Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1893-03-16


were drawn of, they might have thought
there would have been a bed of mud and
slime through which the army should pass
Draw on the waters Of the Hudson or the
Ohio, and there would be a good many
days, and perhaps many weeks, before the
sediment would dry up, and yet here, in an
instant, Immediately, God provides a patti
through the depths Of Jordan; 1t is so dry
the passengers do not even get their feet
damp. Oh, the completeness of everything
that God doesl Does he make universal
lit is perfect clock, running ever since II
was wound up, the fixed stars the pivots
the consultations the Intervening wheels
and ponderous laws the weights and
mighty swinging pendulum, the stars in
the great dome Of night striking the mid
night, and the sun, with brazen tongue
tolling the hour of noon.
The widest comet has a chain of law
that 1t cannot break. The thistle down
flying before the schoolboy's breath is con.
trolled by the same law that controls the
sun and the planets. The rosebush in your
window is governed by the same principle
that governs the tree of the universe on
which the stars are ripening fruits, and on
which God will one day put his hand and
shake down the fruit-a perfect universe.
No astronomy has ever proposed an amend.
ment.
If God makes Bible, it Is a complete
Bible. Standing amid the dreadful and
delightful truths, you seem to be in the
midst Of an orchestra where the wailings
over sins, and the rejoicings over pardon,
and the martial strains of victory make the
chorus like an anthem of eternity. This
book seems to you the ocean of truth, on
every wave of which Christ walks-some.
times in the darkness of prophecy, again in
the splendors with which he walks on Gal.
lice. In this book apostle answers to proph,
ct, Paul to Isaiah, Revelation to Gena-r
glorious light, turning midpjr' 4 sorro,,
into the midnoon Joy, disn~. sing everv TO- foo
hushing every tempp.sc. Take this hook I
it is ths Hiss Of God on the soul of lost
man Pertect Bible, complete Biblel Nc
nisa mas ever proposed any improvement.
Gop PROVIDED A SAVIOUR.
God provided a Saviour. He is a com.
plete Saviour-God-man-divinity and bu
manity united in the same person. He set
up the starry pillars of the universe and the
towers of light. Heplanted 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 quar-.
ried 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
u gates, which are IL pearls. In one instant
he thought out universe, and yet he be-
came child, crying for his mother, feeling
along the sides of the manger, learning to
walk.
Omnipotence sheathed in the muscle and
flesh of child's arm, omniscience strung
in the optic nerve of child's eye, infinite
love beating in the child's heart, a great
God appearing in the form of child 1
year old, s years old, Is years old. While
al the heavens were ascribing to him glory
and honor and power on earth men said,
WHO is this fellow" While all the heav-
emily hosts, with folded wing about their
faces, bowed down before him crying, "Ho-
lyl Holy" on earth they denounced him as
a blasphemer and sot. Rocked in boat
on Gennesaret, and yet he it is that un-
dirked the lightning from the stormcloud
and dismasted Lebanon of its forests and
holds the five oceans on the tip of his fin
ger as leaf holds the raindrop.
Oh, the complete Saviour, rubbing his
hand over the place where we have the
pain, yet the stars of heaven the adorning
gems of his right hand. Holding US in his
arms when we take our last view of our
dead. Sitting down with us on the tomb
stone, and while we plant roses there he
planting consolation in our heart, every
chapter stalk, every verse a stem, every
word rose. A complete Saviour, a COM
plete Bible, complete universe, complete
Jordanic passage. Everything that God
does is complete.
Again, I learn from this Jordanic passage
that between us and every Canaan of success
and prosperity there is a river that must be
passed. "Oh, how I would like some Of
those grapes on the other sidel" said one of
the Israelites to Joshua. "Well," SAYS
Joshua, ''if you want the grapes, why don't
you cross over and get them" There is a
river Of difficulty between us and every
thing that is worth having-that which
costs nothing is worth nothing.
God didn't intend this world for an easy
parlor, through which we are to be drawn
in a rocking chair, but we are to work our
passage, climb masts, fight battles, scale
mountains and ford rivers. God makes ev-
erything 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 acknowledge this principle in worldly
things; oh, that we were only wise enough
to 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 yet after awhile had it easy. Now
their homes blossom and bloom with pic
lures, and carpets that made foreign looms
laugh now embrace their feet. The sum
mer winds lift the tapestry about the win
dow gorgeous enough for Turkish sultan.
steeds paw and neigh at the
door, their carriages moving through the
sea of New York life very wave of splen-
dor.
Who is its Why, it is boy that came to
New York with dollar in his pocket and all
his estate slung over his shoulder in cotton
All that silver on the dane
ing span is petrified sweat drops That
beautiful dress is the faded calico over
which God put his hand of perfection, turn
ing it to Turkish satin or Italian silk. Those
are the tears which suffering froze
as they fell Oh, there is river of difficulty
between us and every earthly achievement.
You know that. You admit that
RIVERS OF DIFFICULTY.
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
q 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
Ill audiences by his tragedies. There was
liver between Benjamin Franklin, with
oaf of bread under his arm, walking the
streets of Philadelphia, and that same Ben
iamin Franklin, the philosopher just out
n N -