The Progress. (Shreveport, La.) 1892-1900, 1896-02-29

that chain and so to the south, and
another surveyor take that chain and
20 to thc east. and another surveyor
',ho that chain and 20 to TIE west. and
men mako report Of Tie square miles
Of that vast Kingdom of Gods mercy.
All, You will have TO wait to all eternity
Tor the report Of that measurement. II
cannot be measured. Paul tried to
climb the height Of it, and he went
height over height. altitude above ait!-
! tUd", mountain above mountain, then
sank down in Encouragement and
gave it up, for he saw Sierra Ncy1daG
beyond and Mattcrhorns beyond, 2HI
waving his hands back TO us in the
! plains, he says, Past finding out: un-
Scarchablc, that in all things he might
nave the prC-cmincnCC." You notice
, that nearly all the sinners mentioned
ar pard0nCd in the Bible were great
! Slnners- David a great sinner, Paul a
great sinner, MasdaIcn great sinner,
, the PrOdigal Son great sinner. The
world easily understood how Christ
: could pardon half-and-half sinner
but what the world wants TO be p2rsu20-
, cd Of is that Christ will forgive the
worst sinner. the hardest sinner. the
oldest sinner, the most inexcusablo sin
ncr. TO the sin-p0rdoning Shiloh let
all the gathering Of the people be.
But, | remark again, the people will
| gather round Christ as a sympathizcr.
Oh. we all want sympathy. hear pcO-
| pie talk as though they were indcpend
| cnt OF it, None Of us could live without
| sympathy. When parts of our family
are away. how lonely the house seems
until they all get home, But alas! for
! those who never come home. Some
times it seems as if it must be impos-
| sible. What. will their feet never again
| come over the threshold? Will they
never again sit with us at the table?
Will they never again kneel with us at
family prayer? Shall we never again
look into their sunny faces? Shall We
| never again on earth take counsel with
! them for our work? Alas. me. who car
stand under these griefS? Oh, Christ,
thou canst do more for bcreft soul
than any ono else. 1t is he who stands
| beside us to tell of the resurrection. 1t
is he that came to bid peace. 1t is he
that comes to us and breathcs into us
| the spirit of submission until we can
| look up from the wreck and ruin of
our brightest expectations and say:
Father not my will, but thine be
done" Oh, We who are bereft. We an
guish- bitten, come into this refuge. The
rol, of those who came for relief to
Christ is larger and larger. Unto this
Shiloh Of omnipotent sympathy the
gathering Of the people shall be. Oh,
that Christ would stand by all these
empty cradles, and all these desolated
hCmesteads and all these broken hearts,
and persuade us it is we'll.
The world cannot offer you any help
at such time. Suppose the world
comes and offers you money. You would
rather live on a crust in cellar and
have your departed loved ones with
you, than live in palatial surroundings
I and they away. Suppose the void Of
fers you it's honOrs to console YOU.
What is the presidency to Abraham
Lincoln when little Willie lies dead in
the White House? Perhaps the world
comes and says: Time will cure 1t
ALL" All, there are griefs that have
ragged on for thirty years and are rag
ing yet. And yet hundreds have been
comforted, thousands have been COM
fOrted TlilliOns have been comforted,
and Christ had done the work. Oh,
what you want is sympathy. The
worlds heart Of sympathy beats very
irregularly. Plenty of sympathy when
we do not want it, and often when we
are in appalling need of it no SYM
pie dying for sympathy in
their work, sympathy in their fatigues,
sympathy in their bereavements, SYM
patty in their financial losses, sympa-
thy in their physical ailments, sympa-
thy in the time Of declining years
wide, deep, high, everlasting, almighty
sympathy. We must have it, and Christ
gives it. That is the chord with which
he is going to draw all nations to him.
At the story of punishment a mans
eye flashes and his teeth set and his
fist clinches, and he prepares to do
battle even though it be against the
heavens; yet what heart so hard but it
will succumb to the story of compass
siCn Even mans sympathy is pleas
ant and helpful. When we have been
in some hour Of weakness, to have
brawny man stand beside US and prom
Use to see us through, what courage it
gives to our heart and what strength
it gives to our arm. Still mightier is
woman's sympathy. Let him tell the
story who, when all his fortunes were
gone and all the world was against him.
came home and found in that home a
wife who could write on the top of the
empty flour barrel, THE Lord will pro-