The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1898-03-13


than a painters power, at one stroke
picturing a heavenly throne and
judgment confiagration. The strings
of this great harp are fingered by all
the splendors of the future, now sound
ing with the crackle of consuming
worlds, now thrilling with the joy OF
the everlasting emancipated. II tells
how one forbidden tree in the garden
blasted the earth with sickness and
death; and how another tree, though
leafless and bare, yet planted on Cal
vary, shall yield a fruit which shall
more than antidote the poison OF the
other. 1t tells how the red-ripe clust-
ers OF Gods wrath were brought to the
wine-press, and Jesus trod them out;
and how. at last, ali the golden chal-
ices of heaven shall glow with the
wine of that awful vintage. 1t dazZles
the eye with an Ezekiel's vision OF
wheel, and wing, and fire, and whirl-
wind; and stoops down so low that II
can put its lips to the ear of dying
child and say. come up higher"
And yet Paul, in my text, takes the
responsibility of saying that 1t is only
an indistinct mirror, and that its mis-
sion shall be suspended. 1 think there
may be one Bible in heaven, fastened
to the throne. Just as now, in mu-
scum, we have a lamp exhumed from
Herculaneum or Nineveh. and we look
at it with great interest and say, How
poor a light it must have given COM
pared with our modern lamps!" So
l think that this Bible, which was
lamp to our feet in this world. may lie
near the throne of God, exciting our
interest to all eternity by the contrast
between its comparatively feeble light
and the illumination Of heaven. The
Bible, now, is the scaffolding to the
rising temple, but when the building
is done, there will be no use for the
scaffolding.
The idea 1 shall develop today is.
that in this world our knowledge is
comparatively dim and unsatisfactory.
but nevertheless is Introductory to
grander and more complete vision. This
is eminently true in regard to our
view of God. We hear so much about
God that we conclude that we under
stand him. He is represented as hav-
ing the tenderness Of a father, the
f1rmness of a judge, the majesty of
a king. and the love Of mother. We
hear about him, talk about him. write
about him. We lisp his name in in
fancy, and it trembles on the tongue
of the dying octogenarian. We think
that we know very much about him.
Take the attribute of mercy. Do we
understand it? The Bible blossoms
all over with that word-mercy. 1t
speaks again and again of the tender
mercies of God; of the sure mercies;
of the great mercies; of the mercy that
endureth forever; of the multitude of
his mercies. And yet I know that the
views we have of this great Being are
most indefinite, one-sided and incom-
plete. When. at death, the gates shall
fly open, and we shall look directly
upon him, how new and surprising,
We see upon canvas a picture of the
morning. We study the cloud in the
sky, the dew upon the grass, and the
husbandman on the way to the field.
Beautiful picture of the morningI But
we rise at daybreak, and go up on a
hill to see for ourselves that which
was represented to us. While we look
the mountains are transfgured. The
FURNISHED gates of heaven swing open
| and shut, to let past a host of fiery
| splendors The clouds are all abloom
/ and hang pendent from arbors OF ala
/ baster and amethyst. The waters make
/ pathway of inlaid pearl for the light
/ to walk upon; and there is morning or
| the sea The crags uncover theil
SCARED visage; and there is morninf
! among the mountains. Now you &c
home, and how tame your picture O.
the morning seems in contrast! Great
er than that shall be the contrast be
tween this Scriptural view of God ant
that which we shall have when stand
ing face to face. This is a picture O
the morning, that will be the mornin.
itself
Again; my text is true of the Sa
viour's excellency. By image. am
sweet rhythm of expression, and start
ling antithesis, Christ is set forth-hi
love. his compassion, his work, his life
his death, his resurrection. We ar
challenged to measure it, to compute il
to weigh it. In the hour of our broker
enthrallment, we mount up into higl
experience of his love. and shout unit
the countenance glows, and the bloo
bounds, and the whole nature is exhil
arated, II have found him!" And yet /
is through a glass. darkly. We see no
half Of that compassionate face. w
feel not half the warmth of that lovin
heart. We wait for death to let u
rush into his outspread arms. The
we shall be face to face. Not shadoy
then, but substance. Not hope ther
but the fulfilling of all prefigurement
That will be a magnificent unfolding
The rushing out in view of all hidde
excellency, the coming again of long
absent Jesus, to meet us-not in rag!
and In penury, and death, but amids
, a light, and pomp, and outburstin
Joy such as none but a glorified INTEL
gence could experience. OH to gar
full upon the brow that was laceratet
upon the side that was pierced, upo