber of spears for the crest and the motto
''Readyl aye, readyP' and yet, when God
calls us to the work and the cause demands
our espousal and interests dreadful as the
| Judgment and solemn as eternity tremble
in the balance, how few of us are willing
| to throw ourselves into the breach, crying
Ready! aye, readyp'
Oh, should like to see God arise fol-
the defense of his own cause and the dis
enthralment of world in bondage How
the fetters would snap and how the dark.
ness would fly, and how heaven would
| sing. You have never seen an army like
that which God shall gather from the fouI
winds of heaven to fight his battles. They
| shall cover every hilltop and stretch
through every valley and man the vessels
| on every sea. There shall neither be up
roar nor wrath nor smoke nor bloodshed
| Harvests shall not lie waste in the track
nor cities be consumed. Instead of the
groans of captives shall come the song Of
those redeemed.
| Yet the conquest shall be none the less
complete, for if in that hour when al
should be yigilant the church of Goo
should neglect to seize the prize and the
cause should seem to fail, from the grave
| yards and cemeteries of all Christendon
the good and faithful of the past would
| spring to their feet in time to save the
cause, and though the sun might not agaiI
stand still above Gideon, or the moon il
the valley OF Ajalon, the day would be long
enough to gain decisive victory for Goo
and the truth.
| But my text is descriptive also of thost
| who hunt for opportunities, and when the,
| get them, do not use them. The rabbi
they overcome by an early morning tramI
lies for weeks uncooked in the dooryard
The deer that they brought down aftel
long and exhausting pursuit in the Adj
rondacks lies on the doorsill undressed anC
the savory venison becomes malodorou!
carcass. They roast not that which they
took in hunting. Opportunities laborious
| ly captured, yet useless, and that which
came in invitingly, like string of plovel
and quail and wild duck hung over {
| hunters shoulder, turns to something
worse than nothing.
So with Agrippa when almost persuaded
to be a Christian. So with the lovely
young man who went away from Chris
very sorrowful So with tens of thousands
who have whole hands full, whole skies
full of winged opportunities which profit
them noCning at all, because they roast moi
that which they took in hunting. Oh
make out of this captured moment ban
quet for eternity. The greatest prize il
the universe to be won is the love and par
don of Christ Win that and you can say
| Now Ihave found a Friend
Whose love shall never end.
| Jesus is minel