Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1901-12-12

~ Is eNeTylnlUR. tuTlSI nTSI anu
Christ last and Christ forever.
Why, this age Is not so characterized by
invention and scientific exploration as it
Is by gospel proclamation. You can get no
idea of 1t 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
scmblies 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 50 en-.
couraging that ! would not be unbelieving
if ] saw the wing of the npocalyptic angel
spread for its last triumphal fight in this
days sunset or If tomorrow morning the
ocean cables should thrill us with the
news that Christ the Lord had alightcd on
Mount Olivet to proclaim universal do
minion.
The Coming of light.
All dead churches, wake up! Throw
back the shutters of stiff ccclesiasticism
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-
ows to assunge, no despotism TO shattcr,
no woes to compassionate. Blessed Christ,
descend. Scared temple, take the crown,
Bruised hand, take the sceptcr. Wounded
foot, step on the throne. Thine is the
kingdom
These things | say because I 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 di-
vine purposes are harnessed in traces that
cannot break and in girths that cannot
slip and IN buckles that cannot loosen and
are driven by rcins they must answer. |
preach no fataliSm. A swarthy engineer
at one of the depots in Dakota said,
"Whcn will you get on the locomotive and
take a ride with us?" Well" said,
nov. If that SUITS you" So | got on one
side Of the locomotive, and Il Methodist
minister, who was also invited. got on the
other side, and between us were the cngi-
nepr and the stokcr. The train started.
The engineer had his hand on the agitatcd
pulse of the great engine. The stOkcr
shuvelcd in the coal and shut the door
with n loud clang. a vast plain slipped
under us, and the hills swept by. and that
great monster on which we rode trcmbled
and bounded and snortcd and ragged ms 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?
Hou 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 | 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 ono 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. | have no anxiety about the
track. | an only afraid that for our indo-
lencc and unfaithfulnesd 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. II things seem to turn ont
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 III London where Peter
the Great Of Russia lived awhile when he
was moving through the land ~incognito
ard 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, "What's
il that boXT' The owner said Il don't
know. That box was there when | got
the house, and it was there when my IA
ther got it. We haven't had any curiosity
to look Mt it. l guess there's nothing in
It," "Well," said the stranger, "IIl give
you r. for it," well, done" The f2 was
paid. and the contents Of that box were
sold to the ear of Russia for $4,000. In
it the lathing machine of Peter the Great,
his private letters and documents Of value
beyond all monetary consideration. And
here are the events that seem very insig-
niilcant and unimportant. but they incase
treasures Of DIVING Providence and otcr-
mites Of meaning which after awhile God
will demonstrate before the ages as being
Of ~stupendous value.
When Titans play quoits, they pitch
mountains, but who owns these gigantic
natural forces We are constantly reading
about? Whose hand is on the throttle
valve Of the volcanoes Whose foot. sud
denly planted on the footstool, makes the
continents CULVER? Godi | must be M
peace with him. Through the Lord Jesus
Christ, this God is mine and he Is yours.
l put the earthquake that shook Palestine
at the crucifxion against all the down
BOOKINGS Of the centuries. This Coz on
our side, we may challenge all the centu.
ries Of time and all the cycles OF eternity.
Those OF you who are in midlife NAV
well thank God that you have seen SC
many wondrous things, but there are pco.
pie alive today who may live to see this
s%himmering veil between the material and
the spiritual world uplifted. Magnetism,
n word with which we cover up our icno.
rance, will vet be an explored realm,
Electricity, the fiery courscr Of the sky,
that benjamin Franklin lassocd and
Morse and Bell and Edison have brought
under complete control, has greater won,
rers TO reveal. Whether here or departed
this life, we will see these things. 1t does
not make much difference where VIC
stand, hut the higher the standpoint the
larger the prospect. We will see then
from heaven if we do not see them from
earth.
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