The Yale expositor., 1897-01-08

land Of heaven. wish that come day
you might go to the Holy Land and
take drink out Of Jacobs we'll, and
take a sail on Galilee, and read the
Sermon on the Mount while standing
on Olivet, and see the wilderness where
Christ was tempted, and be some after
noon on Calvary about three o'clock
the hour at which closed the cruci-
fiXion-and sit under the sycamores and
by the side of brooks, and think and
dream and pray about the poverty of
him who came our souls to save. But
you may be denied that, and so here, in
another continent and in another hem
isphere, and in scenes as different as
possible, we recount as well we may
how poor was our Heavenly Prince.
But in the other holy land above we
may all study the riches that he left
behind when he started for earthly ex-
pedition. Come, let us bargain to meet
each other at the door of the Fathers
mansion, or on the bank of the river
just where 1t rolls from under the
throne, or at the outside gate. Jesus
got the contrast by exchanging that
world for this; we will get it by ex-
changing this world for that. There
and then you will understand more of
the wonders of the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ, who, though he was
rich, yet for your sakes became poor"
Yes, grace, free grace, sovereign
%.
thousands of words in the language
there is no more queenly word. 1t
means free ard unmerited kindness.
My text has no monopoly Of the word.
One hundred and twenty-nine times
does the Bible eulogize grace. 1t is
a door swung wide open to let into
the pardon of God all the millions who
choose to enter it.
John Newton sang of it when he
wrote:
Amazing grace. how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me-"
Philip Doddridge put it into all hym-
nology when he wrote:
Grace, 'tis a charming sound,
Harmonious to the ear;
Heaven with the echo shall resound,
And all the earth shall hear"
When ArtaxerXes was hunting, Tire
bazus. who was attending him, showed
the king a rent in his garments; the
king said: "How shall l mend it?"
"By giving it to me-" said TirebaZus.
Then the king gave him the robe, but
commanded him never to wear it. as
Il would be inappropriate. But seeing
the startling and comforting fact, while
our Prince throws off the robe, He not
only allows us to wear it, but commands
us to wear 1t, and it will become us
well. and for the poverties of our spir-
itual state we may put on the splendors
of heavenly regalement. For our sakes!
Oh, the personality of this religion!
Not an abstraction. not an arch under
which we walk to behold elaborate ma
sonry, not an ice castle like that which
the Empress Elizabeth of Russia, over
a hundred years ago, ordered to be
constructed. Winter with it's trowel
of crystals cementing the huge blocks
that had been quarried from the frozen
rivers of the North, but our Fathers
house with the wide hearth cracking
a hearty welcome. A religion of
warmth and inspiration, and light, and
cheer; something we can take into our
hearts, and homes, and business, re-
creations, and joys, and sorrows. Mo-
an unmanageable gift, like the galley
presented to Ptolemy. which required
four thousand men to row, and its
draught of water was so great that it
could not come near the shore, but
something you can run up any stream
of annoyance, however shallow. En-
richment now. enrichment forever.