Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1897-01-04


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 grace! Among the
thousands of words in the language
there is no more queenly word. 1t means
free and unmerited kindness. My text
has no monopoly of the word. One hun
dred 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 wretch like me.
Philip Doddridge put it into all
hymnology when he wrote:
Grace, tits charming sound,
Harmonious to the ear;
Heaven with the echo shall resound,
And all the earth shall hear.
For Sinners Sakes.
One of John Bunyan's great books is
entitled "Grace Astounding :" cit 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
mem bership, he was asked, "Whose
work was your salvation?" and he an
swered, "Part mine and part God IS. -
Then the examiner asked, "What part
Il no
was 81 opposed God all I 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 a 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 Eu-
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 a young man,
somewhat reckless, but kind hearted, got
a company of musicians to come and
play under the old soldiers window,
and among the instruments there was a
no pcto hot fhf,y ioia
began the dying old man in delirium
said: "What's 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
Doon!' were the last words he uttered
as he passed up to the highlands of the
better country. And there are here hun
dreds of komesick for heaven, some be-
cause you have SO many bereavements,
some because you have SO many tempta-
tions, some because you have so many
ailments-homesick, very homesick, for
the fatherland of heaven, and the music
that you want to hear now is the song
of free grace, and the music that you
want to hear when you die is free grace,
and forever before the throne of God
you will sing of the ''grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ, who, though he was rich,
for your sakes became poor. y
The Comforting Fact.
Yes, yes, for your sakes! It was not
on a pleasure excursion that he came,
for it was all pain. 1t was not on an
astronomical exploration, for he knew
this world as we'll before he alighted as
afterward. It was not because he was
compelled to come, for he volunteered.
1t was not because it was easy, for he
knew that it would be thorn and spike
and hunger and thirst and vociferation
of angry mobs. ''For your sakes - To
wipe away your tears, to forgive your
wrongdoing, to companionship your
loneliness, to soothe your sorrows, to sit
with you by the new made grave, to
bind up your wounds in the ugly battle
with the world and bring you home at
last, kindling up the mists that fall on
your dying vision with the sunlight of
a glorious morn. 'sFor your sakes. -
No, 1 will change that. Paul will not
care and Christ will not care if change
it, for ] must get into the blessedness of
the text myself, and SO say, "For our
sakes. For we all have our tempta-
tions and bereayements and conflicts