Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1904-02-18

one OF GODS great attributes. Vemen-
Der hereafter that you ought to be able
to worship God just IA devoutly and
earnestly before Il Methodist altar as
at an Episcopalian chnncel or as in a
Presby terian pew. God has many Cos
pei sheepfods. These sheep are all fed
by the same Divine Shepherd, although
mt times they are separated from each
other by the sectarian fences built by
mans creed and by infinite Ignorance.
"Othcr sheep have / which are not Of
this fold" applies as much to the
Protestant church across the street as
to your own chapel.
The mystery Of why God ever let sin
come into the world: 1t is an mex
rlicable mystery. 1t is a mystery the
more inexplicable because, from Il hui
man standpoint, if there had been no
sin then there would have been no
need Of place of future punishment.
But. after we have once accepted the
belief that loving God has allowed
sin TO come into this world for pur-
pose which We cannot fathom or ana
lyze, then we find that some Of the
most beautiful sacrifices OF Christian
heroes and heroines have been inspired
from this source to overcome the aw-
full and eternal effects Of evil. II there
had been no sin there would have been
no Mofratts and Whipplcs and Jud-
sons, no Careys and Taylors. no Viii
CONS and Braincrds, no Patons and Ell
liotts in the missionary fields trying
to save the ignorant. brutal and cannl-
balistic savages from the awful dcgra-
dalton of their lives. If there had been
no sin there would have been no Cath
crime Booths as angels OF light" la
boring among the London slums, no
Towards among the prisons, no VIII
liamscs TO reach out reScuing hands
from the Young Mems Christian asso-
Citations If there We're no sin there
would he no such saving work for us
10 do for Christ rs we can one and all
now perform in his name.
Need of Christ's Love.
Furthermore if there were no sin
there would he no Saviour as we pic
turc him. What does the word "Sav-
Il physical sense it means the strong
swimmer who breasts tho waves and
goes out beyond the life lines to bring
in the drowning brother. 1t means the
fireman who climbs the ladder and
amid the trcathless silence of the on
lockers plunges into the flames and
brings out the unconscious man and
a
before the crooked walls iotter and fall.
1t means. in physical sense, 4 Henry
NJ. Stanley pungiue into the African
forests to save an Elnin Pasha or a
Captain Schlcy heading his ships north
ward To save Greedy and Melville.
II there is no danger, then there can
be 10 Saviour or res(1ier And because
The eternal results OF sin are so great,
therefore. the divine love Of Christ :
sacrifice is brought forth In the brighter
contrast. We are not nlarvcling today
why the human craft was allowed to be
stranded upon the rocks of sin. but we
arc proca!minc the fnct that on &C.
count OF our impending eternal ship.
wreck the gospel life line is flung out
and the gospel ifeboat is being pushed
through the raging, surging. stormy
SPas.
We cannot explain why sin was ever
allowed to come into the world. But
after we accept its advent AS fact,
then the cross. on account of our eter
nal danger can become orr all in ALL
With the sNintcd Gotthold We may say
before the flaming fires of eternal
death: For my own part my soul is
ike a hungry and thirsty child. and I
need Christ'.i love and consolation for
my refrcshment. | am Il wandering
and lost sheep, and | need him as a
good and faithful shepherd. Ny soul
is like frightened dove pursued by n
Ia wk, and | need his wounds for a
refuge. am q feeble vine, and | need
his cross to lay hold Of and wind my
self about. | am sinner, and | need
his Righteousness. | am naked and
bare. and | need his holiness and in
noccnce for a covering. ! am in trou-
bic and alarm, and I need his solace
Simple and foolish am I, and need the
guidance of his Eolv Spirit. Am | ar
raigncd by Satan at the divine tribunal.
he must be my advocate. Am | in af-
Fiction. he must be my helper. Am
prosecuted by the world, he must de
fend me. When l am forsaken he must
be my support when dying, my life;
when niolderng in the grave, my resur-
rectiof." Why did God let sin come
into the world: We cannot understand
il. But oftcr we have accepted the fact
that the good God has allowed sin 10
come into the world for purpose
then, on account of the eternal danger
threatening lis. we see as never before
glorious sacrifices. both human and
divine. We see on account Of saliva
ton from sin how Christ's blood will
not only lift us above the angels. but
how, through Christ, we may become
part of God himself. A mystery. An
upfathomable mystery, Yet mys-
terry which makes heaven blaze with
triumphant and far reaching light.
Mystery Of the Resurrection.
Mystery OF the resurrection How IL
the Transformation between earth and
heaven to take place? We know not.
We cannot explain. The more we
study ii the deeper becomes the mys-
terry, But though the resurrection Ia
mystery, though we cannot by human
reason understand how these poor
bodies of ours can be 80 transformed
that they will live forever, We can
when reason halts proceed under the