Democratic messenger., 1893-01-21

circles JON, the isOOu ana the bad WI
have done coming back To us. unless di
vine intervention hinder-coming bach
to us with welcome of delight or curse
of condemnation
Oh. would like IL see Paul. the inva
lid missionary. at the moment when hi.
influence comes 10 full orb-his iniiuenc,
rolling ont through Antioch, through
Cyprus through Lystra. through Cor
inth through Athens. through Asia
through Europe. through America
through the FIRST century. through five
centuries through twenty centuries
through all the succeeding centuries
through earth, through heaven. and nj
last. the wave Of influence having mad,
full circuit. strikes his great soul. Oh
then would like To see him. No one can
tell the wide sweep of the circle of his
Influence save the one who is seated on
the circle of the earth
should not want To see the counte-
nance of Noltaire when his influence
comes Ia fall orb When the fatal hem.
orrhaSe seized him ut cighty-three years
of age his Influence did not cease The
most brilliant man of his century, he
had used all his faculties for assaultina
Christianity. his bad influence widening
through France. widening out through
Germany. widening through all Europe
widening through America. widening
through the IL years that have gone by
since he died. widening through earth.
widening through hell. until ut last tie
accumulated influence of his bad life in
fiery surge of omnipotent wrath will beat
against his DESTROYED spirit. and at that
moment il will be enough to make the
black hair Of eternal darkness turn white
with the horror No one can tell how
that bad mans influence girdled the
earth save the one who is seated ON the
circle Of the earth-,he Lord Almighty.
Well. now. say people in this audi
ence. this III some respects Is Il very
glad theory and in Others very sad one:
we would like Ia have all the good we
have ever done come back to us. but the
thought that all the sins we have ever
committed will come back to- us fills us
with Albright. My brother. | have to
tell you God can break that circle and
will do so at your call can bring
twenty passages of Scripture to prove
that when God for Christ's sake forgives
man the sins of his past life never
come back.
The wheel may roll on and roll on.
but you take your position behind the
cross and the wheel strikes the cross
and is shattered forever The sins fly
off from the circle into the perpendicu-
lar. falling ut right angles with com
plcte oblivion. Forgiven. Forgiven. The
meancst thing ii man can do is. after
some difficulty has been settled. TO bring
it up again. and God will not he so
mean aS that. Gods memory is mighty
enough To hold all the events of the
ages. but there is one thing that is sure
to slip his memory. one thing lac is sure
to forget and that is pardoned trans
gression How 30 know il: | will
prove 1t Their sins and their iniqui
ties will remember no more" Come
into that state this morning. my dear
brother my dear sister. Blessed is the
one whose transgressions are forgiven" :"
THE CIRCLE OF GLORY.
Dtlt Uo Ilpt tildke IIle ifllStdkc OI tIllIlk-
ing that this doctrine of the circle stops
with this life: il rolls on through heaven
You might quote i'll opposition TO me
what st. John says about the city of
heaven. He says il "lieth four square.
That does seem To initiate again this
idea. but you know there is many a
square house that has family circle
facing each other. and i'll circle NOV
ing. and can prove that this is 50 in re-
gard To heaven. 81. John SAYS. Il heard
the voice of many angels round about
the throne. and the beasts. and the eld
ers."
Again he says. There was rainbow
round about the throne" The former
two instance circle: the last either a
circle or Il scmicirclc. Tie seats facing
each other. the angels facing each other.
the men facing each other. Heaven an
amphitheatcr Of glory. Circumference
of patriarch and prophet and apostle.
Circumference of Scotch Covenanters
and Theban legion and Albigenses. Cir
cumference of the good of all ages. Pc
riphery of splendor unimagined and in
.iescribablc a circle. a circle.
But every circumfo renee must have n
center. and what is the center of this
heavenly circumference: Christ. His
ell tie glory. His all the praise. His
Ell the crowns. All heaven wreathcd
INTO garland round about him. Take
off the imperial sandal from his foot and
behold the scar of the spike. Lift the
coronet of dominion from his brow and
see where was the laceration of the
briers. Come closer. all heaven. Mar
row the circle around his great heart
o Christ. the Saviour. o Christ. the
man. o Christ. tie God. Keep thy
throne forever. seated ON the circle of
the earth. seated On the circle of the
heaven,
On Christ. the solid rock. stand:
b..r = - f,..-s