The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1898-06-01
"Thou lovely source Of true delight
Whom l. unseen, adore,
unveil Thy beauties TO my sight,

remark, also, in regard to TINS nrst
bird, mentioned in the text, that it
was defenseless bird. When the
eagle is assaulted, with it's iron beak
its strikes like bolt against its adver-
sary. This was dove or sparrow. we
do not know just which. Take the dove
or pigeon in your hand, and the peck
ing of its beak on your hand makes you
laugh at the feebleness of its assault.
The reindeer, after it is down, may fell
you with its antlers The OK, after you
think it is dead, may break your leg in
its death struggle. The harpooned
whale, in its last agony, may crush
you in the coil of the unwinding rope.
But this was a dove or a sparrow
perfectly harmless, perfectly defense
less-type of him who said, 81 have
trod the wine-press alone and there
was none to help" None to help! The
murderers have it all their own way.
Where was the soldier in the Roman
regiment who swung his sword in the
defense of the Divine Martyr? Did
they put one drop of oil on his gashed
feet? Was there one in all that crowd
manly and generous enough to stand
up for Him? Were the miscreants at
the cross any more interfered with in
their work of spiking Him fast than
the carpenter in his shop driving
nail through pine boardP The
women cried, but there was no balm
in their tears. None to help! none
to help. 0 my Lord Jesus, none to help!
The wave of anguish came up to the
arch of His feet-came up to His knee
-foated to His waist-rose to His
chin-swept to His temples, yet none
to help Ten thousand times ten thou
sand angels in the sky, ready at com
mand to plunge into the bloody affray,
and strike back the hosts of darkness,
yet none to help! none to help!
Oh, this dove of the text in its last
moment, clutched not with angry tai
ons. 1t plunged not savage beak. 1t
was dove-helpless, defenseless
None to help! none to help!
But come now to speak of this
second bird of the text. We must not
let that fly away until we have exam
ined it. The priest took the second
bird, tied it to the hyssop branch, and
then plunged it in the blood of the first
bird. All! that is my soul, plunged for
cleansing in the Saviour's blood. There
is not enough water in the Atlantic
and Pacific oceans to wash away our
smallest sin. Sin is such an out
rage on Gods universe that nothing
but blood can atone for it. You
know the life is in the blood, and as the
life had been forfeited, nothing could
buy it back but blood. What was il
that was spriukled on the door-posts
when the destroying angel went
through the land? Blood. What was
it that went streaming from the altar
of ancient sacrifice? Blood. What
was it that the priest carried into the
holy of holies, making intercession fol
the people? Blood. What was it that
Jesus sweat in the garden OF Gethsem
ane? Great drops of blood. What doe:
the wine in the sacramental cup sig
nifty? Blood. What makes the robe,
: of the righteous in Heaven SO fair
They are washed in the blood of the
Lamb. What is it that cleanses all oul
: pollution? The blood of Jesus Christ
that cleanseth from all sin.
AS this second bird of the text wal
plunged in the blood of the first bird
so we must be washed in the blood O.
Christ or GO polluted forever.
Let the water and the blood,
From thy side healing flood,
} Be of sin the double cure,
, Save from wrath and make me pure"
, l notice now that as soon as this sec
, ond bird was dipped in the blood of tn,
{ first bird the priest unloosened it ant
, twas free--free of wing and free of foot
1t could whet it's beak on any tire,
branch it chose. 1t could peck the grape
of any vineyard it chose. 1t was free
. a type of our souls after we have WASHED
! in the blood of the Lamb. We can g
, where we will. We can do what w
| will You say: Had you not bette
qualify that?" No; for 1 remembe
that in conversion the will is changed
. and the man will not will that whicl
E is wrong. There is no straight-jacke
e in our religion. A state of sin is stat
e of slavery. A state of pardon is stat
of emancipation. The hammer of Cod
: grace knocks the hopples from tn
: feet, knocks the handouts from tn
Y wrist, opens the door into landscap
, all ashimmer with fountains an
e abloom with gardens. 1t is freedom.
r If man has become Christian he
!, no more afraid of Sinai. The thunder
n of Sinai do not frighten him. You have
d on some August day, seen two thunde
! showers meet. One cloud from thi
!, mountain and another cloud from tina
t mountain, coming nearer and neare
n together, and responding to each Other
q crash to crash, thunder to thunder
t booml booml And then the clouds brea
n and the torrents pour, and they ar
r emptied perhaps into the very sam
e stream that comes down so red at you
feet that it seems as if all the carnag
e of the storm battle has been emptie
|. into it. So in this Bible l see two storm
}. gather, one above Sinai, the othe
e above Calvary, and they respond on
It to the other-hash to flash, thunder t
4 thunder, boom! boom! Sinai thunder
v 1.-THE soul that sinneth it shall die
d Calvary responds, Save them frol
h going down to the pit, for have foun
r a ransom" Sinai says, "Woe! woe
:, Calvary answers, Mercy! mercyw an
It then the clouds burst, and empty the
/. treasures into one torrent, and
# comes flowing to our feet, red wit