Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1893-05-20


work. What n good thing he lodged
the crowd on the rocks back of Naza.
reth! Likewise Mt Jerusalem one day.
while he was sauntering up and down
in Solomon's porch waiting for an OPP.
portunity to say kind words or do a
useful deed, the people proposed to pay
him for his self-sacrifces by stoniEg
him to death, but the record is, "He
escaped out of their hands"
See also in my subject the unreason'
able attitude of javelin toward harp.
What had that harp in David's hand
done to the javelin ina Saul's hand?
Had the vibrating strings of the one
hurt the keen edge of the other? Was
there an old grudge between the two
families of sweet sound and sharp cut?
Had the triangle ever insulted The pol
ishcd shaft? Why the deadly aim OF
the destroying weapon against the in.
strument of soothing, calming, healing
sound? Well. will answer that if you
will tell me why the hostility of
so many to the gospel, why the
virulent attacks against Chris.
tian religion, why the angry
antipathy of so many to the most
genial, most inviting, most salutary in
fluence under all the heavens? Why
will men give their lives to writing and
speaking and warning against Christ
and the gospel? Why the javelin of
the worlds hatred and rage against the
harp of heavenly love? You know and
| know men who get wrathfully red in
the face and foaming at the mouth and
use the gesture of the clenched 6st and
put down their feet with indignant EN-
phasis and invoke all sarcasm and irony
and vituperation and scorn and spite
at the Christian religion. What has
the Christian religion done that it
should be SO assailed? Whom hath it
bitten and left with hydrophobiac virus
in their veins that it should sometimes
be chrs,d as though it were maddened
canine?
Javelin of wit. javclin of irony. javc.
lin of scurrility, javelin of sophistry,
javelin of human and dia bolic hostility,
have been flying for hundreds of years,
and are flying now. But aimed Mt
what? At something that has come to
devastate the world? 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
sublime certainty. and martyrs played
with somewhat lingering and uncertain
fingers. but harp on which apostles
played while their fingers Were on fro.
Harp that was dripping with the blood
of the Christ. out of whose heart strings
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 world year. 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 a javelin Stay me be-
fore sling javelin at that. Harp
which it seems almost too sacred for me
to touch, and so call down from their
thrones those who used to finger it, and
ask them to touch it now. "Come down,
William Cowper, and run your fingers
over the strings of this harp" He says:
Il will" and he plays:
There is fountain filled with blood
Drawn from Immanuel's veins
"Come down. Charles Wesley, and
touch the string" He says: 81 will"
and he plays:
Jesus, lover OF my soul,
Let me TO Thy bosom fiy.
"Come down, Augustus Toplady, and
sweep your fingers across this gospel
harp. He says: II will, and he plays:
Rock OF ages, cleft for me.
Let me hide myself in Thee.
"Come down. Isaac Watts. and take
this harp" He says: IL will, and he
plays: -
Alas and did my Saviour bleed,
And did my Sovereign die:
''P. =. Bliss, come down and thrum
this gospel harp" He says: Il will"
and he plays:
Hallelujah. it's DONE
Ibe!ieve on the Son.
And now upon our souls let the harps
of Heaven rain music, and as, when the
suns rays fall aslant in Switzerland ut
the approach of eventide, and the shep-
herd among the Alps puts the horn to
his lips and blows blast and says
"Glory be to God" and all the shep-
herds on the Alpine heights or down in
the deep valleys respond with other
blast of horns, saying ''Glory be to
God" and then all the shepherds un-
cover their heads and kneel in
worship, and after a few moments
of silence some shepherd rises
from his knees and blows another
blast of the horns and says '"Thanks