The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1900-12-26


memory in the universe is Gods mem-
ory, and he remembers all that has
transpired in all time and in all eter-
nifty save one kind Of occurrence. That
passes completely out Of his memory.
He declares, "Their sins and their in
iquities will remember no more"
Convincing Proof.
DO you want more proof that God is
lovew Yea, disntcrested love. No
compensation for iys bestowal. No re-
ward for its sacrifices. But | call that
back. The world did pay him. 1t paid
him on Calvary. paid him with bTam-
bles on the brow and four spikes, two
for the hands and two for the feet, and
one spear for the side near the heart;
paid him in eXecration. paid him with
straw pillow in a barn and cross on L
hill, paid him with third of a century
Of maltreatmert and hardship save one
year-yea, is paying him yet in rejec-
tion Of his mission Of mercy. Having
dethroned other kings. the world would
like to dethrone the King Of kings. But
he knew what be was coming to when
he left the portals OF pearl and the land
where the sun never goes down. Yes;
he knew the world, how cold it is. and
knew pain, how sharp it is, and. the
night, how dark it is. and eXpiation,
how excruciating it is. Out of vast
eternity he looked forward and saw
Pilates criminal courtroom and the
rocky bluff with three crosses and the
lacerated body in mortuary surround
ings and heard the thunders toll at the
funeral Of heavens favorite and under
stood that the palaces Of eternity
would hear the sorrow Of 4 bereft God.
What do the Bible and the church lit
urgies mean wh:n they say, "He de-
scended into hell" They mean that
his soul left his sacred body for awhile
and went down into the prison Of
moral night and swung back its great
door and lifted the chain CT captivity
and felt the awful lash that would
have come down on the worlds back
and wept the tears Of an eternal sacri-
fee and took the bolt Of divine indig-
nation against sin into himself and,
having vanquished death and hell,
came out and came up, having achiev-
ed an eterna, rescue if we will accept
It. Read it slowly, read it solemnly,
read it with tears. HE descended into
hell" He knew what kind Of pay he
would get for exchanging celestial
splendor for Bethlehem caravansary,
and he dared all and came, the most il
lustrious example in all the ages Of dis
interested love.
Yea, it was most expensive love.
There Is much human love that costs
nothing, nothing Of fatigue. nothing OF
money, nothing Of sacrifice, nothing OF
humiliation. But the most expensive
movement that the heavens ever made
was this expedition salyatory. 1t cost
the life of q King. 1t put the throne of
God in bereavement. 1t set the uni
verse aghast. 1t made omnipotence
weep and bleed and shuGdcr. 1t taxed
the resources Of the richest of all en-
pires. 1t meant angelic forces detailed
to fight forces demoniac. II put three
worlds into sharp collision-one world
to save, another to resist and another
to destroy. 1t charged on the spears
and rang with the Dattleaxes OF human
and diabolic hate. Had the expedition
Of love been defeated the throne of God
would have fallen, and satan would
have mounted into supremacy, and sin
would have forever triumphed, and
mercy would haze been forever dead.
The tears and blood Of the martyr Of
the heavens were only part Of the in
finite expense to which the Godhead
went when it proposed to save the
world.
Now, the only fair thing for human
hearts to do is to echo back that sovcr-
eign love. You and have stood in
mountainous regions where, uttering
one distinct word, the echoes would
come back with resonance startling
and captivating, and from all Our
hearts there Should sound unto the
heavens responses glorious and long
continued Let che world change its
style Of payment tCr heavenly love. No
more payment by lances. by hammers;
no more payment by blows on the
cheek and scourging on the back and
hooting Of mobs. but payment in ardors
Of soul, in true surrender Of heart and
love to the God that made US and the
Christ who ransoiued lis and the Eter-
nal Spirit who by regeneratins power
makes us all over again.
Beyond Comparison.
Alexander the Great, with his host,
was marching Oil Jerusalem to capture
and plumber it. The Inhabitants came
out clothed in white, lei on by the high
priest. wearing q miter and glitterins
breastplate on which was emblazcned
the name CT God. and Alexander, see
ing that word, bowed and halted his
army. and the city was saved. And if
we had the love Of God written in all
our hearts and on all our lives and on
all our banners at the sight OF it the
hosts of temptation would fall back,
and we would 60 on from victory unto
victory until we stand in Zion and be-
fore God.
Leander swan across the Hellcspont
guided by the light which Hero the fair
held from one of her tower windows,
and what HellesDontS Of earthly strug'
gle can we not breast as long Us we can
sec the torch Of divine. love held out
from the tower windows Of the King.
Let love OF God to us and our love to
God clasp hands this minute. ye dis
satisfied and distressed souls who roam
the world over looking for happiness
and finding none. why not try this love
Of God as q solace and inspiration and
eternal satisfaction? When 4 king was
crossing q desert in caravan, no water
was to be 'ound. and man and beast
were perishng from thirst. Along the
way there were StreWn the bones OF
caravans that had preceded. There
were harts or reindeer in the kings