Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1902-09-24
VALUE OF A SOUL.
Heaven Alone Capable of Correctly
Estimating II.
One Repentant sinner II Able TO Set
the Angelic Hosts to Singing
Sermon by the "HiRhwaY
and Byway' Preacher.

Text: l say unto you. that likewise JOY
shall be In Heaven over one sinner that
:epenteth, more than over ninety and nine
lust persons, which need no repentance.
Luke, 1857.
Eternal Realities.-Our Lord, Who
spoke the words of our text, had a
charming way of enforcing Divine
ruth by picturing in realistic and sim
Pile way the absolute certainties of
he unseen realm. When lie talked
Of Heaven or hell, of the angels or the
Devil, it was with no vague perhaps,
Or lit may be-" or Il think So" His
natural vision beheld the magnifice nee
the grandeur, the stability of the tenn
pie, He felt with the rest of His ma
ton the world-controlling power OF
the Roman government, He came in
touch with the great wisdom and
earning not only Of men of His own
nation. but Of the Greeks and Romans
as well, and yet the eternal real
tiles of the unseen world were not
shut out; for He knew that 1.-The things
which are seen are temporal; but the
things which are not seen are eternal"
His theology was not of that specula-
tive character which busted itself with
Dries, and endeavoring to reason out,
by intellectual gymnastics and contor-
lions, the secrets of God, but He was
content TO take God at His word His
faith laid hold of the truths of God,
and He knew that because they were
eternal verities there was no room
for argument, or speculation, or hui
man reasoning. Heaven was Gods
dwelling place, the home of the re
deemed, the realm in which the angelic
hosts lived, moved and had their be
ing. and hence was = more permanent
abiding place than the magnificent cit
les which the nations of the earth had
reared. He'll was not eliminated by a
system of human deductions, but its
boundaries were definitely fixed. its
awful torments wildly described, and
In the parable of certain rich man
and Lazarus lie gives us n glimpse
into the Devils dwelling place, and
what is the real agony of a lost soul.
The Devil was person. and not an in
fuence, or a natural inbred tendency.
which would make him hard to get
at and hard to fight And after Jesus
had met him in that terrible battle in
the wilderness and angels came and
mlnlstered unto Him, He understood
anew that the unseen hosts of Heaven
were lowering over the earth watching
FOR opportunities whereby they might
carry out the purposes and will of God.
And in our text Jesus tells us of the
rejoicing in Heaven because one soul
has been snatched from the power of
Satan. One poor repentant sinner in
the earth able to set the angelic hosts
to singing and to make the arches and
dome Of Heaven ring with the glad
sound. Think Of it! When it came
time to open the Charleston exposi-
ton, the president pressed a golden
key at Was hington. and the ponderous
machinery all through the vast build
lngS III the distant city was set i'm mo-
ton. 1t is wonderful to think that a
slight touch can accomplish so much
at so great a distance. But stop and
think. and contemplate the picture
which unrolls before MS i'm the words
of the text. Let your mind expand
with the vastness OF Gods universe
Here are the sun. moon and stars roll
ing in space and kept in place bv His
Almighty power Here is the earth
with its teeming millions. and God
moving in Nature TO supply the tenn
poral needs of these millions. Surely
busy God and no idle moments for
the hosts Of Heaven as they move bitb-
er and thither in fuIfIlment Of the
will OF God. And vet. one single souI
crushed under a load Of sin is able by
touching the golden key Of rapapt,,,,.,