The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1898-06-09

~ saia q hin: what bsd q I Asas
Tor this man? He = . very good klnd
Of q man: he 10 . minister" Soasbody
said. Twenty dollers'' (he was very
! ~ and lot verth much). somebody
| slie. ~ Tvsnty-flvs . Thirty g ''rhirty-
nve." '@BortS.- Ths aged Christian
minister began - tsemble. He had sx-
peetsd to be able to buy his own free
dom. and he had Just SO and expected
With the 80 To- get free Al the bids
Iran Up the old man tremblsd more and
lnoss "torty." "Forty-nve." Fifty"
I'Nif>y-Avs." !" SIXTY" "sixty-nve." The
old man cried out. Seventy" He was
afraid thev would outbid him. The
men around were transnxed. Nobody
dared bid. and the auctioneer struck
him down to Aimseif-done-done!
| hut by reason Of sin we are poorer
than that African. We cannot buy our
own deliverance. The voices Of death
are bidding for us. and they bid US in.
and they bid us down. But the Lord
Jesus Christ comes and saws: II will
buy that man. 1 bid for him my Beth
lehem fnsnger. bid for him my hun
ger on the mountain. bid for him my
/ aching head. bid for him my fainting
heart I bid for him all my wounds
A voice from the throne Of God says:
1T is enough! Jesus has bought him."
Bought with price. The purchase
complete. 1t Is done.
Why. Is not man free when he gets
rid Of his sins? The sins OF the tongue
gone, the sins of action gone. the sins
Of the mind gone. All the transgres-
shons Of 80. 40. so. 10 gears gone-no
more In the soul than the malaria that
fioated In the atmosphere a thousand
years ago. for when my Lord Jesus
pardons man he pardons him. and
there is no halfway work about 1t.
We should be going heaveDward.
That is the suggestion. But / know
that we have . great many drawbacks.
You had them this morning. perhaps.
You had them yesterday. or the day be-
fore. and although you want to be go
ing heavenward. you are constantly
discouraged. But suppose when that
bird went out Of the priests hands It
went by times stoop-
ling. A bird does not shoot directly up.
but this is the motion Of a bird. SO
the soul scars toward God. rising up
lin love and sometimes depressed by
trial. 1t does not always 90 In the d.
rection 1t would like to, but the main
course Is right. There Is one passage
lin the Bible which l quote oftener to
myself than any other. He knoweth
our frame, and he remembereth that
we are dust"
There b a legend In Iceland which
says that when Jesus was a boy play
ling with his comrades one Sabbath day
he made birds of clay, and as these
birds of clay were standing upon the
ground an old Sadducee came along.
and he was disgusted with the sport
and dashed the birds to pieces, but tn"
legend says that Jesus waved his hand
above the broken birds, and they took
wing and went sailing heavenward. uf
course that Is a fable among the Ice
landers, but 1t is not fable that we
are dust and that. the hand OF divine
grace waved over US once, we go sing
ing toward the skies.
I wish, my friends, that we could
live in higher. atmosphere. II a mans
whole life object is to make dollars. lie
will be running against those who are
making dollars. If his whole object is
to get applause, he will run against
those who are seeking applause. But
IL he rises higher than that he will not
! be interrupted in his flight heavenward.
Why does that flock. of birds, floating
UP against the blue sky so high that
you can hardly see them. not change its
course for spire or tower? They are
above all obstructions. So we would
not have so often to change our Chris
tian course il we lived in higher at
mosphere nearer Christ, nearer the
throne Of God.
oh, ye who have been washed in the
blood Of Christ-ye who have been
loosed from the hyssop branch-start
heavenward. 1t may be to some Of you
long fight. Temptations may dis
pute your way. storms Of bereavement
. and trouble may strike your soul, but
God will see you through. Build not
on the earth. Set YOUR affections on
things In heaven. not\ on things on
= earth. This Is . perishing world. Its
8 flowers fade. Its fountains dry up. Its
t promises cheat. Set your affectioni
! upon Christ and heaven. l rejoice. my
{ dear brethren and sisters in Christ, that
a the flight will after awhile be ended
Not always beaten Of the storm. No,
. always going on weary wings. There i
e a warm dovecot of eternal rest wher'
r we shall find place Of comfort. to thu
r everlasting Joy Of our souls. Oh, the,
!. are going up all the time-,going VI
. from this church-going up from all tn
n families and from all the churches o
e the land. the weary doves, seeking res
e in a doyecot