The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1897-01-08

ment to suffer, poor until there was no
other pauperism to torture. Billions OF
dollars spent in wars to destroy men,
who will furnish the statistics of the
value of that precious blood that was
shed to save us? "Ye know the grace of
our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he
was rich, yet for your sakes he became
poor. "
Only those who study this text in two
places can fully realize its power-the
Holy Land Of Asia Minor and the holy
land OF heaven. | wish that some day
you might 90 to the Holy Land and take
a drink out of Jacobs well, and take a
sail on Galilee, and read the sermon
on the mount" while standing Oh Olivet,
and see the wilderness where Christ was
tempted, and be some afternoon on CAL
vary at about o'clock the hour at
which closed the crucifxion, 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 hemisphere and in scenes
as different as possible, we recount as
well we may how poor was our heaven
ly Prince. But in the other holy land
above we may all study the riches that
he left behind when he started for
earthly expedition. Come, let us bar
gain to meet each other at the door of
the Fathers mansion, or on the bank of
the river just where it 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
grace, omnipotent gracel Among the
thousands of words i'll the language
there is no more queenly word. 1t means
free and unmerited kindness. My text
has no monopoly of the word, One hun
bred and twenty nine times does the
Bible eulogize grace. 1t is 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
hymnology when he wrote:
Grace, tits a charming sound,
Harmonious to the ear;
Heaven with the echo shall resound,
And all the earth shall hear.
For Sinners Salses.
One of John Bunyan's great books is
entitled "Grace Astounding. 1T is all
of grace that am saved has been on
the lips of hundreds of dying Christians.
The boy Sammy was right when, being
examined for admission into church
membership, he was asked Whose
work was your salvation?" and he as-
swered, "Part mine and part Gods"
Then the examiner asked, "What part
did you do, Sammy?' and the answer
was 81 opposed God all could, and he
did the rest. Oh, the height of it, the
depth of it, the length of it, the breadth
of it, the grace of God Mr.. Fletcher
having written pamphlet that pleased
the king, the king offered to compensate
him, and Fletcher answered, There is
only one thing | want, and that is more
grace. " Yes, my blood bought hearers,
grace to live by and grace to die by,
grace that saved the publican, that
saved Lydia, that saved the dying thief, .
that saved the jailer, that saved me.
But the riches of that grace will not be
fully understood until heaven breaks in
upon the soul. An old Scotchman, who
had been a soldier in one of the En-
ropean wars, was sick and dying in one
Of our American hospitals. His one de.
sire was to see Scotland and his old
home and once again walk the heather
Of the highlands and hear the bagpipes
Of the Scotch regiments. The night that
the old Scotch soldier died young man,
reckless, but kind hearted, got
q company Of musicians tc come and
play under the old soldiers window,
and among the instruments there was a
bagpipe. The instant that the musicians
began the dying old man in delirium
said: whats that? What's that?
Why, it's the regiments coming home.
That's the tune-yes, that's the tune.
Thank God, | have got home once
more" Bonnie Scotland and Bonnie
Doonl' were the last words he uttered
AS he passed up to the highlands of the
better country. And there are here hun 1
lreds of homesick for heaven, some be-
'ause you have so many bereavements,
ome because you have SO many tempta.
ions, some because you have so many {
ilments-homesick, very homesick, for
he fatherland of heaven, and the music I
hat you want to hear now is the song |
# free grace, and the music that you j
want to hear when you die is free grace,
md forever before the throne of God e
'ou will sing of the 'grace of our Lord
esus Christ, who, though he was rich, i
or your sakes became poor. +" c
The Comforting Fact.
Yes, yes, for your sakesl 1t was not
N pleasure excursion that he came,
or it was all pain. 1t was not on an !:
astronomical exploration, for he knew
his world as we'll before he alighted as
fterward. 1t was not because he was
to come, for he volunteered. =
{ was not because it was easy, for he a
new that it would be thorn and spike :.
nd hunger and thirst and vooiferation .
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