The herald., 1897-02-15
FIRST CONGREGATIONAL
The Light Of Religion and Freedom Which
Shines for All

|
This pulpit was occupied by Rev. Mr..
Goff of Riverside, who chose as his
theme Light at Eventime, from the
words in Zachariah xiv:7: "At Eventime
1t shall be light"
| Picturing human life as journey in
a strange land, where twilight deepens
into darkness from which there is no
escape, before which it is helpless and
fearful; when 10! the light shines forth.
night is driven back, danger and evil
shrink away, safety and peace descend
| to quiet and cheer the soul, the speak
| er Illustrated the beauty and force of
the text from great epochs in history.
That dark hour of the world when
| Greece, the land of Socrates, Homer and
Plato was notorious for her vices; when
Roman virtue had given way to sensu-
ality, injecting all ranks; when the Jews,
Gods chosen people. were the most de-
spised of all races, their religion encum-
bered with tradition, their faith
| dimmed, their worship mere form-there
seemed no hope, no relief. Then the
Savior was born, "a light to tighten the
Gentiles," the assurance of a glorious
day.
So in the dawn of the reformation,
when society rivaled in its corruption
the darkest phases of heathendom; when
vice was so common it provoked no COM
ment and feared no rebuke; when the
church had proven a seeming failure
adding to the darkness it was intended
to relieve. Then the reformation broke
out, and "at eventime there was light.
So in our own republic. There came q
time when its life was threatened by q
nation mighty on land and on sea; ma
tion from which it had sprung and which
it loved. 1t was dark day for the race.
for if freedom could find no home in this
new land then earth had no dwelling
place for her. The first gun, heard
then-a flame of light, kindled at Bunker
Hill. flashes brightly forth in the Dec
laration of Independence and shines on,
until at Yorktown it triumphed over
darkness, and liberty found home.
"At eventime it was light"
God grant this text may find it's truth
illustrated in fair Cuba, struggling for
her freedom. and in Armenia. crying out
to God and to Christendom against the
most infamous tyranny on earth!
The speaker then drew many illustra
tions from the more hidden lives of indi
viduals In perpleXity, when even small
clouds bewilder and fill us with fear; in
misfortune, when we discover how vul-
nerable we are; no man SO strong as new
er to need protection, so wise as never
to need counsel so good as never to need
mercy; when adversely darkens our day.
until we think the night is going to close
down upon US, and look hopelessly for
the light; in old age, when the stormy
day should be succeeded by a glorious
evening, and in the hour of death, sud-
denly. gloriously at eventime the light
shines forth. We know now the sun
has been always shining. and that it
never sets. AT all times, if we only look
up, we shall see the light; if the sun de-
clines the stars shine out in the sky, the
full moon rises over the forest trees, and
at eveningtime it is light.
Thus, for saint or sinner, the light
streams forth, steadily, lovingly. to
cheer, to guide. to save. 1t is yours to
receive or to reject; yours to follow until
the perfect day. or yours to extinguish
and then to wander into utter and hope
less darkness. He that walketh In
darkness knoweth not whittier he goeth;
walk in the light while ye have the light
that ye may be the children of light