The Newtown bee., 1901-09-27


 of God and of Heaven, of the present and the future, which human language cannot adequately describe even in the Book of Revelation itself. But the text may be sufficiently understood for our purpose to-day.
 The Apostle in the spirit has seen wonderful things which he describes, of a period of strife and struggle which he represents under the figure of the mighty world-power arrayed against God and of the beast which is fierce and ravenous. Then after the scenes of war and strife and conflict are over he has vision of the calmness and serenity of peace and order, and his words are these, "The Lord God Om- nipotent reigneth.'' That vision seems to be the promise of the future.
 But if we turn back to the prophecy of Isaiah we shall find there a similar vision. The prophet had lived through the long and glorious reign of the king of Judah until the crisis came which marked a turning paint in affairs of state. And we read that "In the year that King Uzziah died, the prophet Isaiah saw the Lord sitting upon a throne high and lifted up."
 Putting these two visions together we have a thought to guide us to-day. We have the promise of the future in St John, and we have the example in actual history in Isaiah's book. The Lord God will reign after this time of strife is OCT, the Lord God reigneth now.
 It is for us, for tn American people, to raise their eyes to-day and realize with Isaiah this vision of the Lord reigning. It is the part of the true prophet of God in times of great pros perity and equally in time of national grief to issue a call to the conscience. We recall the assassination of Abra- ham Lincoln and we remember how the excited passion of the time of war may account for it.,
 We remember the assassination of Garfield and do not forget that it was time of much political excitement and partisan jealousy and personal ani for that. But we think of the present conditions and we speak with pride of our great material prosperity, of an in creasing prestige as nation among the great world-powers. of our success full and speedy termination of recent war, of our important part in the matters of the far East and this recent crime seems unprovoked and unac- counted for.
 Brethren, it is
 A TIME FOR THE HUMBLE CONFESSION
 OF OUR OWN SINS.
 It is the time for the man of God tC speak to the consciences of men with unusual emphasis.
 It may possibly be that it was nee. essary that even a president be as sassinated to awaken the people to a true recognition of God and pure conscience. in living. Certainly you and I will fall very far short of ou1 own duty unless we are thus awakened to purer Christianity and nOble1 citizenship.
 must pass by the problem of sor row and affliction and it's consistency with Gods sovereignty and love. That problem in this case is not essential, different from that in all cases of af tiiction.
 God has never promised his people immunity from sorrow. .but strength te bear it. We must not abuse any sor row by mistaking it for mere punish ment, nor by defying it. Rather lei us regard sorrow as God speaking to u! in emphasis His last message to us.
 To-day there is such emphatic mes sage to our hearts and conscience There is the Divine call to better citi zenship, to nobler living, to truer ant purer religion. With us of late the fires have been smolderin beneath the surface, the ominOus sounds have beer rumbling and we have needed then not.
 Men are pointing to the danger O unrestricted immigration. Those dan gers are great and ought certainly te