Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1893-05-26
4. 4. BISEOP, Island Pond, VI

TINS B 10 Inose VINO go INTO useless QAnSek
and expose their lives or their regulations q
their usefulness unnecessarily. When duty
demands, go ahead, though all earth and hah
oppose Dodge not one inch from the rigid
position. But when nothing is involved step
back or step aside.
Why stand in the way OF perils that you
can avoid2 Go not into quixotic battles 10
fight windmills. You will be OF more use 70
the world and the church as an active ChYis-
tian man than as q target for jsvelins- There
are Christians always In a fight, II they go
into churches, they fight there. II they go
into presbyteries or conferences or consocia-
tions, they fight there. My advice to you is,
II anything is to be gained for God or the
truth, stand out of the way of the jsvelin.
Samuel, xviii, II, "David avoided out Of
his presence twice"
Washington was a. mighty In his retreats
as In his advances His army would several
times have been destroyed II he had not
lodged. He lodged on Long Island he
lodged on New Jersey heights Lincoln on
his way to Inauguration at Washington was
waited for by assassins, but he took another
train and lodged the desperadoes. We have
high example of the fact that sometimes q man
will serve God best by disappearing from this
or that place. this or that environment.
A mob brought Christ to the top of the
rocks back Of Nazarrah. They did not like
His preaching, and they proposed to huri
Him down the precipice. But while they
were getting ready for the massacre Christ
darted into the crowd and amid the confu-
sion escaped to Capernaum 6nd continued
exercising devils and cooling fevers and flls
ing fish nets and giving healthy circulation
OF blood to paralysis and curing demantia and
turning corpses into living men and women
and doing His chief work.
What good thing He lodged the crowd on
tka - -
Jerusalem one day, while He was sauntering
up and down In Solomon's porch waiting for
an opportunity to say kind words or do .
useful deed, the people proposed to pay Him
for His self sacrifices by stoning Him to death.
but the record Is, HE escaped out Of thet3
hands"
See also In my subject the unreasonable
attitude Of jsvelin toward harp. What had
that harp In Dsvids hand done TO the javelin
in Sauls hand2 Had the vibrating strings OF
the one hurt the keen edge OF the other2 Was
there an old grudge between the two fam
lilies Of sweet sound and sharp cut2 Had the
triangle ever insulted the polished shaftf
Why the deadly aim OF the destroying
weapon against the instrument Of soothing,
calming, healing sound2
Well, I will answer that II you will tell me
why the hostility OF 80 many to the Gospel,
why the vlrulent attacks against Christian
many to the most genial, most inviting, most
salutary influence under all the heavens
Why will men give their lives to writing and
speaking and warning against Christ and
the Gospel2 Why the javelin OF the worlds
hatred and rage against the harp OF heavenly
lover You know and know men who get
wrathfully red In the face and foaming at
the mouth and use the gesture OF the clinched
fist and put down their feet with indignant
arf, y. afa nd inv ka all ND
and vituperation and scorn and spite at the
Christian religion. What has the Christian
religion done that II should be 30 assailed2
Whom hath 1t bitten and left with hydro
phobia virus in their veins that 1t should
sometimes be chased as though 1t were o
maddened canine2
To head of and trip up and push down
and corner our religion was the dominant
thought In the life of David Hume and Vol
taire and Shaftesbury and even the Earl Of
Rochester, until one day in princely house,
in which they blasphemously put God on
trial, and the Earl OF Rochester was the attor-
ney against God and religion and received
the applause of the whole company, when
suddenly the earl was struck under convic-
ton and cried "Good God, that man who
walks uprightly, who sees the wonderful
works OF God and has the use OF his senses
and reason, should use them In defying his
Creator wish had been a crawling leper
in ditch rather than have acted toward God
as | have done"
Javelin, OF wit, iavelin of irony, javelin Of
scurrility, javelin Of sophistry, javelin OF hui
man and diabolical hostility have been flying
for hundreds OF years and are flying now.
But aimed at what? At something that has
come TO devastate the world2 AT something
that Stays nations? At something that would
maui and trample under foot and excruciate
and crush the human race?
No, aimed at the gospel harp-harp on
which prophets played with somewhat linger-
ing and uncertain fingers. but harp on which
apostles played with sublime certainty, and
martyrs played while their fingers were on
fire. Harp that was dripping with the blood
of the Christ, out OF whose heartstrings the
harp was chorded and from whose dying
groan the strings were keyed. Oh, gospel
harp! All thy nerves a-tremble with stories
OF self sacrifice. Harp thrummed by fingers
long ago turned to dust Harp that made
heaven listen and will yet make all the earth
hear. Harp that sounded pardon to my sinful
soul and peace over the grave where my dead
sleep. Harp that will lead the chant Of the
blood washed throng redeemed around the
throne. May javelin slay me before ding
javelin at that Harp which 1t seems al
most too sacred for me to touch, and 30 I
call down from their thrones those who used
to finger 1t and ask them to touch 1t now.
Come down. William Cooper, and run your
fingers over the strings Of this harp" He
says, ~ will )" and he plays
There Is fountain filled with blood
Drawn from 1mmanuels veins
"Come down, Charles Wesley, and touch the
strings." He says, II will, and he plays:
Jesus, lover OF my soaL
Let me to Thy bosom ny.
"Come down, Augustus Toplady, and sweep
your fingers across this gospel harp" He
says, II will, and he plays
koea ,,o Of Lag Asos, ,.ssa s.sft 6 for t5. ms
"Come down, Isaac Watts, and take this
harp" He says, II will, !" and he plays:
Alas, and did my Savior bleed.
And did my Sovereign def
"P. P. Bliss, come down and thrum this Cos
pei harp" He says, 81 will" and he plays, u,
Hallelujsh. tits donei
believe on the Son.
Inefrable harp! Transporting harpi Harp
Of earth Harp Of heaven Harp sanity
and seraphic Harp of God Oh, like the
idea OF that old monument In the ancient
church at Ullard, near Kilkenny, Ireland.
The sculpture on that monument, though
chiseled more than a thousand years ago, as
appropriate to-day as then, the sculpture
representing harp upon q cross That Ia
Wnere L nhnB IL now THAT IL Wnere you nA0
better hang 1t. Let the javelin be forever
buried, the sharp edge down, hut hang the
harp upon the cross.
And now upon our souls let the harps Of
heaven rain music, and as when the suns
rays fall aslant In Switzerland at the approach
Of eventide, and the shepherd among tho
Alps puts the horn to his lips and blows a
blast and says: "Glory be TO God," and all
the shepherds on the Alpine heights or down
the deep valleys respond with other blasts Of
horns, saying, "Glory be to God" and then
all the shepherds uncover their heads and
kneel in worship, and after few moments OF
silence some shepherd rises from his knees and
blows another blast OF the horn and says,
Thanks be to God," and all through the
mountains the response comes from Other
shepherds, "Thanks be to God," so this mo-
ment let all the valleys Of the earth respond
to the hills OF heaven, with sounds OF glory
and thanks, and 1t be harp Of earthly worship
L l.. Il.