Milford chronicle., 1893-03-17

were drawn OH Iltg lAl8uJ nave eAoAAAb
there would have been bed Of mud and
slime through which the army should pass.
Draw off 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 path
through the depths Of Jordan; it is so dry
the passengers do not even get their feet
damp Oh, the completeness Of everything
that God doesl Does he make a universeG
it is a perfect clock, running ever since it
was wound up, the fixed stars the pivots,
the consultations the intermOving 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 chain Of law
that it 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 ripcning 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 a 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 IN 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 Genesis
glorious light, turning midnight sorrow
into the midnoOn joy, dispensing every fog,
hushing every tempest, Take this book;
it is the kiss of God on the soul Of lost
man. Perfect Bible, complete Biblel No
man has ever proposed any improvement.
GOD PI.JvIDED A SAVIOUR.
God provided a Saviour. He is com
plcte Saviour-God-man- and hu
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
II gates, which are u pearls. In one instant
he thought out a universe, and yet he be-
came a child, crying for his mother, feeling
along the sides of the manger, learning to
walk.
Omnipotence sheathed in the muscle and
flesh Of a child's arm, omniscience strung
in the optic nerve of a child's eye, infinite
love beating in the child's heart, great
God appearing in the form Of a child l
year old, years old, Is years old. While
an the heavens were ascribing to him glory
and honor and power on earth men said,
''Who is this 1ellow?" While all the hcav-
enly hosts, with folded wing about their
faces, bowed down before him crying, Ho-
lyl HOlyr' on earth they denounced him as
a blasphemer and a sOt Rocked in boat
On Gennesaret, and yet he it is that I'M
dirl1ed the lightning from the stOrmcioud
and disnastcd Lebanon Of its forests and
holds tie five oceans on the tip Of his fin
ger as u 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 lis right hand. Holding us in his
arms when we take cur 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 a st..i..;, every Versc Il stem, every
word rose. A complete Saviour, a COM
plete Bible, a complete universe, q complete
Jordanic passage. Everything chat God
does is complete.
Again, leern from this Jordanic passage
that between us ard every Canaan Of success
and prosperity there is a river that must be
passed "Oh, how ! would like some of
those grapes Oh the other sidel' said one of
the lsraelites 10 Joshua. Well" says
Joshua, "if you want the grapes, why don't
you cross over and get themy" 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 De drawn
in Il rocking chair, lHlt we are to work our
passage, climb nIas.s, fight bat;la scale
mountains and ford rivers. God mtacs cv-
ervthing valuable difficult to get at, for the
same reason that he put tie gold down in
the mine and the pearl clear down IN the
sea-to make US dig and dive for them.
We acknowledge t4is principle in worldly
things; oh, tiat we were Oaly wise enough
to acknowledge it in religions thingsl
You have scores Of i,,u.t s:tiOus under
your own observation where men have had
The hardest ut and been trodden under
foot, and yet cfter awhile had it easy NOW
their homes blossom and bloom with pic
lures. and carpets that made foreign looms
la.i1h ROW embrace their feet. The sum
MGR winds lit the tapestry about the win
dow Gorgeous enough for Turkish sultan.
D f1s sfrtI a
door, their carriages moving through the
sea Of New York life very wave Of splen-
dor.
Who is ii? Why, it is q boy that came to
New York with dollar in lis pocket and all
/ his estate slung over lis 5shou,deria cotton
handkerchief. All that silver On the dane
ing span is petriiied sweat drops. That
beautiful dress is the faded calico over
which God Dit Ais nand of perfection, turn
/ ing it to Turkish satin or Italian silk. Those
diamonds are the tears which suffering froze
as they fell. Oh there Isl riverof difficulty
between us and every earthly achievement.
/ You know that. You admit that.
RIVERS or 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
river of difficulty between Shakespeare,
the boy, holding the horses at the door OF
the London theatcT, and that Shakespeare,
the great drauatist, winning applause Of
all audiences by his tragedies. There was a
river between Benjamin Franklin, with a
( leaf Of bread under his arm, walking the
streets Of Philadelphia, and that same Ben
jcmin Franklin, the philosopher, Just cat
side of Boston flying kitein the thunder
storm.
J An idler was cured Of his had habit by
! looking through lis window night after
night at n nan who scented sitting ~ lis
desk turning oif one sheet Of writing aieel
raother until almost the dewn Of tne
morning. Tss ran sitting there writing
until morning was industr triors Walter
Scott; tie ta..u who looked at lin through
the window was LockAart, Lis illustsious
bioSraphcr GfteTwarl i-crd AiaEsiield
rurgiIed by the press and J. = tie pOpuiiscg