The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1899-03-31


ture, as 1t were. and we do not know
where they have gone, and they only
add gloom and mystery TO the pas
sage; but Jesus Christ so nightly
stormed the gates of that future world
that they have never since been close
ly shut. Christ knows what il is to
leave this world, of the beauty OF
which he was more appreciative than
we ever could be. He knows the ex-
quisiteness Of the phosphorescence OF
the sea; he trod 1t. He knows the glo-
ries of the midnight heavens, for they
were the spangled canopy of his will
derness pillow. He knows about the
lilies; he twisted them into his SER
mon He knows about the fowls OF
the air; they whirred their way
through his discourse. He knows
about the sorrows of leaving this beau
tiful world. Not a taper was kindled
in the darkness. He died physician
less. He died in cold sweat and dir
illness and hemorrhage and agony,
that have put him in sympathy with
all the dying. He goes through
Christendom, and he gathers up the
stings out Of all the death pillows, and
he puts them under his own neck and
head. He gathers on his own tongue
the burning thirsts of many genera
tions. The sponge is soaked in the
sorrows CT all those who have died in
their beds, as we'll as soaked in the
sorrows Of all who persisted in icy or
fiery martyrdom. While heaven was
plying and earth was hooking and
hell was deriding, he took the vine
gar!
To all those to whom life has been
an acerbity-a dose they could not
swallow, draught that set their teeth
on edge and a-rasping-I preach the
omnipotent sympathy Of Jesus Christ
The sister of Herschel, the astrono-
mer, used to spend much OF her time
polishing the telescopes through which
he brought the distant worlds nigh;
and 1t is my ambition now, this hour,
to clear the lens of your spiritual
vision, so that looking through the
dark night of your earthly troubles
you may behold the glorious constella-
ton of Savior's mercy and a Savior's
love. Oh. my friends. do not try to
carry all your ills alone. Do not put
your poor shoulder under the Apen-
mines when the Almighty Christ is
ready to lift up your burdens. When
you have a trouble Of any kind. you
rush this way and that way; and you
wonder what this man will say about
1t. and what that man will say about
it; and you try this prescription. and
that prescription. and the other pre-
scription. Oh. why do you not go
straight TO the heart Of Christ, know
ing that for our own SHINING and suf-
fering he took the vinegar?
There was a vessel that had been
tossed on the seas for a great many
weeks, and been disabled, and the
supply Of water gave out. and the
crew were dying of thirst. After many
days they saw a sail against the
sky They signaled 1t. When the
vessel came nearer, the people on the
suffering ship cried to the captain OF
the other vessel. Send us some wa
ter. We are dying for lack of wa
ter" And the captain on the vessel
that was hailed responded: Dip your
buckets where you are. You are In
the Amazon. and there are scores of
miles Of fresh water all around about
you, and hundreds Of feet Deep And
then they dropped their buckets over
tho side of the vessel, and brought up
the clear, bright. fresh water, and put
out the fire of their thirst. And 50
hail you today, after long and per-
ilous voyage. thirsting as you are
for pardon. and thirsting for comfort.
and thirsting for eternal life; and
ask you what is the use of your go
ing in that deatt-struck state, while
all around you is the deep, clear. wide,
sparkling food of Gods sympathetic
mercy? Oh. dip your buckets and
drink and live forever. whatsoever
will, let him come and take Of the
water of life freely"
Yet there are people who refuse this
divine sympathy; and they try to fight
their own battles, and drink their
own vinegar, and carry their own bur-
dens; and their life, instead OF be-
ing a triumphal march from victory to
victory. will be hobbling on from de-
feat to defeat. until they make final
surrender to re.ributive disaster. Oh,
l wish l could today gather up in my
arms all the woes of men and women.
all their heart-aches, all their disap-
pointments, all their chagrins, and
just take them right to the feet OF
sympathizing Jesus. He took the vim
egar. Mana Sahib, after he had lost
his last battle. in India, fell back into
the jungles OF Iheri-iungles so full of
malaria that no mortal can live there.
He carried with him also a ruby OF
great lustre and of great value. He
died in those jungles and his body
was never found. and the ruby has
never yet been recovered. And fear
that today there are some who will
fall back from this subject into the
sickening. killing jungles of their sin.
carrying gem of infinite value-a
priceless soul to be lost forever. oh,