Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1898-06-03

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 sparrow-perfectly
harmless, perfectly defenseless-type Of
him who said, Il have trOd the wine
press alone, and there was none TO
help" None TO helpl 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 no for him? Were the
miscreants at the cross any more inter-
fered with in their work Of spiking him
fast than the carpenter in his shop driv-
ing a nail through pine board? The
women cried but there was no balm in
their tears. None to help, none to help!
O my Lord Jesus, none TO helpl The
wave of anguish came up to the arch Of
his feet, came up to his knee, hoated
to his waist, rose to his chin, swept TO
his temples, yet none to help Ten thou
sand times 10000 angels in the sky,
ready at command 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 talons.
1t plunged not a savage beak 1t was
dove-helpless, defenseless None to
helpl None to helpl
As after a severe storm in the morn
ing you 90 out and find birds dead on
the snow, so this dead bird of the text
makes me think of that awful storm
that swept the earth on cruciiixion day,
when the wrath Of God and the malice
of man and the fury Of devils wrestled
beneath the three crosses As we sang
just now:
Well might the sun in darkness hide
And shut his glories in,
When Christ, the mighty Maker. died
For man. the creatures sin.
Blood AtOnement.
But I 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 plung-
ed it in the blood of the first bird. All,
that is my soul, plunged for cleasing 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 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 forfeited nothing
could buy it back but blood. What was
it 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 an
cient sacrifice? Blood. What was 1t
that the priest carried into the holy OF
holies, making intercession for the peo-
pie? Blood. What was it that Jesus
sweat in the garden of Gethsemane?
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 pollution?
The blood Of Jesus Christ, that cleanseth
from all sin.
hear somebody saying, Il do not
like such a sanguinary religion as that.
Do you think it is very wise for the pa
tient to tell the doctor, Il don't like
the medicine you have given me?' If
he wants to be cured, he had better take
the medicine. Ny Lord God has offered
us balm, and it is very foolish for US
to say. Il don't like that balm. We
had better take it and be saved But
YOU do not oppose the shedding OF blood
in other directions and for other ends.
If q hundred thousand men so 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.
And 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 III the blood OF
Christ or go polluted fs~zk
Let the water and the blool,
From thy side a healing Hood,
BE OF SIN the double cufc
Save from earth and make me pure
Sin Is slavery.
notice now that as soon rs tins second
bird was dipped in the blood Of the flrst
bird the priest unloosened It and II was
free-free of wing and free Of foot. 1t
could whet its beak on any tree branch
if chose. 1t could peck the grapes OF
any vineyard it chose. 1t was free-a
TYNE of our souls after we have washed
i'm the blood of the Lamb. We can go
where we will. We can do what we
will You say, Had you not better
aualify that" No, for remember that
in conversion the will is changed and
the man will not will that which Is
wrong. There is no straitjacket in our
religion. A state of sin isa state OF slav-
erv. A state of pardon is a state OF
emancipation. The hammer OF God g
grace knocks the hopples from the feet,
knocks the handouts from the wrist,
opens the door into landscape all
ashimmer with fountains and abloom
with gardens 1t is freedom.
If a man has become a Christian, he
is no more afraid of Sinai. The thun-
Gers of Sinai do not frighten him. You
lave, on some August day, seen two
thunder showers meet One cloud rom
this mountain and another cloud from
that mountain, coming nearer and near
er together and responding to each 9TH
er. crash to crash, thunder to thunder,
boom. boom And then the clouds break
and the torrents pour, and they are emp