The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1896-10-02

evening and the mystic pomp of
night and all the stars above and all
the flowers below and all spiritual
beauty and all moral excellence shall
combine to adorn that crown which
is but one of the many on the
head of him who is "King of Kings
and Lord of Lords"
But not only does Christ wear the
crown of Creation, the crown of
Providence is also his. By him all
things consist lie are held together
preserved from falling into confusion
or humiliation. The world exists
because of Christ, because He wears
the crown. When sin was introduced
all it's springs were smitten with
terrible and deadly paralysis, it's just
doom was entire DISCRIMINATION and
decay. Such would have been it's lot
had notChrist stepped in between the
earth and it's ruin. Earth, the home
of the living and not the sepulchre of
the dead is proof of it's rolling under
restraining and forebearing grace.
All national and social vicissitudes
and revolutions and changes are
equally under his crown. Men act of
their own influenced instincts and
subsequent ages discover they were
giving aid and impulse to divine and
everlasting purposes Human minds
work out their own designs and they
are subsequently seen to have been
working out the great thoughts and
sovereign plans of God. He touches
not their freedom of choice and yet
they work tremendously to one end.
Napoleon thought he was the statuary,
he was only the chisel. All the past is
luminous with Christ's providen tial
sovereignty. A decree goes forth
from Caesar Augustus that the whole
land should be taxed. Each family
goes to its own city and Joseph and
Mary to theirs, and prophecy is thus
fulfilled "Thou Bethlehem Ephratah,
though thou be little among the
thousands of judah, yet out of thee
shall He come forth unto me that is
to be ruler in Israel" Caesar
thought only of taxes; an unseen but
directing hand made unconscious
Caesar to fulfill prophecy. The crown
was not on Caesars head but Christ's.
A highly educated Pharasee goes on
a journey to Damascus full of hatred
to the name and people of Christ, a
voice from Him who wears the crown
pierces his heart and Saul becomes
Paul, the bitter, prosecuting Pharasee
is transformed into the faithful
preacher of the cross. Domitian
gratities his vengeance by banishing
John to the isle of Patmos, and Christ
glOritieS his own name by making that
exile chosen instrument of i'm
perishable good to all generations.
Caesars prisoner becomes Christ's
prophet, and the wrath of man is
made to add new force to the cause of
God, and kings of the earth are
guided to the very ends for the ex-
tinction of which they had combined
their powers. Luther is sent to
convent to do penance, and there he
finds Bible. Printing was invented
to do mems work, and it has flooded
the world with Bibles. Steam was
used on mans mission, and Christ is
sending it on his errands. America
was discovered to add to mans
empire, and it becomes more and
more province of Christ. The ends
OF Infinite wisdom are not always
visible to US. Great and precious
fruit, may grow for the use of future
generations on trees all but hidden
from mortal eyes. The sower may be
unknown, and the fields he waters and
tends unvisited by us, but after days
may reveal benefits and blessings for
which whole nations praise God. The
cause of Christ owes very much
to the slight events of every day and
commonplace history. The great eX-
plOits of Christ's people have had their
origin in an unObtrusive and an I'M
expected way. Some human life has
been quite possibly-nOw unnamed
and unhistoric-Which Almighty
wisdom has urged into being and
planted right in the path of duty.
''The Kingdom of God cometh not
with observation" Nobody knew how
a great movement started. All saw
the mighty end. Two college students
by haystack begin the foreign mis-
sion work. An old marine on ship
board starts the association for
sailors. The tears of desolate
Welsh girl for Testament
leads to the first society for the
distribution of the Bible. Were these
accidents? No. nor these lives either.
The exalted Savior reached the events
through the lives of these nameless or
named ones. And so he is ever doing.
His provldential sovereignty sur
rounds each one of us in our daily
career. ''Lo 1 am with you always
even unto the end of the world. y
"Let not your heart be troubled; Ye
believe in God believe also in me-"
Let us live and rejoice in the assur-
ance that it is infinite love and wis
dom and power combined that yields
the sceptre of this world, that SO con-
trolls the lives of those who trust and
obey that all things work together for
their good and that subOrdinates
all the revolutions of nations, all
the movements of men and all the
Vaccinations of demons so as to work
out the greater glory of Him upon
whose head are many crowns.
Upon his head rests also the crown
of redemption He is the king of
redeemed kingdom, sovereign of a re-
deemed people. He came into this
world and touched humanity with
tile power of his cross, filled the
human soul with the sweetness of His
redemption breathed into human life
the holiness of His hope, claimed nan
as Gods son, tells him that he was
made tO live not as Gods creature but
as Gods child Then all the powers
that had slipped from the hand of