The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-12-10


president impressed upon the coin not 90
conspicuous as the blood with which she
earned it. Millions Of good men and wo-
men, but more women than men. 10 whom
Christ is everything. Christ first and
Christ last and Christ forever.
Why, this ageis not so characterized by
invention and scientific exploration as il
Is by gospel proclamation. You can get no
idea OF IL unless you can ring all the
church bells in one chime and sound all
the organs in one diapason and gather all
the congregations of Christendom in one
GLORIA In Excelsis." Mighty camp meet
ings, Mighty Ocean Groves! Mighty
Chautauquas! Mighty conventions OF
Christian workers! Mighty general as
semblies of. the Presbyterian church!
Mighty conferences of the Methodist
church, Mighty associations Of the Bap-
fist church! Mighty conventions of the
Episcopal church! There may be many
years of hard work yet before the con-
summation, but the signs are to me SO en-
eouraging that ! would not be unbelieving
il saw the wing Of the apocalyptic angel
spread for its last %triumphal fight in this
days sunset or il tomorrow morning the
ocean cables should thrill us with the
news that Christ the Lord had alighted on
Mount Olivet to proclaim universal do
minion.
h Coming of Light.
All dead churches. walk up! Throw
back the shutters of stiff ecclesiasticism
and let the light of the spring morning
come in! Morning for the land! Morning
for the sea! Morning of light and love
and peace! Morning Of a day in which
there shall be no chains to break, no sor-
rows to assuage. no ~despotism to shatter.
no woes to compassionate. Blessed Christ,
descend! Scared temple, take the crown!
Bruised hand. take the scepter! Wounded
foot, step on the throne! thine is the
kingdom
These things 1 say because / want you
to be alert. want you to be watching all
these wonders unrolling from the heavens
and the earth. God has classified them.
whether calamitous or pleasing. The d.
vim purposes are harnessed in traces that
cannot break and in girths that cannot
slip and in buckles that cannot loosen and
are driven by reins they must answer. I
preach no fatalism. A swarthy engineer
at one Of the depots in Dakota said,
when will you get on the locomotive and
take a ride with u.s." WELL" said,
"now, if that suits you" So l got on one
side Of the locomotive, and a Methodist
minister, who was also invited, got on the
other side, and between us were the engi-
neer and the stoker. The train started.
The engineer had his hand on the agitated
pulse of the great engine. The stoker
shoVeled in the coal and shut the door
with a loud clang. A vast plain slipped
under us, and the hills swept by. and that
great monster on which we rode trembled
and bounded and snorted and ragged as it
hurled us on. / said to the Methodist
minister on the other side of the locomo-
tive: "My brother. why should ministers
quarrel about the DEGREES and free agency?
You see that track, that firm track, that
iron track; that is the decree. You see
this engineers arm; that is free agency.
How beautifully they work together!
They are going to take US through. We
could not do without the track, and we
could not do without the engineer"
So l rejoice day by day. Work for all
to do, and we may turn the crank of the
Christian machinery this way or that, for
we are free agents. But there is the track
laid so long ago no one remembers it-laid
by the hand Of the Almighty God in sock
cts that no terrestrial or satanic pressure
can ever affect. And along the track the
car of the worlds redemption will roll
and roll to the Grand Central depot of the
millennium. l have nc anxiety about the
track. / am only afraid that for our indo-
lence and unfaithfulness God will dis
charge us and get some other stoker and
some other engineer. The train is going
through with us or without US. So, my
brethren, watch all the events that are
going by. If things seem to turn out
right, give wings to your Joy. If things
seem to turn out wrong. throw out the
anchor Of faith and hold fast.
Treasures of Great Value.
There Is a house in London where Peter
the Great of Russia lived awhile when he
was moving through the land ~incognito
and in workman's dress that he might
learn ship carpentry, by which he could
supply the needs of his people. A stran.
ger was visiting at that house, whats
in that box? The owner said: 81 dom
know. That box was there when l got
the house. and it was there when my ia
Their got it. We haven't had any curiosity
to look at it. I guess there's nothing ii
it." We'll" said the stranger, "Tn give
you e. for it." well, DONE" The e. wa.
paid, and the contents of that box were
sold to the car Of Russia for $4,000. In
it the lathiug machine of Peter the Great
his private letters and documents of value
beyond all monetary consideration. AM
here are the events that seem very insig
nifcant and unimportant, but they incas,
treasures OF Divine Providence and eter
mites Of meaning which after awhile Coz
will demonstrate before the ages as bein:
of stupendous value.
When Titans play quoits, they pitci
mountains, but who owns these giganti
natural forces we are constantly readin,
about? Whose hand is on the throttl
valve of the volcanoes? Whose foot. sud
denly planted on the footStool, makes th
continents culver? God! I must be q
| peace with him. Through the Lord Jesu
: Christ. this God is mine and he is yours
/ put the earthquake that shook Palestin
/ at the cruciixion against all the dow
; BOOKINGS of the centuries. This God o.
; our side, we may challenge all the cent?
; ries Of time and all the cycles Of eternity
| Those Of you who are in midlife ma
{ well thank God that you have seen 8
I many wondrous things, but there are pei
J pie alive today who may live to see tn
: shimmering veil between the material an
the spiritual world uplifted. Magnetism
u n word with which We coyar nm +, ;on,