The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1895-09-04

olutions with their power, lighting up
dying beds with their glory, they are
the sweetest thought for the poet, and
they are the most thrilling illustra-
tions for the orator, and they offer the
most intense scene for the artist, and
they are to the embG ssador of the sky
all enthusiasm. Complete pardon for
direst guilt Sweetest comfort for
ghastliest agony. Brightest hope for
grimmest death. Grandest resurrec-
tion for darkest sepulcher. o, what a
gospel to preach Christ the chief.
His birth, His suffering, His miracles,
His parallels, His sweat, His tears, His
blood, His atonement, His intercession
what glorious themes! Do we exer-
else faith? Christ is its object. Do we
have love? 1t fastens on Jesus. Have
we fondness for the church? 1t is
because Christ died for it. Haze we
hope of Heaven? 1t is because Jesus
went there, the herald and the fore
runner. The royal robe of Demetrius
was so costly, so beautiful, that after
he had put it off no one ever dared to
put it on; but this robe of Christ, richer
than that, the poorest and the weakest
and the worst may wear. Where sin
abounded, grace may much more
abound"
"Oh, nay sins, my sins!" said Martin
Luther to Staupitz, "my sins, my sins"
frho 20 ,c hot fl,o 1,,,ot
student had found Latin Bible that
made him quake; and nothing else
ever did make him quake; and when he
found how, through Christ, he was par
doned and saved, he wrote to friend,
saying: "Comc over and join US great
and awful sinners saved by the grace
of God. You seem to be only q slender
sinner and you don't much extol the
mercy of God; but we that have been
such very awful sinners praise His
grace the more now that we have
been redeemed" Can it be that you
are so desperately egotistical that you
feel yourself in firstrate spiritual trim,
and that from the root of the hair to
the tip of the toe you are scarless and
immaculate? What you need is look
ing glass, and here it is in the Bible.
Poor and wrctched and miserable and
blind and naked from the crown of the
head to the sole of the foot, full of
wounds and putrefying sores. No
health in u.s. And then take the fact
that Christ gathered up all the notes
against us and paid them, and then Of
fered us the receipt! And how much
we need Him in our sorrows! We are
independent of circumstances if we
have His grace. Why, He made Paul
sing in the dungeon, and under that
grace st. John from desolate Patmos
heard the blast of the apocalyptic trum-
pets After all other candles have been
snuffed out this is the light that gets
brighter and brighter unto the perfect
day; and after. under the hard hoofs OF
calamity, all the pools of worldly en-
joyment have been trampled into
deep mire, at the foot of the eternal
rock the Christian, from cups of gran
ite, lily-trimmed, puts out the thirst of
his soul.
Again remark that Christ is chief
in dying alleviations. | have not any
sympathy with the morbidity abroad
about our demise. The emperor of Con
stantinople arranged that on the day
of his coronation the stone mason
should come and consult him about the
tombstone that after while he would
need. And there are men who are mo-
nomaniacal on the subject of depart
urc from this life by death, and the
more they think of it the less they are
prepared to go. This is an unma nil
ness not worthy of you, not worthy o.
me. asS-sA
Saladin, the greatest conqueror Of
his day, while dying, ordered that the
tunic he had on him be carried after
his death on his spear at the head ot
his army, and that then the soldier
ever and anon, should stop and say
behold all that is left of Saladin, the
emperor and conqueror! OF all the
states he conquered, of all the wealth
he accumulated, nothing did he retain
but this shroud." have no sympathy
with such behavior, or such absurd
demonstration, or with much that we
hear uttered in regard to departure
from this life to the next. There is &
commonsensical idea on this subject
that you need to consider-there ar,
only two styles of departure A thou
fand feet underground, by light o
torch, toiling in miners shaft, "a ledge
of rock may fall upon us, and we may
die miners death. Far out at sea
falling from the slippery ratlines ant
broken on the halliards, we may di,
sailors death. On mission of mercy
in hospital, amid broken bones anC
reeking leprosies and raging fevers, W,
may die philanthropist's death. Or
the field of battle, serving God and ou,
country, slugs through the heart, tn,
gun carriage may roll over us, and w,
may die a patriots death. But, afte
all, there are only two styles of de
parture-the death of the righteous ant
the death of the wiclSed-and we al
want to die the former.
God grant that when that hour come
you may be at home, You want tn,
hand of your kindred in your hand
You want your children to surrount
you. You want the light on your pill
low from eyes that have long rehecte,
your love. You want your room still
You do not want any curious stranger
standing around watching you. Yo,
want your kindred from afar to hea
your last prayer. think that is tn
wish of all of us. But is that all? Cal
earthly friends hold us up when tn