The Iola register., 1902-02-07

pei rocked our cradle, and it will
epitaph our grave. 1t soothes our
sorrows, brightens our hopes, in
spires our courage, forgives our sins
and saves our souls. 1t takes a man
who is all wrong and makes him all
right. What that Gospel has done for
| you and me is story that we can
never fully tell. What it has done
for the world and will yet do for the
nations il will take the thousand
| years of the millennium to celebrate.
| The grandest churches are yet to be
built. The mightiest anthems are
yet to be hoisted. The greatest
victories are yet to be gained. The
most beautiful Madonnas are yet to
be painted. The most triumphant
professions are yet to march. Oh,
what world this will be when it ro-
tates in its orbit redeemed planet,
girdled with spontaneous harvests
and enriched by orchards whose
fruits are speckless and redundant,
and the last pain will have been BAN
ished and the last tear wept and the
last groan uttered, and there shall
be nothing to hurt or destroy in all
!
more will come to pass, for "the
mouth of the Lord hath spoken it,"
So far l have mentioned nine of the
ten strings of the instrument of graft
tude. / now come to the tenth and the
last. 1 mention it last that it may be
the more morable-heavenly antici-
patton. BY the grace of God we are
going to move into a place so much
better than this that on arriving we
will wonder that we were for so many
years so loath to make the transfer.
After we have seen Christ face to face
and rejoiced over our departed kindred
there are some mighty spirits we will
want to meet soon after we pass
through the gates. We want to see and
will see David, a mightier king in
Heaven than he ever was on earth, and
we will talk with him about psalmody
and get from him exactly what he
meant when he talked about the instru
ment of ten strings. We will confront
Moses. who will tell of the law giving
on rocking Sinai and Of his mysterious
burial. with no one but God present.
We will see Joshua, and he will tell us
Jericho at the blast of the rams horn
and explain to us that miracle - how
the sun and moon could stand still
without demolition of the planetary
system. We will see Ruth and have
her tell of the harvest field of Boaz, in
which she CLEANED for afflicted Naomi.
We will see Vashti and hear from her
own lips the story of her banishment
from the Persian palace by infamous
Ahasuerus.
We will see and talk with Daniel,
and he will tell us how he saw Bel
shazzar's banqueting hall turned into a
slaughter house and how the lions
greeted him with loving fawn instead
of stroke OF cruel paw. We will see
and talk with Solomon, whose palaces
are gone, but whose inspired epigrams
stand out stronger and stronger as the
centuries pass. We will see Paul and
hear from him how Felix trembled be-
fore him and the audience of skeptics
on Mars hill were confounded by his
sermon on the brotherhood of man,
what he saw at Ephesus and Syracuse
and Philippi and Rome and how dark
was the Mamertine dungeon and how
, sharp the AK that beheaded him on the
road to Ostia. Yea, we will see all the
martyrs, the victims of ak and sword
and fire and billow. What thrill of
excitement for us when we gaze upon
the heroes and heroines who gave their
lives for the truth. We will see the
gospel proclaimers Chrysostom and
Bourdaloue and Whitefeld and the
Wesleys and John Knox. We will see
the great Christian poets Milton and
Dante and Watts and Mrs. Hemans
and Frances Havergal. Yea, all the
departed Christian men and women of
whatever age or station.
But there will be one focus toward
, which all eyes will be directed. His
infancy having slept on pillow of
, straw; all the hates of the Herodic
, government planning for his assassi-
nation; in after time whipped as
though he were a criminal; asleep on
the cold mountains because no one Of
fered Him lodging; though the great
, est being who ever touched our earth,
derisiyely called "this fellow" His la st
, hours writhing on spikes OF infinite
torture; HIS lacefateu form put IN sep
, ulcher, then terminated and ascended
10 be the center of all heavenly admi-
! ration-upon that greatest martyr and
mightiest hero of all the centuries we
= will be permitted to look. Put that
r among your heavenly anticipations.
Now take down your harp of ten
strings and sweep all the chords, max
ing all of them tremble with a great
3 gladness. / have mentioned just ten
dslightsome food, eyesight, hearing,
2 healthful sleep, power of physical To-
t comotion, illumined nights, mental fac
= ulties in equipoise, friendships of life,
t Gospel advantages and heavenly antici-
. pations. Let us make less complaint
e and offer more thanks, render less
9 dirge and more cantata. Take paper