The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1898-06-03

of the mind gone. All the transgres-
ion of thirty, forty, fifty, seventy years
gone-no more in the soul than the ma
laria that floated in the atmosphere a
thousand years ago; for when my Lord
Jesus pardons man he pardons him.
and there is no halfway work about
it.
We should be COINS heavenward.
That is the suggestion. But l know
that we have a 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 l suppose when that
bird went out of the priests hands 1t
went by nflections-sometimes stoop-
ing. A bird does not shoot directly up,
but this is the motion of a bird. So
the soul scars toward God rising up
in love, and sometimes depressed by
trial. 1t does not always go in the d.
rection it would like to go. But the
main course is right. There is one
passage in the Bible which I quote
oftener to myself than any other: HE
knoweth our frame, and he remember
eth that we are dust"
There is a legend in Iceland which
says that when Jesus was a boy, play
ing with nIs 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 disguised at the
sport. and dashed the birds to pieces;
but the legend says that Jesus waved
his hand above the broken birds, and
they took wing and went singing heav-
onward. OF course that is a fable
among the Icelanders; but 1t is not
fable that we are dust, and that, the
hand of divine grace waved over us
once, we go singing toward the skies.
wish, my friends, that we could live
in a higher atmosphere. If a mans
whole life object is to make dollars, he
will be running against those who are
making dollars. II his whole object is
to get applause, he will run against
those who are seeking applause. But
if he rists higher than that, he will
not be interrupted in his flight heaven
ward. 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 distractions. So
we would not have so often to change
our Christian course if we lived in a
higher atmosphere, nearer Christ
nearer the throne of God.
Oh, we 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
a long flight. 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
| flowers fade. It's fountains dry up. It's
promises cheat. Set your affections
upon Christ and heaven. 1 rejoice, my
dear brethren and sisters in Christ,
that the flight will, after a while, be
ended Not always beaten of the
storm. Not always going on weary
wings. There is warm dovecote of
eternal rest where we shall find place
Of comfort, to the everlasting Joy of
our souls. Oh, they are going up all
the time-going up from this church
going up from all the families and from
all the churches of the land-the weary
doves seeking rest in a dovecote.
Oh, that in that good land we may
all meet when our trials are over! We
cannot get into the glorious presence OF
our departed ones unless we have been
cleansed in the same blood that washed
their sins away. know this is true Of
all who have gone in, that they were
plunged in the blood, that they were
Embossed from the hyssop-branch. Then
they went singing into glory. See that
We refuse not Him that speaketh, for
if they escaped not who refuse Him
that spake on earth, how much more
shall not we escape if we turn away
from Him that speaketh from heaven
UaILIp0 Eract