The Yale expositor., 1900-01-05


all means; but unless it be also gos-
pei reform. it will be dead failure. In
New York its chief work has been to
give us a change of bosses.
The glorious gospei of the blessed
God as spoken of in my text will have
more drawing power, and when that
gospel gets full swing it will have a
momentum and power mightier than
that of the Atlantic ocean when. under
the force of the September equinox, 1t
strikes the highlands of the Navesink.
The meaning of the word gospel" is
good news" and my text says 1t is
glorious news, and We must tell 1t in
our churches and over our dry goods
counters and in our factories and over
our threshing machines and behind our
plows and on our ships decks and In
our parlors, our nurseries and kitchens,
as though it were glorious good news,
and not with a dismal drawl in our
voice and dismal look in our faces,
as though religion were a rheumatic
twinse or a dyspeptic pang or ma
larial chill or an attack of nervous
"happys," Christ began his sermon on
the mount: Blessed are the poor,
blessed the mourner, blessed the meek,
blessed the hungry, blessed the merci-
full, blessed the pure, blessed the peace
makers, blessed the prosecuted, blessed
the reviled, blessed, blessed. blessed;
happy, happy, happy. Glorious good
news for the young. as through Christ
they may have their coming years en-
nobled, and for a life time all the an
gels of God their coadjutors and all the
armies of heaven their allies. Glori-
Gus good news for the middle aged, as
through Christ they may have their
perpiexities disentangled and their cour-
age rallied, and their victory over all
obstacles and hindrances made forever
sure. Glorious good news for the aged,
as they may have the sympathy OF him
of whom st. John wrote: His head
and his hairs were white like wool, as
white as snow" and the defense of the
everlasting arms. Glorious good news
for the dying. as they may have minis
tering spirits to escort them and open
ing gates to receive them and sweep
of eternal glories to encircle them ana
the welcome of loving God to en-
bosom them.
Oh, my text is right when it speaks
of the glorious gospel. 1t is an lnVl-
tation from the most radient being
that ever trod the earth or assembled
the heavens, to you and to me, TO
come and be made happy, and then
take after that a royal castle for ever
lasting residence, the angels of God our
cupbearers. The price paid for all OF
this on the cliff of limestone about as
high as this house, about seven min
utes walk from the wall Of Jerusalem,
where with an agony that with one
hand tore down the rocks and with the
other drew down a midnight blackness
over the heavens, our Lord set us for
ever free. Making no apology for any
one of the million sins Of our life, but
confessing all of them, we can point
to that cliff of limestone and say,
There was paid our Indebtedness and
God never collects a bill twice. GLAD
am | that all the Christian poets have
matchless one OF this gospel. Isaac
Watts, how do you feel concerning
him? And he writes, Il am not
ashamed to own my Lord" Newton,
what do you think OF this gospel?
And he writes, Amazing grace, how
sweet the sound" Cowper, what do
YOU think of him? And the answer
comes. There is a fountain filled with
blood" Charles Wesley, what do you
think of him? And he answers, Jesus,
lover o. my soul" Horatius Bonar,
what do you think of him? And he re-
snopds. Il lay my sins on Jesus Ray
Palmer. what do you think of him?
and he writes, MY faith looks up to
thee" Fannie Crosby, what do you
think of him? And she writes, Blessed
assurance. Jesus is mine" But | take
higher testimony: Solomon, what do
YOU think of him? And the answer is,
Lilly of the valley" Ezekiel, what do
Won think of him? And the answer is,
"Plant of renown." David, what do
Won think of him? And the answer is,
INV shepherd" st. John, what do
YOU think of him? And the answer is,
bright and morning star" st. Paul,
what do you think of him? And the
answer comes, Christ is all in all"
Do you think as well Of him, o man,
| o woman. of the blood-bought immor-
tai spirit? Yes, Paul was right when
he styled it THE Glorious Gospel.
And then as a druggist, while you are
waiting for him to make up the doc
tors prescription, puts into a bottle
so many grains of this and so many
grains of that, and 80 many drops oil
this and so many drops of that, and
the intermixture taken, though sour
and bitter, restores the health, so
Christ, the Divine Physician, prepares
this trouble of our life time and that
disappointment and this persecution,
and that hardship and that tear, and
we must take the intermixture, yet
though 1t be a bitter draught. under
the divine prescription it administers
to our restoration and spiritual health
"all things working together for good.
Glorious gospel!