The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1897-03-19


world. / do not believe that God ever
made, better world than this. 1t is
magnificent in its ruins Let us stop
talking so much against the world.
God pronoun led 1t very good at the be-
ginning. Though a wandering child or
God, l see in it yet the Great Fathers
lineaments. Though tossed and driven
by the storms of six thousand years,
she sails bravely yet, and as at her
launching in the beginning the morn
ing stars sang together and all the sons
OF God shouted for joy, so at last, when
coming into the calm harbor OF GODS
mercy, she shall be greeted by the
huzzas of glorified kingdoms. 1t Is not
the world against which we contend,
but its transgressions. Whatever is
obstinate in the will, degrading in
passion, harmful in custom, false In
friendship, hypocritical in profession
against all this Christ makes onset.
From false profession he would tear the
mask. From oppression he would
snatch the rod. From pride he would
rend off the plumes. From revenge he
would exercise the devil. While Christ
loved the world so much he died to save
1t, he hates sin so we'll that to eradicate
the last trace of its pollution he will
utterly consume the continents and the
oceans At the gate of Eden the declar-
alton of perpetual enmity was made
against the serpent. The tumult roun-
about Mount Sinai was only the roar
and flash of Gods artillery of wrath
against sin. Sodom on fire was only one
of Gods flaming bulletins announcing
hostility. Nineveh and Tyre and Jeru-
salem in awful ruin mark the track OF
Jehovah's advancement. They show
that God was terribly in earnest when
he announced himself abhorrent of all
iniquity. They make us believe that
though nations belligerent and revenge
full NAV sign articles of peace and come
to an amicable adjustment, there shall
be no cessation of hostilities between
the forces of light and the forces OF
darkness until the Kingdoms of this
world have become the Kingdoms of our
Lord. Affrigh.ed by no opposition, dis
couraged by no temporary defeats,
shrinking from no exposure-every
man to his position, while from the top
OF our schools and churches and semi
naries and asylums, In the name of
God we will set up our banners"
Again, II was the custom In ancient
times, for the purpose of gathering
armies, TO lift an ensign on the top of
some high Hill, so~that all who saw 1t
would feel impelled to rally around it,.
In more modern times the same plan
has been employed for the gathering
of an army. Thus it is that the Church
of Christ lifts it's flag for recruits. The
Cross of Jesus is our standard, planted
! on the hill of Calvary. Other armies
demand that persons desiring to enter
the lists of war shall be between such
and such an age, lest the folly of eX-
| treme youth or the infirmity of ad-
vanced age be a. clog rather than an
/ advantage But none are too young
| for Christ's regiment: none can be too
old The hand that is strong enough
| to bound bail or trundle a hoop is
skilled enough to fight for Christ, while
many a hand trembling with old age
/ has grasped the arrow of truth, and
with dim eye close to 1t, taking aim,
has sent its sharp point right through
the heart OF the Kings enemies Many
OF you have long ago had your names
written on the roll of celestial troops,
and you like the service well, although
you now bear the scars of multitude
nous conflicts and can recount many a
| long march, and tell of siege-guns
opened on you that you thought never
would be spiked. But there may be
/ some who have not yet enlisted Your
being here implies that you are seri-
ously thinking about it, and your at
tention makes me hope you are only
looking for the standard to be .hoisted.
Will you not, hundred of you, with
all the aroused enthusiasm of your ma
tpre, come bounding into the ranks,
while I'm the name of God we set up
our banners?"
Through natural modesty do you hold
back and say, II will be OF no advant-
! age TO Christ; / am too awkward to
learn the step of the host. or to be of
any service n the shock of battle?''
To you ] make the reply, Try it. One
hour under Christ's drill, and you
would so we'll understand his rules that
the first step of your march heaven
ward would make the gates of hell
tremble on their hinges. We may not
be as polished and trim as many Chris
tians we have known, and we may not
as well understand sharp-shooting, but
there is rough work which we can all
accomplish We may be axe-men, and
hew pathway through the forests. We
may be spadesmen, and dig the trenches
or throw up the Notifications. We do
not care where. We do not care what
ii we can only help in the cause of our
King and shout as loudly as any of
them mt the completion of the con-
quest.
There are non-professors who have a
very correct idea of what Christians
ought to be. You have seen members
Of the church who were as proud as
Ahab and lied as badly as Ananias, and
who were as foul hypocrites as Judas.
You al hor all that. You say followers
of Christ ought to be honorable, hum
-