Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-08-08

the night The stars are Only set a.
IsE.S IA her tiara Sometimes, bsfcgs
the san his gone down, the moon mounts
her throne, bat It Is after nighffsa mat
she ssays 1er undlspased sosptsr over
Island and continent. river and sea.
Under Der shining the psainest maple
leaves become shiFeTing silver. tne lakes
from shore - shore look like shining
mirrors. and the ocean, under her glance,
with great tides comes up painting upon
the beach. aingllng, as 1t were, foam
and IRE.
Under the witcbery Of the neon ne
awful steeIs lose their rugge<lness aud
the chasns tkeiF terror. The poor man
blesses 8fed for throwing so cheap .
hight through the broken window pane
of his cabin. and 10 the sick il seems
like hight from the other shore that
bounds this great deep of human pain
and woe. III the sun &c like song, full
and loud and poured forth from brazen
instruments that MI heaven and earth
with harmony, the moon Is plaIntive and
sad. standing beneath the throne Of God.
sending up her soft, sweet voice OF
praise, while the stars listen ana the
sea, No mother ever more lovingly
watched sick cradle than this pale
watcher OF the SKY bends over the weary.
heartsick, slumbering earth, singing 10
II sisvery music, while it is rocked IN
the cradle OF the spheres.
"FAIR As THE NOON"
Now, says my text, ''Who Is she, fair
a. the moong' Our answer is the church.
Lake the moon. she is a borrowed light.
She gathers up the glory of a Saviour's
sufferings, "A Sayi0gr's death. a Sayiour's
resurrection. a Saviour's ascension, and
pours that light on palace and dungeon,
On soIalid heathenism and elaborate
skepticism. on widows tears and mar
tyr's robe of flame, on weeping peni-
tence and loud mouthed scorn.
She is the only institution today that
gives any light 10 our world Into her
portals the poor come and get the SYM
patty 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 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
e-s to prayer. Blessed the water in
which her members are baptized. Bless
ed the wine that glows in her sacra-
,ta1. IL
her devotions travel up and the angels
Of God travel down.
As the moon goes through the midst
OF the roaring storm clouds unfinished
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 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, Fair as the MOON"
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 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 the bark, the chat
ter of the squirrel on the rail, the call Of
o hawk out 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 kindled
CONGREGATIONS 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 fiocks 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,
and on the other side you thought you
saw a 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. az far as possible. allmystery, and
to make the world radiant in its bright
ness; and that which you thought was
an aroused lion is found out to be q
slumbering 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 lam
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 sheckles to break. no more souls 10
be redeemed, Ten thousand hands of