The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1893-03-24

I that would have been as wonderful a
I deliverance; but God does something
/ better than that. When the priests
/ feet touched the waters of Jordan and
they were drawn off they might have
1 thought there would have been a bed
of mud and slime through which the
army should pass, and yet here, in an
instant; Immediately, God provides a
path through the depths of Jordan: il
/ is so dry the passengers do not even
get their feet damp Oh, the COM
pleteness of everything that God does
If God makes Bible, it is complete
Bible. Standing amid the dreadful and
delightful truths, you seem to be in the
midst of an orchestra where the wall
ings over sins. and the rejoicings over
pardon, and the martial strains of vic
tory make the chorus like an anthem of
eternity. This book seems to you the
ocean of truth. on every wave of which
Christ walks sometimes in the darkness
of prophecy, again in the splendors
with which he walks on Galilee. In
| this book, apostle answers to prophet
Paul to Isaiah, Revelation to Genesis
glorious light. turning midnight sor-
row into the midnoon JOY. dispensing
every fog. hushing every tempest
Take this book; 1t Is the kiss Of God on
the soul OF lost man. Perfect Bible.
complete Bible, No man has ever pro-
posed any Improvement
God provided a Saviour: He is q COM
plete Saviour-Gcd-mau- and
humanity united in the same person.
He set up the starry pillars of the uni
verse and the towers OF light. He
planted the cedars and the heavenly
Lebanon. He struck out of the rock
/ the rivers of life. singing under the
trees. singing under the thrones He
quarried the sardonyx and crystal and
the topaz of the heavenly wall He
put down the Jasper for the foundation.
and heaped up the amethyst for the
capital. and swung the twelve gates
which are twelve pearls In one in
slant He thought out universe; and
vet He became a child, crying FOR His
mother. feeling along the sides Of the
mauEer. learning to walk. Omnip1-
tence sheathed in the muscle and flesh
of a child's arm: omniscieuce strung in
the optic nerve Of the child's eve: in
finite love beating in child's heart: a
1 great God appearing IN the form Of a
child one year old, five years Old IF
teen years old. While all the heavens
were ascribing TO Him glory and honor
and power on earth. men said. WHO i
this fellow?" While all the heavenly
hosts. with folded wing about their
faces, bowed down before Him, crying.
Holy. holy" on earth they denounced
Him a blasphemer and sot. Rocked
in q boat on Genuesaret. and vet He Il
IS that undirSed the lightning from the
storm-cloud, and dismasted Lebanon of
its forests. and holds the five oceans on
the tin Of his finger. as a leaf holds The
raindroP.
Again, 7 learn from this Jo-daniC
passage that between Us and every
Canaan OF success and prosperity there
Is a river that must be passed oh.
how | would like some Of those grapes
on the other side said some of the
Israelitcs 20 Joshua. We'll SAYS
Joshua, If YOU want the grapes why
don't you cross over and get them?
There Is river OF difficulty between Us
and everything that Is worth having;
that which costs nothing Is worth uoth-
in-. God didn't intend this world for
an easy parlO-. through which we are
% be drawn in a rocking chair. but we
are 70 work our passate, climb masts.
fight battles. scale mount ains and ford
rivers God makes everything valuable
difficult TO get at, for the same reason
that he put the gold down in the mine.
and the pearl clear down in the sea. to
make US dig and dive for them. We ac-
knowledge this principle in worldly
things; oh, that we were only wise
enough 10 acknowledge It in religious
things,
You have scores OF illustrations under
your own observation where men have
had the hardest lot, and been trodden
under foot, and get after while had it
easy. Oh, there Is a river of difficulty
between Us and every earthly achieve
meut You know that You admit
that
You know this is so with regard TO
the acquisition OF knowledge. The
ancients used to say that Vulcan struck
Jupiter on the head, and the goddess of
wisdom jumped out. illustrating the
truth that wisdom comes BY hard
knocks. There was river of difficulty
between Shakespeare, the boy holding
the horses at the door of the London
theater, and that Shakespeare. the
great dramatist. winning the applause
OF all audiences by his tragedies. There
was a river between Benjamin Frank
lin with a loaf OF bread under his
arm walking the streets OF Philadel-
phia, and that same benjamin Frank
lin the philosopher, Just outside OF
Boston flying kite in thunderstorm.
Lord Mansfield, pursued bv the press
and by the populace because Of Ger
tain line Of duty, went OF 70 discharge
the duty, and while the mob was
around him. demanding the taking of
his life. he SHOOK MS fist in the face of
the mob and said: ''Sirs, when ones
last end comes. Il cannot come too soon
If he falls II defense of law and the
liberty Of his county" And 50 there
IS, ny friends, a tug, tussle. a trial a
push. al anxiety. through which every
man must go before he comes % world
" success and worldly achievement
You admit It Now be wise enough TO
apply it in religion Eminent Christian
character IS only gained by the Jor-
dauic passage; no man just happens 70
get good
Why does that man know so much
about the Scriptures? He was study
ing the Bible while you were reading a
novel He was on fire with the sub
Emities Of the Bible, while you we're
sound asleep By tug, tussle. pushing
and running IN the Christian life that