The semi-weekly messenger., 1901-11-15

course DIR. Ialmage would lit people out
Of dependency and bring something of
future joy into earthly depression The
text is Hebrews vi, 10, (Which hope"
- There is an Atlantic ocean Of depth and
fullness in the verse from which my text
is taken, and / only wade into the wave
at the beach and take two words. We all
have favorite words expressive Of delight
or adherence, words that easily find
their way from brain to lip, words that
have in them mornings and midnights,
laughter and tears, thunderbOlts and dew
drops. In all the lexicOns and vOcabula-
ries there are few words that have for me
the attractions of the last word of my
text, (which hope"
There have in the course Of our life
been many angels of God that have look
ed over our shoulders, or met US on the
road, or chanted the darkness away, or
lifted the curtains of the great future, or
pulled US back from the precipices, or
rolled down upon us the rapturous music
of the heavens, but there is one of these
angels who has done SO much for us that
we wish throughout all time and all eter-
nifty to celebrate 1.-THE angel Of Hope.
st. Paul makes it the center Of group of
three, saying, "Now abideth faith, hope,
charity And, though he says that char
ity is the greatest of the three, he does
not take one plume from the wing, or one
ray of luster from the brow, or one auro-
ra from the cheek, or one melody from
the voice of the angel Of my text, (which
hope"
That was great night for our world
when in q Bethlehem caravansary the
Infant Royal was born, and that will be
a great night in the darkness of your soul
when Christian hope is born. There will
be chanting in the skies and star point
ing to the Nativity. 1 will not bother you
with the husk of definition and tell you
what hope is. When we sit down hungry
at a table, we do not want an analytical
discourse as to what bread it. Hand it
on; PASS it round; give us a slice Of it.
John speaks of hope as ''pure hope"
Peter calls it a ''lively hope" Paul
styles it a good hope" a 'sure hope"
rejoicing hope" All up and down the
Bible it is spoken of as an anchor as q
harbor, as helmet, as door.
An Ample Deposit.
When we draw q check on q bank, we
must have reference to the amount of
money we have deposited, but Hope
makes a draft on a bank in which for her
benefit all heaven has been deposited.
Hope! May it light up every dungeon,
stand by every siclIbed, lend a helping
hand to every orphanage, loosen every
chain, caress every forlorn soul and turn
the unpictured room of the almshouse
into the vestibule Of heavenl How sug-
gestiye that mythology declares that
when all other deities fled the earth the
goddess Hope remained
1t was hope that revived John Knox
when on shipboard near the coast Of
Scotland he was fearfully i'll, and he was
requested to look shoreward and asked if
he knew the village near the coast, and
he answered, 81 know it well, for l see
the steeple of that place where God first
opened my mouth in public to his glory,
and am fully persuaded how weak that
ever / now appear l shall not depart this
life till my tongue shall glorify his holy
name in the same place" His hope was
rewarded, and for twenty-five more years
he preached. That is the hope which
sustained Mr. Morrell of Norwich when
departing this life at twenty-four years
of age he declared, Il should like to un-
derstand the secrets of eternity before to-
morrow morning." That was the kind of
hope that the corporal had in the battle
when, after several standard bearers had
fallen, he seized the flag and turned to
lieutenant colonel and said, IF fall, tell
my dear wife that die with a good hope
in Christ and that | am glad to give my
life for my country" That was the good
hope that DR.. Goodwin had in his last
hour when he said: "Ah, is this death?
How have / dreaded as an enemy this
smiling friendp'
Philippe de Mornay. prime minister Of
Henry ", when asked in his last hours
whether he was certain of eternal felici-
ty, replied, Il am as confident of it from
the incOntestabiity of the spirit of God
as ever l was of any mathematical truth
from all the demonstrations of Euclid"
That was the hope that cheered Vara, the
converted native Of the island Of Aimee.
when he said in his last moment: The
canoe is on the sea: sails are spread; she
is ready for the gale. | have Il good pilot
70 guide me and Il good haven to receive
me-
No better medicine did man ever take
than hope. 1t is stimulant. Il febrifuge,
q tonic. 4 cathOlicon. Thousands of peo-
pie long so departed this life would have
been living today but for the reason they
let hurc slip their grasp. | have known
people TO live on hope after one lung was
gone and disease had seemed TO lay hold
If every nerve and muscle and artery and
bone.
Alexander the Great. starting for the
wars IN Persia, GiYided us properly
among the Macedonians. He gave village
to one. port to another, Il field to anoth-
er and all his estate to his friends. Then
Perdiccas asked. What have you kept
for yourself?' He answered triumphant
ly, Hope" And. whatever else you and
give away. we must keep for ourselves
hopAall comforting, all cheering hope.
In the heart of every man, woman and
child that hears or reads this sermon may
God implant this principle right now.
Assurances of Heaven.
Many haze full assurance that all Is
right with the soul. They are as sure Of
heaven as il they had passed the pearly
panels of the gate, as though they were
already seated in the temple OF God un-
rolling the libretto Of the heavenly choris-
ter. i congratulate all such. / wish had
1t, too-full aSSurance-but with me L is
h0np sWhich hcra 20 Sinful IN pynpc+S =