Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1893-11-30

TO others, Nv hen Gid you give your heat6
to GodY' And they said, Tonight" And
] said 20 still others, "Whcn did you re-
solve to serve the Lord all the days of your
life2" Ard they said Tonight" ] saw
BY the gavcty of their apparel that when
the grace of God struck them they were de-
vouring the prey, but / saw also in the
food OF Joyful tears, and in the Eindling
raptures on their brow, and in their eXhila-
rant and transporting utterances, that they
were dividing the spoil.
If you have been in this building when
the lights are struck at night, you know
that with one touch of electricity they are
all blazed Oh, | would to God that the
darkness of your souls might be broken up,
and that by one quick, overwhelming, in
Simultaneous flash of illumination you
might he brought into the light and the
liberty of the sons of Godl
You sec that religion is different thing
from what some Of you people supposed.
You thought it was dcCadcnce. You
thought religion was maccration. You
thought it was highway robbery; that it
struck one down and left him half dead;
that it plucked ont the eyes, that it plucked
out the plumes Of the soul; that it lrole
the wing and crushed the bcak as it came
clawing with its black talons through the
AIR. NO, that IS not religion.
What is religion? IL is dividing the
spoil. 1t is taking n defcnsoless soul and
panoplyng it for eternal conquest. 1t is the
distribution of prizes by the kings hand,
every medal stamped with a coronation. 1t
is an eXhilaratiou, expansion. 1t is impara-
disation. 1t is enforcement. Religion
laakes a man master of earth Of death and
hell. 1t goes forth to gather the medals oil
victory Won by Prince Emanuel, and the
diadems of heaven. and the glory of realms
terrestrial ana celestial, and then, after
ranging all worlds for everything that is
resplendcnt, it divides the spoils.
What was it that James Turner the IA
nous English evangelist, was doing when in
his dying moments he s4id: Christ is ALI
Christ is alln' Why, he was entering into
light. lie was rounding the Cape of Good
Hope. lie was dividing the spoil, What
was the aged Christian QuaEeress doing
when at 50 years of age she arose in the
meeting one day and said; The time of
my departure is come. Ny grave clothes
are falling off" She was dividing the
spoil.
She longcd with wings to fly away
And mix with that eternal day.
What is Daniel now doing, the lion tam
err, and Eli ah, who was drawn by the fam
ing coursers, and Paul, the rafting Of
whose chains made kings quake, and all
the other victims OF flood and fire and
wreck and guillotine--where are they? Di.
viding the spoil.
Ten thousand times ten thousand,
In sparkling raiment bright,
The armies of the REASONED saints
Throng up the sleeps of light.
'Tis finished, all is finished,
Their fight with death and sin.
Lift high your golden gates
And let the vCtors in.
Oh, what a grand thing it is to be a Chris
tian! We begin now to divide the spoil,
but the distribution will not be completed
to all eternity There is a poverty struck
soul, there is business despoiled SOUL
there is sin struck soul, there is a be-
reaved soul-why do you not come and get
the spoils of Christian character, the COM
fort, the JOY, the peace, the salvation that
am sent to offer you in my Masters name?
Though your knees knock together in
weakness, though your hand tremble in
fear, though your eyes rain tears of uncon-
trolable weeping-come and get the spoil.
Rest for all the weary. Pardon for all the
guilty. Rescue for all the bestormed. Life
for all the dead. | verify believe that there
are some who have come in here downcast
because the world is against them, and be-
cause they feel God is against them, who
will 90 away saying:
came to Jesus as was,
Weary and worn and sad.
found in him a resting place,
And he has made me glad.
Though you came in children of the world,
you may go away heirs OF heaven. Though
this very autumnal morning you We're de
vouring the pre-, now, all worlds witness
ing, YOU may divide the spoil