The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1898-06-11
Unveil Thy beauties to my sight,
That may love Thee more"

a defenseless bird. When the eagle is
assaulted with its iron beak II strikes
like bolt against its adversary. This
was dove or a sparrow; we do not
know just which. Take the dove or
pigeon in your hand, and the pecking OF
it's beak on your hand makes you laugh
at the feebleness of its assault. The
reindeer, after it is down, may fell you
with its antlers. The OK, after you
think 1t is dead, may break your leg in
it's death struggle. The harpooned
whale, in its last agony, may crush you
insthe coil of the unwinding rope. But
this was dove or a 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 help! 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 the crowd manly and gener-
Gus enough to stand up for Him? We're
the miscreants at the cross any more
Him fast than the carpenter in his shop
driving nail through pine beard. The
women cried, but there was no balm in
their tears. None to help! None to
help! o, my Lord Jesus, none to help!
The wave of anguish came up to the
arch of His feet-came up to His knee
floated to His waist-rose to His chin
swept to His temples-yet none to
help! Ten thousand times ten thou
sand angels in the sky, ready at COM
mand 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 this last
moment, clutched not with angry tai
ons. 1t plunged not savage beak. 1t
was dove-helpless, defenseless. None
to help, none to help!-
AS, after a 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:
well might the sun in darkness hide,
md 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 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 for
feited 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 ancient sacrifice? Blood.
What was it that the priests carried into
the holy of holies making intercession
for the people? Blood. What was it
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 a sanguinary religion as that"
Do you think i; is very wise for the pa
tient 10 tell the doctor: II don't like
the medicine you have given me?" If
he wants to be cured he had better take
the medicine. My Lord God has offered
us a balm, and it is very foolish for US
TO say: II 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 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"
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 by
millions and millions into the liberty
of the sons of God3 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 flood
Be OF sin the double cure.
Save from wrath. and make me pure
/ notice now that as soon as this
second bird was dipped in the blood of
the first 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 it chosen 1t could peck the
grapes of any vineyard it chose. 1t
was free; type of our souls after we
have washed in the blood of the Lamb.
We can go where we will. We can do
what we will. You say: "Hod you
not better qualify that?" Mo- for |
remember that in conversion the will
is changed, and the man will not will
that which is wrong. There is no strait
jacket in our religion. A state of sin