St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-02-06
Rev. Edwards Continues His
Series Of Sermons From
the Revelations.
Gathering With the Apostle
John by the Side Of the
Great River.


ing out of the throne of God and Of the
Lamb"
We will stand with the Apostle John
and see the flow and hear the rhythmlcal
murmur of the WondrouS river. Its
sparkle delights the soul, its music
Soothes the spirit. On its bosom is re-
Elected the image Of Christ, and touch
ing the shores of earth, it watts us
ennobling lessons. We study not an
angry rushing stream that. like
.Johnst0Wn torrent. bears death and
devastation in its wake. This crystal
stream which John saw is like a river
whose banks are lined with an eff1oreS-
cence of beauty, whose walls are
fringed with cradles for plumaged song
sters. The river OF life, touching the
banks Of the world, coax them into bios
soming lovllneSs. Oh, how rich!and salts
fving is the verdure of blessing with
which it crowns our days. How tranquil
becomes the troubled soul; how peace
full the SorroWing heart; how quiet
the Sin-stjrred spirit, as one and all
we see the benehcence OF God In this
reservoir Of limitless joy! DO we sing,
'!Shali We Gather at the Riyer?" That
is not necessary. We must congregate
at the river of life here and now. Min
gled with our notes Of pain must come
its song Of happiness. Sweeping, surg
ing across the tinger-bOard or earth-llfe
Gods unbounded love will attune the
heart in harmony with the crystal river
as its leaping, rolling music SmlteS our
ears. Humanity needs these waters.
Trave-Stained and weary, athirSt and
heated with the battles of life, mankind
nTic N
this feature OF heaven we see again how
abundant is Gods desire for the happl-
ness of His creatures. Restored by the
touch of the tree OF healing we are
constantly refreshed by the water of
life. How shall John describe the beau
ty Of the river? How can he make
known to us the unsurpassed purity,
how the entire absence of pollutlng mat
ter? Naught but the crystal will pic
ture it. You have seen crystal. How
transparent, how perfect, how beautiful
IN form and feature! Such is the ap-
pearance as John depicts it of the river
of life. That pellucid stream outrivalS
the transparency or the falrest crystal.
Why should 1t not? Born amid the
glOries of the eternal city, uShered into
being by the omnipotent hand OF God,
it bttakes toitself the reflected FURNISH
Ing of the golden pavement and absorbs
its glitter from gates Of pearl. The &C.
static aud exultant feeling of the Apos-
tie as he views it is remarkable. Could
we.but see it in heaven the same thrill
would possess our souls. 1t is
sad to reflect that much Of the
crystalline radiance Of the life
giving river is dimmed by the
baseness ami depravity of man. View
ing the stream as it courses through
this world, we cannot compass its
grandeur. TO see it in its remarkable.
respondent purity we must approach
nearer its source. Those who should
most earnestly strive to preserve its
clarity frequently distigure its appear
arce by throwing in feculent matter.
Mud of scandal, slime of falsehood.
, fifth of tale-bearing, these are the ele-
! mentS in the life of some that dim the
| Scintillating ripples of heavens reSer-
! voir. Why cannot those who insist on
/ wearing COMMUNICATING robes of hypoc-
riSy stay away from Gods beautiful
! river? We see them all along its banks.
| They travel behind us with cowardlY
| hearts. Put their reeking, ill-smelling
| brush on a handle mile long, and
j you cannot induce them to APP
| prOach near enough to personally
! smirch the righteous. They seek
| a kindred spirit to help them shake the
! poison and dirt from tongue set on
| fire of hell. Our safest and WiSeSt course
] is to place God between us and them.
! and let Him toss their putrid carcaSSeS
into the bottomleSS pit. You know
| these falSe-hearted, protesting Chris
| tians. They neither pray, nor work
| nor sing. nor are they to be found among
| the children of God in His holy temple
/ nf ~
! His praise. They never enjoyed the
| privilege of view of heavens delights.
| They do less for the free and boundleSs
i stream of Christian activity than the
yeriest wretch in city's slums. God
| preserve and help us to avoid as we
| have done the Smirching of the crySta-
| line river so graciOuSly flowing for the
| happiness of all.
But here is another supply to the
wonderful river seen by John. Words,
human speech, backed by the power of
| the Holy Spirit, form another tributary.
Burning words, eloquent speech, God
| inspired language. speech of eXhorta-
! ton, of doctrine, OF warning: brooklets
| of encouragement and consolation. All
| these constitute the bounding, leaping,
rolling vocabulary of truth that adds
! untold might to the crystal river. In
the chapel OF homelike, humble appear
! ance; in richly furnished sanctuary;
on the street corners; iii rented hall;
| beside the hearthstOne, under the brill
! liant illumination from expensive chan
/ delierS: in garnet, by the light of a
! tall0w candle, flows this stream of truth
/ with refreshing waters before it enters
/ heavens copious flow. DO you now
| begin to comprehend the over
towering magnifcence and value of
! Gods eternal reservoir of blessing?
! One more tributary must be mentioned.
lta is that Of tears. Larger, wider,
| deeper in its flow, banks lined with
weeping willows, swept by wind OF mis-
! fortune, it is not the least. Every indi
Vidual has stood on its shores. 1t seems
to affiliate with riyulet Of song, of
prayer, of speech. The whole key
! board of human relationship contrib
utes its notes to music from the stream
| of tears. Weeping for the babe, the
child, the youth, the middle-aged the
! octOgenerian. Almighty God, Thou
will carry this Swallowed, troubled
flow where it may kiss the
| crystal river and receive a holy
! radiance. At the cross of Christ we
| may allow to burst forth the fountain of
! grief. Blessed reservoir of endless Joy 0
| God, is thy crystal stream! Our songs.
] our prayers, our broken. uncertain ut
terance, our weeping. all these Thou
! wilt harmonic and burnish with the in
| fluence from heavens reservoir. Be-
! loved. this is not the language of fancy
nor OF vain Imagination. We must look
at these treasures that to our natural
eye are unseen if we would rightly en-
iov what God graciously beStows for
| our spiritual development. And my
| reason is that the things seen perish,
those discerned by the eye of faith are
eternal.
George Thatcher's MINISTRIES and Rich and
Harris comedy company, i'll their famous
minstrel farce comedy creation, Tuxedo