The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1900-08-25

W oioss chusn' II wants no plum-
met with which to sound depth. A
soul SO mighty, SO swift, so silent, must
be priceless soul.
calculate the value Of the soul also
by its capacity for happiness. How
much joy it can get in this world out
of friendships, out of books, out of
clouds, out of the sea, out OF flowers.
out OF ten thousand things, and yet all
the JOY II has here does not test its ca
pacity. You are in concert before the
curtain hoists, and you hear the instru-
ments preparing-the sharp snap of the
broken string, the scraping of the bow
across the viol. There is no music in
that" you say. 1t is only getting ready
for the music. And all the enjoyment
OF the soul in this world, the enjoy
ment we think is real enjoyment is
only preparative.
You cannot test the full power Of
the soul for happiness in this world.
How much power the soul has here to
find enjoyment in friendships; but, oh,
the grander friendships for the soul in
the skies! How sweet the flowers here,
but how much sweeter they will be
there! l do not think that when flow
ers die on earth they die forever. In
the sunny valleys of Heaven shall not
the marigold creep? On the hills of
Heaven will not the amaranth bloom?
On the amethystine walls of Heaven
will not the jasmine climb? "My be-
loved is come down into his garden to
gather lilies" No flowers in Heaven?
Where, then, do they get their gar
lands for the brows of the righteous?
Christ is glorious to our souls now,
but how much grander our apprecia-
ton after awhile! A conqueror comes
back after the battle. He has been
fighting for us. He comes upon the
platform. He has one arm in a sling,
and the other arm holds crutch. AS
he mounts the platform, oh, the en-
thusiasm of the audience! They say:
THAT man fought for us and imper-
fled his life for u.s." and how wild the
huzza that follows huzza! When the
Lord Jesus Christ shall at last stand
out before the multitudes of the re-
deemed of Heaven and We meet Him
face to face and feel that He was
wounded in the head and wounded in
the hands and wounded in the feet and
wounded in the side for us, methinks
we will be overwhelmed. We will sit
some time gazing in silence until some
leader amid the white-robed choir shall
lift the baton of light and give the sig
nal that it is time to wake the song
of jubilee, and all Heaven then will
break forth into "Hosanna, hosanna!
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain"
calculate further the value of the
soul by the price that has been paid
for it. In St. Petersburg there is a
diamond that the government paid
100000 for. "Well," you say, at
must have been very valuable or the
government would not have paid $780,
900 for it," 1 want to see what my
soul is worth and what your soul is
worth by seeing what has been paid
| for it. For that immortal soul the
richest blood that was ever shed, the
deepest groan that was ever uttered,
all the griefs of earth compressed into
one tear, all the sufferings of earth
gathered into one rapier of pain and
struck through His holy heart. Does
it not imply tremendous value?
I argue also the value of the soul
from the home that has been fitted
up for it in the future. One would
have thought that a street of ada
mant would have done. No; it is a
street of gold. One would have
thought that a wall of granite would
have done. No; it is the fame of sar-
donyx mingling with the green of
emerald. One would have thought
that an occasional doxology would
have done. No; it is perpetual song.
If the ages of Heaven marched in a
straight line, some day the last regi-
ment, perhaps, might pass out OF
sight; but, no, the ages of Heaven
do not march in straight line, but in
circle around about the throne OF
God. Forever. forever, tramp, tramp!
A soul so bought, SO equipped, SO pro-
vided for, must be priceless soul,
majestic soul, a tremendous soul.
I was reading lately of sailor who
had Just got ashore and was telling
about his last experience at sea. He
said: "The last time I crossed the
ocean we had terrific time. After
we had been out three or four days
the machinery got disarranged, and
the steam began to escape, and the
captain, gathering the people and the
crew on deck, said: Unless some one
will 90 down and shut off that steam
and arrange that machinery at the
peril of his life we must all be de-
stroyed.' He was not willing to go
down himself. No one seemed will
ing to go. The passengers gathered
at one end of the steamer waiting for
their fate. The captain said: i give
YOU a last warning. If there is no one
here willing to imperil his life and go
down and fix that machinery we must
all be lost A plain sailor said: III
go. SIR and he wrapped himself in
coarse piece of canvas and went down
and was gone but few moments
when the escaping steam stopped
and the machinery was adjusted. The
captain cried to the passengers: All
saved! Let us go down below and see
what has become Of the poor fellow
They went down. There he lay dead"
yicarious suffering! Died for ALL
Oh. do you suppose that those people
on the ship ever forgot, ever can for
oct that poor fellow? mo-" they
saw; at was through his sacrifice that
got ashore" The time came when
our whole race must die unless some
one should endure torture and sorrow
and shame. Who shall come to the
rescue? Shall it be one of the sera-
nbim? Not one. Shall it be one of
the cherubim? Not one. Shall 1t be