Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1893-05-26

sion escaped to Capernaum and continued
exercising devils and cooling fevers and fill
ing fish nets and giving healthy circulation
OF blood to- paralysis and curing dementia and
turning coSpses into living men and women
and doing His chief work.
What good thing He lodged the crowd on
the rocks back Of Nazareth Likewise at
Jerusalem one day, while He was sauntering
up and down in Solomon's porch waiting for
an opportunity to say kind words or do q
useful deed, the people proposed TO pay Him
for His self sacrifices by stoning Him to death,
but the record is. "He escaped out Of their
hands"
See also In my subject the unreasonable
attitude Of javelin toward harp. What had
that harp in David's hand done to the javein
in Saul's hand? Had the vibrating strings OF
the one hurt the keen edge of the other? Was
there an old grudge between the two fam
lilies of sweet sound and sharp cut2 Had tho
triangle ever insulted the polished shaft2
Why the deadly aim Of the destroying
weapon against the instrument OF soothing,
calming, healing sound2
Well, will answer that If you will tell me
why the hostility of so many to the Gospel,
why the virulent attacks against Christian
religion, why the angry antipathy OF 50
many to the most genial, most inviting, most
salutary influence under all the heavens.
Why will men give their lives 10 writing and
speaking and warning against Christ and
the Gospel Why the javelin Of the worlds
hatred and rage against the harp OF heavenly
love? You know and know men who get
Vrathfully red in the face and foaming ut
the mouth and use the gesture of the clinched
fist and put down their feet with indignant
emphasis and invoke all sarcasm and irony
and vtuperation and scorn and spite at the
CT t.ali moi
religion done that 1t should be 80 assailed?
Whom hath it bitten and left with hydro
phobia virus in their veins that 1t should
sometimes be chased as though 1t were
maddened canine?
To head off and trip up and push down
and corner our religion was the dominant
thought. in the life Of David Hume and Vol
taire and Shaftesbury and even the Earl OF
Rochester, until one day In princeiy mousse
In which they blasphemously put God on
trial, and the Earl of Rochester was the attor,
hey against God and religion and received
the applause Of the whole company, when
suddenly the earl was struck under cohVic-
ton and cried "Good God that man VINO
walks uprightly, who sees the wonderful
works of God and has the use OF his senses
and reason, should use them In defying his
Creator / wish had been crawling leper
In a ditch rather than have acted toward dou
|
as l have done"
Javelin. of wit, javelln of irony, javelin OF
scurrility, iavelin of sophistry, javelin OF hu-
man and diabolical hostility have been nylng
for hundreds of years and are lying now
But aimed at what2 AT something that has
come to devastate tho world? AT something
that slays nations2 At something that would
maui and trample under foot and excruclate
and crush the human race?
No. aimed at the gospel harp-harp on
which prophets played with somewhat hnger-
ing and uncertain fingers. but harp on Whlch
anostles played with sublime certainty, and
martyrs played while their fingers were on
fire. Harp that was dripping with the blood
of the Christ, out of whose heartstrlngs the
harp was chorded and from whose dying
yroan the strings were keyed. on, gospe'
harp All thy nerves a-tremble with stories
Of self sacrifice HGrp thrummed by fingers
long ago turned to dust. Harp that maze
heaven listen and will yet make all the eartn
hear. Harp that sounded pardon to my slniui
soul and peace over the grave where my dead
sleep. Harp that will lead the chant OF the
blood washed throng redeemed around the
throne. May javelin Stay me before hing
javelin at that Harp which it seems al
most too sacred for me to touch, and so
call down from their thrones those VINO used
10 finger it and ask them to touch 1t now
"Come down, William Cooper, and run your
fingers over the strings of this harp. He
says, II will" and he plays;
There s a fountain flied With blood
Drawn from Immanuel's veins.
"Come down, Charles Wesley, and touch the
strings." He says, ~ WILL " and he plays
Jesus, lover of my soul,
Let me to Thy bosom fly
Come down. Augustus Toplady, and sweel
your fingers across this gospel harp. IA
says, ~ will, and he plays
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in thee.
"coms down. Isaac Watts, and take tht
harp" He says, II will, and he plays
Alas, aud did my Savior bleed,
And did my Sovereign die2
oP. P. Bliss. come down and thrum this gos
mel harp" He says, II will, and ne plays
Ballelujah, It's donei
believe on the Son.
IneGable harp Transporting harp Har
of earthl Harp of heaven Harp saint
and seraphic Harp of God Oh, like tn
idea of that old monument IN the anciei
church at Ullard, near Kilkenny, IRELAND
The sculpture on that monument, thoug
nbiseled more than thousand years ago, {
nnnropriate to-day as then, the sculptul
representing a harp upon cross. Inat
Nhere hang it now that is where you M
, better hang it. Let the javelin be forev'