Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1896-11-20

pared to eternity, like the drop OF the 1lgn.
H. cbotan from the top Of a grass blade by
fine cows hoof on its way aheid TINS morn,
inc "a compared with Mediterranean ana
Arabian and Atlantic and Pacific watery uo-
minions! -.
A stranger desired to purchase farm, put
the owner would not sell it--wouid only lot
If. The stranger hired 1t by lease Tor only
one crop, but he sowed acorns, ana u Ina.
ture that crop 800 years were necessary. 1na'
was a practiced deception, but deceive you
not when tell you that the crop OF the Sou'
takes hold of unendlng ages. 49,
/ see the author OF my text seated IN tue
house OF Gaus, who entertained MIN u
Corinth, not far rom the overhangln9 Ioi-
tress of Acro-Corinthus, and meditatlng Oh
The longevity OF the soul and getting more
and more agitated about its value and the
awful risk some of his kindred were running
concerning it, and he writes this letter con,
tanning the text, which Chrysostom admired
SO much he had 1t read to him twice week,
and among other things he says those oar,
ing and startling words OF my text. IL could
wish that myself were accur5ed from Onrlst
for my brethren, my kinsmen, according 10
the flesh"
Another way to get something OF tho
Pauline longing for redeemed immortallties
Is by examining the vast machinery ar
ranged to save this inner and spiritual ma
ture. That machinery started to reyolve on
the edge OF the garden OF Eden, just AFTER
the cyclone OF sin Frustrated Its sycamore3
anG tamarisks and willows and will not cease
to revolvs until the last soul OF earth snail
get riI OF Its last sin aud enter the heavenly
Eden. On that stupendous machinery for
eonl saving the patriarch put his hand. and
prophet his hand, and evangelist his hand,
and apostle his hand, and Christ His hand,
and almost every hand that touched 1t be-
came a crushed hand. 1t was the most ex-
pensive machinery ever constructor. Ii COST
more to start II and has cost aud Will COST
more to keep 1t running than all the wheels
| that ever made revolution on this planet
| That machinery turned not by ordinary
motive power, but by force OF tears ana
| blood. To connect its bands OF influence
made out Of human and Christly nerves Win
all parts of the earth millions of good men
and women are now Mt work and Will be at
work until every wilderness shall become
garden, aud every tear OF grief shall be
| tear of ioy, and the sword Of divine victory
| shall give The wound to the old dragon that
shall send him bowling to- the pit, the iron
gate changing against him, never again to
open. Ali that and infinitely moro to save
the SOUL Why, it must be tremendous
soul tremendous for good or tremendous
for evil, tremendous for happiness or tre-
| mendous for woe.
Put on the left side of the largest sheet OF
| paper that ever came from paper mill sim
gle unit, the figure l. and how many ciphers
would you have to add to tho right OF that
figure to express the souls value, each cipher
adding tenfold2 Working into that scheme
| OF the souls redemption, how many angels
OF God descending and ascending! How
many storms swoopIng on Lake Galileel How
many earthquakes opening dungeons and
striking cataclysms through mountains, from
top to basel What MONDAY sun was put on
retreat! What omnipotence lifted and what
Godhead was put to torture! All that Tor
the soul. No wonder that Paul, though pos
sessing great equipoise OF temperament when
he thought what his friends and kindred
were rsking concerning their souls, flung
| aside all his ordinary modes Of speech, argu-
ment and apt smile, and bold metaphor. and
learned allusion, as unfit to express how he
felt, and Selling upon the appalling hyper
boIism OF my text cries cut, II could wish
myself accursed" that IS, struck OF the
thunderbolts of the omnipotent God, sunk
to unfathomed depths, chained into servi-
tude to Abaddon and thrust into furnaces
whose fires shall never burn out-if only
those whom love might now and forever be
saved. Mind you, Paul does not say, 81 dc
wish" He says. ~ could WISH" Even in
the agony he felt for others he did not lose
his balance. II could wish myself accursed.
I could. but do not. Only one being thai
ever lived was literally willing to give az
heaven for perdition, and that was the d.
vine peasant whom | mentioned lew mo-
ments ago. He was not only willing 10 ex'
change dominions of bliss for dominions o
wretchedness, but He did so, for, that He
forsook heaven, witness the STOPPING stai
and all those who saw His miracles OF mercy
and that He actually entered the gates OF the
world Of perpetual confagration the Bible
distinctly declares. He did not say, with
Paul. 81 could" but He said, 81 will, l do,
and for the souls of men he descended Into
hell"
In this last half of the last decade OF th'
nineteenth century the temperature In thu
churches is very low, and most OF the piety
would spoil If it were not kept on Ice. And
taking things as they are, ordinary Chris
tians will never reach tho point where th'
cutlery OF Paul in the text will not seem Tx
extravaganza. The proprieties In most OF tint
churches are so fixed that all Il Christian Il
expected to do on Sunday is to get up little
later In the morning than usual, put on ina
which is next to his best att1re-not the yer,
best, for that has to be reserved for the leve'
enter the church with a stately step, bow
his head. or at any rate shut his eyes II
PRAYER time, or close them enough to lool
sleepy. turn toward the pulpit with hoi,
dullness while the preacher speaks, put q
cent piece-or. II the times be hard, a cen
piece-on the collection platter, kind OF shov
ing 1t down under the other coin so that !
might be, for all that the usher knows, -
gold piece, and then, after the benediction. g
quietly home 10 the biggest repast OF all In
week. That Is all the majority OF Christian
are doing for the rectifcation OF this planet
and they will 10 that until, at the close o
life. the pastor opens black book at tn
head Of their casket and reads. blessed ar
the dead who die in the Lord. They rest iron
their labors and their works do follow them.
The sense OF the ludicious Is so thoroughl
developed in me that when l hear thes
Scripture words read at the obsequies OF on
OF the religious do nothlngs In the churcde
1t is too much for my gravity. Their work
do follow them" What work? And in VIVA
direction do they follow them--up or down
And do they follow on foot or on the wing
And how long will they follow before the
catch up? More appropriate funeral tex
for all such religious dead beats would b
the words in Matthew XIV, 8: "Our lamp
| are gone out" One would think that sue
Christians would show at least under who's
. banner they are enlisted. In ono OF tn
+ Napoleonic wars a woman-Jeannete b.
,, nane-took her position with the troops an
, shouldered broomstick. The colonel saic
"Jeannette, why do you take such a useies
weapon into the ranks2" "Weil, she SAID
81 can show, at least, which side am on.
Now, the OK ect OF this sermon Is to stir @
least one fourth OF you to an ambition &c
that which my text presents In Diazin
f.. ooebuIary-namely, passion for souis. L
III hose fOh n