The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1912-04-19
THE GOD OF THE FIRE.

rho Prince OF Peace HreDraHu.
Ouaer teaching Fires the agent OF
daath not life. The world gasps with
horror at San Franchises holocaust.
Mothers earliest admonitioh TO chill
dren is not to play with matches. The
c,ang of the iron throated fire bell in
tbe night arouses man In terror. Mid
die ages put the devil in authority on
lake of fire: Dante describes those in
formal regions in bloodcurdiing strain.
Dore sketches them with livid brush.
If the devil is ruler of the region OF
fire. how strange to read that our God
is a God of fire. Isn't that an anon
aly? No Fire Is the chosen sign of
God from flaming sword at paradise to
flaming tongues at PentecOSt. Every
new epoch initiated with fire. Pillar OF
fire in wilderness: fire at dedication OF
tabernacle: Shekinah fire burning con-
tinuaIly in temple. The figure is woven
into our daily speech. Ardent natures.
enthusiasm that kindles. passions that
burn. We complain of GOODNESS. icy re-
serve. cold manner.
No vegetation above timber line on
Pixies peak-too cold. THE utter alb
sence of heat and life in the arctic
makes our existence intolerable. OBJ
serves hansen. All animal and vege-
table life depends on fire and heat for
creation and development. Flowers.
bees. birds. mankind. thrive in the
r , <l6
black nanny working in her garden.
"why don't you plant your garden on
this side the house? Then us white folks
could see it from the road" "Humph."
she grunts. some preachers got re-
ligion n not much else. Mawnin' sun
straks this pooh an in de aftapoon de
fiowah bed. Nuthin' grows on that
nawth side. Groun's too cold. Seeds
got to have wa'mth to grow" The sun
shines, blossoms come. harvest fields
bow their heads with golden grain
orchard branches weighted with fruit.
| know church that needs warmth.
Chill of worldliness is there. Sermons
are beautiful. but it's the frigid beauty
of winter landscape. Affairs are there
but fires are out. Wish some Elijah
would challenge them to prove 1.-The
God that answereth by fire." A cook
stove in the church basement doesn't
always mean spiritual warmth.
Fire Means Testing.
Know Americas greatest extrava-
gance apart from drink? Fire! Last
year more than half the value Of ali
the years building. Millions go up in
smoke. Loss covered by insurance"
Never! Any more than lost sleep or
lost years can be recovered. But while
fire destroys it reveals much. When
the quake and fire were over in Frisco
what revelations! Vanity and dis
honesty in building lay bare Pre-
tentious ornament and flimsy construc-
ton everywhere. Say, Jim, see that
man going there? That's Smith. the
builder. All his buildings stood!'
There's eulogy! I'd rather be Smith
than commander of q battleship feet.
Chinatown had cleansing. first time
in fifty years. Stand at the kiln door
of Trenton pottery. why do you need
such heath" ITO bake the impurity
out Of the clay" peer in at the men
moving like figures in Dante's Infer
no. at Steelton. why such great
blast furnaces?" mo steel without
removal of baser metals and alloys"
Fire either changes or destroys.
Beacon Fires of Triumph.
II came to bring a sword" says
Christ. Sometimes it's the fire of
battle. There's a time of war and q
time Of peace" says Solomon. "War
Is hell" indeed. but many a move
ment for the betterment Of humanity
has gone forward on a powder cart.
Many fearful wrong has been stop
ped only by fire and sword The rec
ord Of the sixties tells when surrender
of Lee was announced throughout the
north. and many portions of the south
peace fires were lighted. Men and
women shed tears of joy about them.
No more cannons belching forth fire,
no more rifle barrels splitting tongues
of fame. Now only campfires Of
peace. Two years later England was
burning beacon fires of jubilee in hon
or OF her queen. From Malvern Hill
the signal was given: in eight minutes
it flashed from every hill all the way
to the lake country in Cumberland.
If Christ came to bring fire and
sword He also came to bring peace.
When Christ went home the fire of
the Spirit was flung earthward Kin
died in upper room at Jerusalem. 1t
soon spread through the city. then Ju-
dea and Samaria. Presently Asia MI
nor was blazing through that other
firebrand. Paul. the Christian. Soon
the sparks fly across the archipelago
into Macedonia, then into Greece IT
self BY and by Rome is visited by
the gospel fire. then from Europe
across the Atlantic to America, ev-
erywhere Ibis ministers a fame Of
fire." telling the story with words that
glow and burn and kindle. At the
last the world itself to be destroyed by
the fire Of his judgment. Any place OF
co An<v9 Ont 0u tho nra trio M 20 IN