The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1895-09-20

wretched. and the outcast to come and
sit beside him? oh, wonderful invita-
toni You can take it to-day, and stand
at the head of the darkest alley in all
this city, and say: Come! Clothes for
your rags. salve for your sores, throne
for your eternal reigning." A Christ
that talks like that and acts like that.
and pardons like that-do you wonder
that Stephen stood looking at Hin? |
hope to spend eternity doing the same
thing. l must see Him; l must look
upon that face once elouded with nv
sin, but now radiant with my pardon.
want to touch that hand that knocked
off my shackles want to hear the
voice that pronounced my deliverance.
Behold Him, little children; for if you
live three score years and ten, you will
see none so fair. Behold Him. We aged
ones; for He can only shine through
the dimness of your failing eyesight.
Behold Him. earth. Behold Him,
Heaven. What a moment when all
the nations of the saved shall gather
around Christ, All faces that way.
All thrones that way, gazing on Jesus
His worth. if all the nations knew.
Sure the whole earth would love Him, too.
l pass on now and look at Stephen
stoned. The world has always wanted
to get rid of good men. Their very
life is an assault upon wickedness.
Out with Stephen through the gates of
the city. Down with him over the
precipices. Let every man come up
and drop a stone upon his head. But
these men did not so much kill Stephen
as they killed themselves. Every stone
rebounded upon them While these
murderers were transfixed by the scorn
of all good men. stephen lives in the
admiration of all Christendom. stephen
stoned. but Stephen alive. So all good
men must be pelted "Au who will
live cody in Christ Jesus must suffer
persecution. 1t is no eulogy of a man
TO say that everybody likes him. Show
me any one who 5 doing all his duty
to state and church and | will show
you scores of men who utterly abhor
him.
If all men speak well of you. it is be-
cause YOU are either a laggard or a
dolt- If steamer makes rapid prog
ress through the waves. the water will
boil and foam all around it Brave
soldiers of Jesus Christ will hear the
carbines click When l see a man with
voice. with money and influence all on
the right side. and some caricature
him, and some sneer at him. and some
denounce him. and men who pretend
to be actuated by right motives con-
spire to cripple him, to cast him out.
to destroy him. say, stephen stoned.
When | see a man in some great NOR
al or religious reform battling against
grogshops, exposing wickedness in
high places. by active means trying to
purify the church and better the worlds
estate, and find that the newspapers
anathematize him, and men, even good
men. oppose him and denouuce him be.
cause, though he does good, he does not
do it in their way. l say: stephen
stoned" But you notice, my friends.
that while they assaulted Stephen
they did not succeed really in kill
ing him You may assault a good
man, but you cannot kill him.
On the day of his death. Stephen
spoke before a few people in the
Sanhedrim: this Sabbath morning he
addresses all Christendom. Paul. the
apostle. stood on Mars hill addressing
a handful OF philosophers who knew
not so much about science as a modern
school girl. To-day he talks to all the
millions of Christendom about the
wonders of justification and the
glories of resurrection. John Wesley
was howled down By the mob to whom
he preached. and they threw bricks at
him, and they denounced him. and
they jostled him and they spat upon
him, and yet to-day. in all lands, he is
admitted to be the great father of
Methodism. Booths bullet vacated
the presidential chair: but from that
spot of coagulated blood on the floor
n the box of Ford's theater there |
sprang up the new life of a nation. |
Stephen stoned, but Stephen alive.
Pass on now, and see Stephen in his |
lying prayer. His first thought was
not how the stones hurt his head. nor
what would become of his body. His |
irst thought was about his spirit |
Lord Jesus receive nv spirit" The |
murderer standing on the trap door. |
he black cap being drawn over his /
lead before the execution. may grim |
Ice about the future: but you and |
have no shame in confessing
ONE anxiety about where we are
-oing to come out You are not
ii body. There is within you
soul l see it CLEAN from your
yes to-day. aud | see it irradiating
our countenance. Sometimes / am
dashed before an audience. not be-
ause I come under your physical eye
light. but because | realize the truth
hat | stand before so many immortal
pirits. The probability is that your
'ody will at least find a sepulcher in
ONE of the cemeteries that surround
his city. There is no doubt but that
our obsequies will be decent and re-
pectful, and you will be able to pillow
our head under the maple, or the Nor
ray spruce, or the cypress. or the bios
oming fir. but this spirit about which
tephen prayed. what direction will
hat take? What guide will escort it?
What gate will open to receive it?
Ehat cloud will be cleft for its path
-ay? After it has got beyond the light
the sun. will there be torches lighted :
II it the rest of the way?
VIII the soul have to travel through
ing deserts before it reaches the good !
md? II we should lose our pathway. .
i'll there be castle at whose gate we I
ay ask the way TO the city? Oh. this {
ysterious spirit within US! 1t has ,
20 wings but it is in cage now. It i
locked fast u keen II. hut Let the