The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-02-18


 rural church because of his affection Tor his people. An, ye whose hearts beat and throb to the keynote of love, can you blame him? Then he went Into hls study and wrote his immortal hymn which has done more good than all the sermons he has ever preached. Like John Fawcett are most of us We thank Goo for the tender ties that bind our loving hearts to earthly friends and for the ties that bind our hearts to the oppor- tunties of gospel work this side Of the grave.
 GIories Beyond the Grave.
 But though we love earthly life and all the dear ones who are now by our side: though we love our Christian work in the home, the church, the store ana the study, yet we would not forget those who have gone beyond. We would not forget the celestial rewards that are to be ours when our earthly work for Christ Is done. Therefore the purpose of this sermon Is to tell you what glories await yo uon the other side of the grave If you have been a winner of souls for Christ during your earthly pilgrimage. And am going to tell you this by one Of the most beautiful symbols of the Bible; It is the symbol of the stars, in stellar let ters of gold, written upon the broad black pages of the night. It is In the mighty review of other worlds when the glitter ing hosts wheel into line, and stars, con stellations and systems, with their sig naIs of light, singing as they sang on the morning of the creation, move before the great God who created them and who rules them. Today we have beautiful subject, one which transports us to that glorious Armament to whose brightness Daniel appealed when he said, "They that be wise shall shine as the brightest of the Armament, and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever" The stars, the stars, the glorious stars, which we shall be like when the archangel put the last trumpet to his lips and blows the reverberating blast of the resurrection. Canst thou not today catch an inspired vision of the heavenly Armament as did the dying col lege student, Henry Kirke White. when he looked up and saw the harbinger of his future in the flaming glory of the stars?
 Now, the first fact to which I want to call your attention is to the number of stars l would lead you out upon the hllsides of the night, as God led Abraham of old, and say unto you; Look now to- ward heaven and tell the stars if thou be able to count them" Can you count? Are you good at figures? Yes you an- swer, with a laugh, q am good at figures. l was the best mathematician of my college class But I have not, nor has any other man. mental force enough or time enough to count the stars. You might well ask me to count the sands of the Sahara desert or the drops of water contained in the mighty deep as to count the number of the stars. l have neither the time nor the ability to do this" Then while you are speaking of the infinite number of the stars you recall wonder full experience you had some years ago.
 Counting the Stars.
 You were out camping. You had been living some weeks in the open. That day you had a long, hard pull over the noun tains. You were almost Tagged out when you made camp But after the fire was built. the coffee prepared and the supper eaten, there came over you a sense of contentment that no man ever experiences unless he is living out in the woods This peace did not come from your companions, though there never were finer men to rough it" with than those who were your associates at that time. But some how you did not care to talk that night. So you made up your bed of green boughs and covered them with the Sofe leaves. Then you spread your blankets and lay down. You did not lie down to sleep. You lay down to rest and commune with God. Before you the sun, which had long since set. was throwing its light up over the western hills and dyeng the evening clouds In pigments of gold and in some places making them look like great burn ing caldrones and lakes of fire. Then 1t be- gan to grow darker and darker. You heard an owl hoot and hyena call. Then the stars began to come out one by one
 At first you tried to count them. You said, "one, two, three. four, five, ten, twenty, fifty" Then the heavns were lighted up with myriads of lights, and your eyes became confused. You began to think of the numbers of the stars on the other side of the world. 'Here," you said I've have the Dpper. There is the South ern Cross we never see." Then you thought of the cyclopean eye of the tele- scope looking farther and farther into space and everywhere. thousands of them, myriads of them. Then you looked up and cried out, 70 God. how many stars are there?" And the answer seemed to come to you, There are as many stars as the leaves of the trees in the forests about thee. They are greater than any man can number "Oh," you say, 1t is impossible for any man to count the stars" Yes, my friend, you are right; it Is impossible.
 But here an overwhelming thought comes rolling over me like udai wave They who have turned many to right- eousness are a great multitude. Not only in our day, but in past years and past centuries, men have been winning souls for Christ, and we, if we have been labor ing for Him. will live and shine among that innumerable throng. We are not go- ing to be like a great fiashlight shining in the heaven about but our stars shall shine with other stars. All the prophets and the apostles will be there. All the evangelists and the sweet singers of Israel will be there. All the mighty leaders for God Tn the past ages will be there, No earthly Hall of Fame would ever be large enough to hold that vast assemblage or gospel heroes and heroines. Cannot you feel the spiritual electric thrill or sucn an assemblage as that?
 You know that an audience or great