St. Paul daily globe., 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 rhythmical
murmur of the WondrouS river. Its
sparkle delights the soul, its music
soothes the spirit. On its bosom is re-
tlected 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 a
.Johnstown torrent. bears death and
devastation in it's wake. This crystal
stream which John saw is like river
whose banks are lined with an eft1oreS-
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
soning lovllness. Oh, how rch!and Satis-
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-stirred spirit, as one and all
we see the beneicence of God III this
reservoir of limitless joy! DO we sing,
"Shall 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 finger-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.
Travel-Stained and weary, athlrSt and
heated with the battles of life, mankind
uSt
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 polluting mat
ter? Naught but the crystal will pic
ture it. You have seen crystal. How
transparent, how perfect, how beautiful
IN fo1m and feature! Such is the ap-
pearance as John depicts it of the river
of life. That pellucid stream outrlvals
the transparency or the fairest crystal.
Why should 1t not? Born amid the
glories of the eternal city. ushered into
being by the omnipotent hand OF God,
it betakes to itself the reflected burnish-
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. Gould
| 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.
| resplendent purity we must approach
nearer its source. Those who should
most earnestly strive to preserve its
clarity frequently distigure its appear
| ance by throwing in feculent matter.
Mud of scandal, slime of falsehood.
: fifth of tale-bearing, these are the ee-
ments in the life of some that dim the
scintillating ripples of heavens reser-
!! yoir. 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 eowardlY
hearts. Put their reeking, ill-smelling
! brush on a handle mile long, and
you cannot induce them to ap-
proach near enough to personally
| smrch the righteous. They seek
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.no are they to be found among
the children of God in His holy temple
and beside the spring of life hymning
| His praise. They never enjoyed the
! privilege of view of heavens delights.
| They do less for the free and boundless
| stream of Christian activity than the
! preserve and help us to avoid as we
have done the Smirching of the crystla-
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 homelke, humble appear
! '
ON the street corners; i'll rented hall;
beside the hearthstone, under the brill
liant illumination from expensive chan
delierS; in garret, by the light of a
tallow candle, flows this stream of truth
with refreshing waters before it enters
| heavens copious flow. DO you now
! begin to comprehend the over
poWering magnifcence and value of
Gods eternal reservoir of blessing?
I One more tributary must be mentioned
Ito 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-
Yidual 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 shadoWed, 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 joyO
| God, is thy crystal streaml Our songs,
| our prayers, our broken. uncertain ut
| leIdHCc. Oul weeping, oll GlltSG IIOu
| wilt harmonic and burniSh with the in
fuence 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
eve are unseen if we would rightly en-
Joy 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 minstrels and Rich and
Harris comedy company, i'll their famous
minstrel farce comedy creation, Tuxedo"