Democratic messenger., 1893-05-20

under conviction and cried: Good God,
that a mnn who walks uprightly, who sees
the wonderful works of God and has the
uses of his senses and reason, should use
them in defying his Creatori wish / had
been "A crawling leper in a ditch rather thar
have acted toward God as have done"
Javelin Of wit. javelin of irony, javelin Of
scurrility, javclin Of sophistry, javelin OF
human and diabolic hostility, have beer
flying for hundreds Of years end are fyine
now. But aimed at whati At something
that has come TO devastate the world, Al
something that slays nationsi At some
thing that would maui and trample under
foot and cxcruciate and crush the human
racet No. aimed at the gospel harp
harp ON which prophets played with
somewhat lingering and uncertain fin
gers, but harp on which apostles
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 heart
strings the harp was chorded and from
whose dying groan the strings were keyed
oh. gospel harp! All thy nerves a-trembh
with stories Of self sacrifice. Harr
thrummed by fingers long ago turned tc
dust. Harp that made heaven listen and
will yet make all the earth hear HarI
that sounded pardon to my sinful SOU
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 slay mt
before fling n javelin at that. Harp which
IL seems almost too sacred for me to touch
and SO call down from their thrones thos,
who used to finger it and ask them to touch
it now. Come down, William Cooper
and run your fingers over the strings of this
harp" He says. Il will. and he plays;
There Is a fountain filed with blood
Drawn from Immanuers veins.
Come down, Charles Wesley, and touch
the strings" He says. II will." and h
plays:
Jesus, lover Of my soul,
Let me TO thy bosom fly.
''Come down, Augustus Toplady, and SWEEP
your fingers across this gospel harp" lie
says. II will" and he plays:
Rock of Ages. cleft for me.
Let me hide myself in thee.
"Come down, Isaac Watts, and take thi.
harp" He says, II will, and he plays:
Alas, and did my Saviour bleed.
And did my Sovereign die?
"P. p. Bliss, come down and thrum this gos
pei harp" He says, II WILL" and he plays
Iialleluiah. tits done.
believe on the Son.
Ineffable harpl Transporting harpi Harr
of earthi Harp of heaven! Harp sanity
and seraphicl Harp of Godi Oh. lik,
the idea of the old monument in the ancient
church at Ullard. near Kilkenny, Ireland
The sculpture on that monument, though
chiseled more than 1000 years ago. as ap
propriate today as then, the sculpture rep
resenting a harp upon a cross. That is
where hang it now; that Is where you had
better hang it, Let the javelin be forever
buried. the sharp edge down. but hang the
harp upon the cross
And now upon our souls let the harps oi
heaven rain music, and as when the suns
rays fall aslant in Switzerland at the ap.
proach of eventide. and the shepherd among
the Alps puts the horn to his lips and blows
a blast and says Glory be to God. and all
the shepherds on the Alpine heights or
dowh in the deep valleys respond with
other blast of horns, saying, "Glory be TO
God" and then all the shepherds uncover
their heads and kneel in worship, and
after a few moments OF silence some shep-
herd rises from his knees and blows
another blast of the horn and says,
Thanks be to God" and all through the
mountains the response comes from other
shepherds, Thanks be to God" so this
moment let all the valleys of earth respond
to the hills of heaven with sounds of glory
and thanks. and it be harp Of earthly wor
ship to harp of heavenly worship, and the
words of st. John in the Apocalypse be full
filled, II heard a voice from heaven as the
voice of many waters and as the voice OF q
great thunder, and / heard the voice OF
harpers harping with their harps."