Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1898-06-09


trank;ncense. its feathers washed in
summer showers. 0 thou spotless Son
Of God, impress with Thy innocence!
Thou lovely source Of true delight
Whom !. unseen. adore.
Unveil Thy beauties TO my sight
That may love Thee more"
/ remark, also, in regard TO this first
bird, mentioned in the text, that ii was
. defenseless bird. When the eagle Is
assaulted with it's iron beak il strikes
like bolt against its adversary. This
was a dove or 3 sparrow; we do not
know just which, Take the dove or
pigeon in your hand, and the pecking OF
its beak on your hand makes you laugh
at the feebleness of its assault The
reindeer, after 1t 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 dove or sparrow-perfectly
harmless, perfectly defenseless-type
of Him who said: Il have trod the wine
press alone, and there was none 10
help" None to helpl The murderers
have it all their own way. Where was
the soldier in the Roman regiment who
swung his sworG in the defense of the
Divine Martyr? Did they put one drop
OF oil on His gashed feet? Was there
one in all the crowd manly and gener-
Gus 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 board. The
women cried, but there was no balm In
their tears. None to help! None to
help! 0, my Lord Jesus, none to helpl
The wave of anguish came up to the
arch OF His feet-came up to His knee
fioated to His waist-rose to His chin
swept to His temples-yet none to
helpl Ten thousand times ten thou
sand angels in the sky, ready at COM
mand to plunge into the bloody ARRAY,
and strike back the hosts Of darkness,
yet none to help, none to help!
Oh, this dove of the text. in this last
moment, clutched not with angry tai
ons. 1t plunged not a savage beak. 1t
was dove-helpless, defenseless. None
to help, none to help!
AS, after n severe storm in the morn
ing,you go out and find dead birds on the
ground, so this dead bird Of the text
makes me think of that awful storm
that swept the earth on crucifixion day,
when the wrath of God, and the malice
of man, and the fury of the devils
wrested beneath the three crosses. AS
we sang just now:
We'll might the sun in darkness hide
And shut his glorieS in,
When Christ, the mighty Maker, died
For man, the creatures SIM
But | come now to speak of this Sec
ond bird of the text. We must not let
that fly away until we have examined 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 Pa
cific oceans to wash away our smallest
sin. Sin Is such mn outrage 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 for
feited nothing could buy it back but
blood. What was 1t that was sprinkled
on the doorposts when the destroying
angel went through the land? Blood.
What was it that went streaming from
the altar of ancient sacrifceP Blood.
What was 1t that the priests carried into
ho hn1 ~ hn1 II, t,+ To-
for the peoplep Blood. What was II
that Jesus sweat in the Garden of Geth-
semane? Great drops of blood. What
does the wine in the sacramental cup
signify? Blood. What makes the robes
OF the righteous in Heaven so fair? They
are washed in the blood Of the Lamb.
What is it that cleanses all our pollu-
ton? The blood of Jesus Christ, that
cleanseth from all sin.
| heard somebody saying: 81 do not
like such sanguinary religion IS that"
Do You think il is very wise for the pa
tent to tell the doctor: II don't like
the medicine you have given me?" II
he wants to be cured he had better take
the medicine. My Lord God has offered
us DdlH. anu II is very IOOllSn TOT us
to say: II don't like that balm" We
had better take it. and be saved But
you do not oppose the shedding oil blood
in other directions and for other ends.
If a hundred thousand men go out to
battle for their country, and have to lay
down their lives for free institutions, is
there anything ignoble about that?
No. you say; GLORIOUS sacrifice rather"
Ard is there anything ignoble in the
idea that the Lord Jesus Christ, by the
shedding of His blood, delivered not
only one land. but all lands and all
ages, from bondage, introducing men by
millions and millions into the liberty
Of the sons of God? Is there anything
ignoble about that?
AS this second bird Of the text was
plunged IN the blood of the first bird, so
we must be washed in the blood OF
Christ, or go polluted forever.
Let the water and the blood
From the side a healing food,
Re Of sin the double cure,
Save from wrath. and make me pure"
! notice TOW that as soon as this