Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1893-05-15


the people psopsssd ~ ply ham fog his
s<lf sacrifices By ssOains him 70 4nssA.
bus sAs sscord u. He sscspsd Out u
thals banda.
cAusxa1s nAaaxD.
- also IN my subless tbs snrsasno-
sAls ss93nAs Vt yavsisn toward AAsp
What I'D tA.s harp IN nsv,ds hand
AOas 10 sAs 3svsin n SEALS Aands Had
the vibrating seysnss u the oss hurt the
keen edge e ~ osh<ss Wa th~es IN
old grudSe bssween the two families u
sweet soand anA sAArp cut: Had the tn
sngls evsg insultsd ths poliahsd shAfSs
Why the dssdiy aim Il The destroying
weapon against the inssrumsos Il soolh-
lng. calming. healing soands
Well. win answer that II you will
tell sns Why The hostility VI - many TO
the gospsl. why the visuleut attacks
against Christian religion. why the angry
sntipsthy Ut - many to the n,ost genial
msst inviting. most salutaTy induence
under al tbs heavens. Why viii men
give their lives 10 writing and speak
ing and warning against CHRIST and
tho gosysli Why the Jsvelin of the
worlds hatred and rage against the
harp Of heavenly lover You know
and ] know men who .et wrathfu ~
icd in tine face and soaining At the
mouth and Use the gesture u the clinca.
Ell iist aud put down their feet with in
disnSnt emphasis and invoke Nil >ar
casm and irony and vituIsration ard
scurn AID spite at tie Christian reli-
gion What has the Christian religion
done that II should bc 50 assAil.,i:
Whom hath IL bitten and left with by.
drOphobia virus Ia their veins that IL
shouli sometimes DC chased as thoash II
were a madden.d canine!
To head of and trip up and push
dominant thought Ia tie life Of David
Hume and voltaire and Shaftesbury
and even the Earl Of Rochester. until
one day in princely house. in which
they blasphenously put God on trial.
and the Earl of Rochester Was the attor-
ney against God and religion and re-
celved the applause Of the whole COM
pany. whea suddenly the earl was struck
under conviction and cried: Good Col,
ihat IA man who walks uprightly. who
sees the Wonderful works Of God and
has the use of his senses and reason,
should use them ia defying his Creator!
wish had been u crawling leper in a
ditch rather than have acted toward
God IA have done"
Javelin Of wit. Javelin Of irony. javelin
Of scurrility. javelin Of sophistry. jave-
lin Of human and diabolic hostility have
been flying for hundreds Of years and arc
flying now. But aimed at what? At
something that has come To devastate
the world! AT something that Stays ma
tons! At something that would maui
ami trample under foot and excrucia;e
and crush the human race.
THE WONDERFUL HARP.
No. aimed at the gospel harp-harp
on which prophets played with some
what lingering 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. ont Of whose heartstrings the
harp was chorded and from whose dyin,
Rroan the strings were keyed. Oh, gos-
pei harp. All thy nerves a-trembls
with stories Of self sacrifice. Harp
thrumned 10y fingers long ago turnel
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 tho
chant If the blood washed throng re-
deemed around the throne. May jave-
lin slay me before l fling q javcl.n NJ
that. Harp which it seems almost too
sacred for Mo TO touch. and ~ ! call
down from their thrones those who used
to finger IL aud ask them To touch it
now. Come down. William Cooper.
and run Your fingers over the strings If
this harp" de says. Il will" and he
plays:
There IL fountain filed with blood
Drawn from InDanueis veins
Come down. Charles Wesley. and touch
the strings" lie says. IL will. and he
plays:
JESUS. lover of my sonl.
Let me- TO thy boson ny.
Come down. Augustus Toplady. and
sweep your fingers across this gospel
harp" He says. II will. and he plays:
Rock ~ Ages. cleft for rn..
let me hide myself In sh.-.
Come down. Isaac Watts. and take this
harp" lie says. II WILL" and he plays:
Alns. and did my saviour bleed.
Ard did my Sovereign disi
ZIP. \. Bliss. come down and thrum this
gospel harp" He says. II will. and no
plays:
HAllclni-t. II. done,
Itrli-vc ON the Son.
ln-frahle harp, Transporting harp. Harp
OF earth, Harp Of heaven! H,rp SANITY
AMI seraphic! Harp OF God! Oh. like
the idea II that old monument in the
ancient church NJ L Hard. near kilkcnny.
Ireland. The sculpture on that mona
meat. though cmseled more tina. a
thousand years ago. rs appropriate today
ss then. the sculpture representing n harp
npon q cross. That II whore hang 1t
now. that il where you had better han.,
it. Let the iavelin bc forever buried. the
sharp edge down. but hang the harp mon
the cross
And now uron onr souls let IN. harI'-
OF heaven rain music. and n when TIE
suns rays fan aslant In Switzerland al
the approach az evontide. and the shep-
herd among the Alps puts the horn Il
has lips aud blows y blast and saws.
Glory - o. God" and all the sbep-
herds on the Alpine heights or down in
tie deep valleys respond with either