The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-04-26

Me pilgrims progress to the celestial
city or John Bunyan had attempted an
essay on the human will.
The Hnrvests OF Grace.
Brighter than the light, fresher than
the fountains, deeper than the seas, are
these gospel themes. Song has no melo-
dy, mowers have no sweetness, sunset
sky has no color, compared with these
glorious themes. These harvests of
grace spring up quicker than we can
sickle them. Kindling pulpits with their
hre and producing revolutions with their
power, lighting up dying beds with their
glory, they are the sweetest thought for
the poet, and they are the most thrilling
illustration for the orator, and they offer
the most intense scene for the artist,
n they are to the ambassador of the
sky all enthusiasm. Complete pardon for
the direst guilt. Sweetest comfort for
ghastliest agony. Brightest hope for
grimmest death. Grandest resurrection
for darkest sepulcher. Oh, what q gos-
pei to preach. Christ over all in it. His
birth, his suffering, his miracles, his
parallels, his sweat, his tears, his blood,
his atonement, his intercession-what
glorious themes Do we exercise faith?
Christ is its object. Do we nave love?
~ AdStCIS ou JESUS. nave We IL 1OuU-
ness for the church? 1t is because Christ
died for it. Have we a hope of heaven?
1t is because Jesus went ahead, the her.
aid and the forerunner.
The royal robe of Demetrius was so
costly, SO beautiful, that after he had put
it off no one ever dared put it on, but
this robe Of Christ, richer than that, the
poorest and the annes and the worst
may wear. Where sin abounded grace
may much more abound"
ooh. my sins. my sins" said Martin
Luther to StaupitZ. my sins. my sins.
The fact is that the hrawny German
student had found Il Latin Bible that had
made him quake. and nothing else ever
did make him quake. and when he found
how through Christ he WAS parLcHe.l
and saved he wrote to n friend saying:
Come over and join ~. great and 49,.
sinners sawed by the ":..rr nf God, ":
seem 10 be only Il slender sinner. ana .;I
don't much eXtol th- E!rr"y .. tioa. Ia
we who have been Sucii vrry awfu! 81.
ners praise his grace. ri" NOR now TT
we have been redeemed t"G IL be- III
you are so desperately r&"i.s;::i 49,.
you feel yourself in first rate spm.t5'i
trim and that fr"m Eh,' s"n - i.i. 49,
to the tip az the ice ,"s, ~%"ar.vs~ 49,.
immaculate: What ,na So: Is It :nn- ?
glass. and her" ii il in ~. H.!.r ....,
and wrrtcieI AMI Eli>r:#. Il. and :.ii,i
and naked from i.r cIrwu 81 H. hvtG g.
the sole OF the foot. III! or wouu!' -. !.
putrefying sores. No health ii lis. -. !
then take the fact hat Christ s-4tt"r: Il
up all the notes asain:I III a:si p,ij
them and then offered us the receipt
And low much we need him ia oar scr
rows! We are independent of c!rcum-
stances if W. have his grace. Why. he
made Pau sing in the dungeon, and IN
der that grace ST. John from desolate
Patmos heard the blast of the apocalyptic
trumpets. After all other candles have
been snuffed out this is the light that gets
brighter and brighter unto the perfect
day, and after under the hard hoofs of
calamity all the pools of worldly enjoy
ment lave been trampled into deep mire
at the foot of the eternal rock the Chris
tan, from cup Of granite, lily trimmed
and vine covered, puts out the thirst of
his soul.
ManIiness In Death.
Again, I remark that Christ is above all
in dying alterations. ] have not IN
sympathy with the morbidity abroad
about our demise. The emperor of Con-
stantinople arranged that on the day of
his coronation the stonemason should
come and consult with him about his
tombstone that after awhile he would
need. And there are men who are mono
maniacal on the subject Of departure
from this life by death. and the more
they think of il the less prepared are
they to go This is an unmanliness not
worthy of you. not worthy of me.
Saladin. the greatest conqueror of his
day. while dying. ordered the tunic he
had on him to be carried after his death
on n spear at the head of his army, and
then the soldier ever and anon should
stop and say: Behold all that is left OF
Saladin. the emperor and conqueror! OF
all the states be conquered. Of all the
wealth he accumulated. nothing did he
retain but this shroud." | lave no sym
pathy with such behavior or such alb
surd demonstration or with much that we
hear uttered in regard to departure from
this life to the next. There is n common
~sensical idea on this subject that you and
/ need to consider. that there are only
two styles of departure.
A thousand feet underground. by light
of torch toiling in a miners shaft. a ledge
of rock may fall upon US, and We may die
a miners death. Far out at sea, falling
from the slippery ~ratlines and broken on
the halyards. we may die a sailors death.
On mission of mercy in hospital amid
broken bones and reeking ieprosies and
raging fevers we may die n philanthro-
pist's death. On the field OF battle. sery-
ing God and our country. slugs through
the heart, the u carriage may roll over
US. and we may die a patriots death But
after all there are only two styles OF de-
p~arture. the death of the righteous and
Of the wicked. and we all want to die the
former.
God grant that when that hour comes
you may be at home! You want the
hand Of your kindred in your hand. You
want your children TO surround you. You
want the light on your pillow from eyes
that have long reflected your love. You
want the room still. You do not want
any curious strangers standing around
watching you. You want your kindred
from afar to hear your last prayer. /
think that is the wish of all Of Us. But
is that all? Can earthly friends hold Us