The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1896-07-17

sake. The daughter of Peter Martyr,
through the vice Of her husband, came
down to penury, and the senate of Zu
rich took care of her for her father s
sake. Sometimes a person has applied
to you for help and you have refused
him. but when you found he was the
son or brother of some one who had
beea your benefactor in former days,
and by glance you saw the resem-
blance of your old friend in the face of
the applicant, you relented, and you
said, "Oh, l will do this for your IA
theirs sake" You know by your expert
ence what my text means. Now, my
friends, it is on that principle that you
and 1 are to get into the Kings palace.
For Christ's Sake.
The most important part of every
prayer is the last three or four words of
it, "For Christ's sake. Do not rattle
off those words as though they were
merely the finishing stroke of the prayer.
They are the most important part of the
prayer. When in earnestness you go be-
fore God and say, For Christs sake, "
it rolls in, as it were, upon Gods mind
all the memories of Bethlehem and
Gennesaret and Golgotha When you say
before God, "For Christ's sake,'' you
hold before Gods mind every groan, ev-
cry tear, every crimson drop of his only
begotten Son. If there is anything in
all the universe that will move God to
an act of royal benefaction, it is to say,
"For Christ's sake" God is omnipo-
tent, but he is not strong enough to re-
sist that cry, For Christ's sake. =" If
little child should kneel behind Gods
throne and should say, "For Christ's
sake the great Jehovah would turn
around on his throne to look at her and
listen. No prayer ever gets to heaven
but for Christ's sake. No soul is ever
comforted but for Christ's sake. The
world will never be redeemed but for
Ch1ist's sake. Our NAME however il.
tustliCus it may be among men, before
God stands only for inconsistency and
sin, but there is name, potent name,
blessed name, glorious name, an
everlasting name that we may put up
on our lips as sacrament and upon our
forehead as a crown, and that is the
name of Jesus, our divine Jonathan,
who stripped himself Of his robe and put
on our rags and gave us his sword and
took our broken reed, so that now,
whether we are well or sick, whether
we are living or dying if we speak that
name it moves heaven to the center,
and God says: LET the poor soul come
in. Garry him up into the throneroom
of the palace. Though he may have
been in exile, though sin may have Grip
pied him on this side, and sorrow may
have crippled him on the other side,
and he is lame in both his feet, bring
him up into the palace, for l want to
show him everlasting Kindness for
Jonathan's sake. -"
Again, Mephibosheth in my text
stands for the disabled human soul lifted
to the Kings table. 1t was more diff
cult in those times even than it is now
for common men to get into royal din
ing room. The subjects might have
come around the rail of the palace, and
might have seen the lights kindled, and
might have heard the clash of the kniyeS
and the rattle Of the golden goblets, but
not get in. Stout men with stout feet
could not get in once in all their lives
to one banquet, yet poor Mephl bosheth
goes in, lives there, and is every day at
the table Oh, what getting up in the
world it was for poor Mephibosheth!
Well, though you and 1 may be woefully
famed with sin, for our divine Jona-
than sake hope we will all get in to
dine with the King.
Before dining we must be introduced.
If you are invited to company of per-
sons where there are distinguished peo-
pie present, you are introduced "This
is the Senator. - "This is the Gov
ernor.' This is the President. " Be-
fore we sit down at the Kings table in
heaven think we will want to be in
troduced. Oh, what a time that will be,
when you and l, by the grace Of God,
get into heaven and are introduced to
the mighty spirits there, and some one
will say: This is Joshua. This is
Paul. - This is Moses. " This is John
Knox. " "This is John Milton. " This
is Martin Luther. " ''This is George
Whitefield " Oh, shall we have any
strength left after such round of celes-
tial introduction? Yea, we shall be
potentates ourselves. Then we shall sit
down at the Kings table with the sons
and daughters of God, and one will
whisper across the table to us and say,
Behold what manner of love the Father
hath bestowed upon Us that we should
be called the SOILS of Godr' And some
one al the table viii say: How long
will it last? All other banquets at which
/ sat ended. How long will this last?"
and Paul will answer, "ForeverP' and
Joshua will say, "Forever!" and John
Knox will say, Forever and George
Whitefield will say, "ForeverW
Splendid Gospel.
And the wine at that banquet will be
old wine 1t will be very old wine. 1t
will he the oldest wine of heaven. 1t
will be the wine that was trodden out
from the red clusters on the day when
Jesus trod the wine press alone. Wine
already more than IS centuries old.
And no one will deridc us as to what
we We're i'll this world. No one will
bring up our imperfections here, our