The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1898-03-10

III
W happiness OF the
future life.
The Bible Is the most forceful and
pungent of books. While 1t has the
sweetness of a mothers hush for hu-
man trouble, II has all the keenness OF
a scimiter and the crushing power OF
lightning bolt. 1t portrays with more
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. It tells
how one forbidden tree in the garden
blasted the earth with sickness and
death, and how another tree, though
,eafess and bare, yet. planted on CAL
vary, shall yield fruit which shall
more than antidote the poison Of the
other. 1t tells how the red, ripe clus-
ters OF Gods wrath were brought to the
wine press, and Jesus trod them out.
and how, at last, all the golden chal-
Ices of heaven shall glow with the wine
Of that awful vintage. It dazzles the
eye with an Ezekiel's vision OF wheel
and wing and fire and whirlwind, and
stoops down so low that 1t 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-
,ion shall be suspended. think there
may be one Bible in heaven, fastened
TO the throne. Just as now, in a mu-
scum, we have lamp exhumed from
Hercuaneum or Nineveh, and we look
At it with great interest and say, How
poor light 1t must have given COM
pared with our modern lamps!" SO
.hink that this Bible, which was lamp
TO our feet in this world, may lie near
he throne OF God, exciting our interest
o 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 scaffold-
.ng.
The idea l shall develop to-day Is,
hat in this world our knowledge is
comparatively dim and unsatisfactory,
out nevertheless is Introductory to
grander and more complete vision.
This is eminently true in regard to
our view of God. We hear so much
,bout God that we conclude that we un-
derstand him. He is represented as
having the tenderness of father, the
drmness OF judge, the majesty OF a
king and the love OF q mother. We
hear about him, talk about him,
write about him. We lisp his name
in infancy, and 1t trembles on the
tongue Of the dying Octogenarian.
We think that we know very
much about him. Take the attri-
butte 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
| know that the views we have OF this
great Being are most indefinite, one
sided and incomplete. When, at death,
the gates shall fly open and we shall
look directly upon him, how new and
surprising! We see upon canvas a pic
ture Of the morning. We study the
clouds in the sky. the dew upon the
grass and the husbandman on the way
TO the field. Beautiful picture of the
morning! But We rise at daybreak
and go up on 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
host Of fiery splendors. The clouds
are all abloom, and hang pendent from
arbors OF alabaster and amethyst. The
waters make pathway Of inlaid pearl
for the light to walk upon, and there
is morning on the sea. The crags un-
cover their SCARED visage, and there is
morning among the mountains Now
you go home and how tame your pic
ture of the morning seems in contrast!
Greater than that shall be the contrast
between this Scriptural view Of God
and that which We shall have when
standing face to face. This Is a picture
Of the morning that will be the morn
lng itself.
Again. my text is true Of the Saw.
lour's excellency. BY image and sweet
rhythm NJ expression and startling an.
tithesis, Christ Is set forth-his love
his compassion. his work, his life. his
death, his resurrection. We are chal
,IArged to measure 1t, to compute 1t. tt
s,e eigh 1t. In the hour Of our broker
enthrallment We mount up into higi
experience of his love. and shout unit
the countenance glows, and the bloot