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wmmmm U iu » v fa y ’ k y * * ^ - . Christian Sun VOL. XL* 4 LN KSSENTIAL8, UNIT!; IN NON-ESSENTIALS, LIBERTY; IN ALL THINGS, CHARITY. RALEIGH, N. €., THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1888. NUMBER 45. The Christian sun. TEX MS Of 8UU8QHIPTI0* c.RH nr apvanck. On- yoor, pontage included. . Su month* " . i 0i» TERMS OS ADVERTU8NQ: On* * iU«M< tea lines, firs' i naertion .11 For ..oh othsequent Insertion.. Oo<4square three months. 5 On4 nil'll nix months..8 Ones-r>*r<.- twr.lv* months...15 Advertisers oiiauging wee*ly must make • agreement. Yearly advertiser* w'.i s -i •"•nthly or quarterly In advance. 'lr«>Limit x-iverUseiuents to Oe paid (or ou lonoicloii. § ss> Tmmmmmrnanmm ■ n The Christian Sun. PUBLISHED IVH TKT1IMT It R«v. J. PRESSLEY BARRETT. OUR PR I MO!PUt: 1. The Lord Jems Christ Is the oily Head of the Church. 2. The Mine Christian, to the eaotnsiaa of all party or sectarian Mates. 9. The Holy Bible, or the Scrlptarsa of the Old aud New Testaments, a saffleieat ule of faith and practice. 4 Christian character, or vital piety, the only test of fellowship or membership. 5. The right of private judgment and the llbrrty of conscience, the privilege and duty o. ail. __ Oar Exchanges. a wmisKt.t chat With hhuthk • ■UD1TOMS. An Kgypliun Temple is no doubt a grand tiling and a curiosity as well. JScrihmr't Magazine thus describes Neither tlie boldest imagination nor the in' -»t exact study can enable us lo form so adequate conception of the epk»Umk&X$IfeytMk temple in its perfect siate. The vast space it occu pies; iis lofty gateways; the long ave nues of sphinxes; the glittering obe lisks ami the lifelike expression of the monstrous statues^ form a combination of most imposing architectural gran deur. The aesthetic qualities ol these structures cannot be briefly summed up. As we ponder them we shall be wiliiug to acknowledge, for we sballl discover, the exceptional constructive power of the ancient architects; we shall see how closely they followed nature, and at times drew upon for eign art, though always preserving their own principles of form. We shall also observe how fancy and “feel ing’' are displayed in their temple de corsuous. Besides, there is always one grand imaginative vein running through all their work—which e*pres ' ses the principal idea of their faith— / imperishability. The sinner is in a dry land, where no (spiritual) water is. tie must die or go to God who will give the watei of life: Once a king, in crossing the desert in a long caravan, was parched with thirst. Dreadful is that dry and tbirs ty land where no water is! The sands were strawn with wrecks of caravans, the skeletons oi men who had died of thirst lying m that dread cemetery; and then theory arose, “Water, water; there is no water!'’ It was a fearful moment. Parched throats and eyes hopelessly looked up to the all too cloudv sky along the plain; overhead the red hot copper sun. Then said one: "We must loose the harts—the light, fleet harts.''—They bounded in all directions. Keen in their instinc tive scent of water, the spring was found; ami afterward, when they aatto rest beside the beautiful and blessed pool, said the kihg, as he took forth liis tablet and wrote, “As the hart paiilelh after the water brooks, so pauteth my soul after thee, O God.”— JSpitcopal Record. Sou often hear of the poor widow and her,two mites, but did 3 ou know that every time the rich, or even well to do, give a inite because the widow gave only two miles, that you are mocking the goodness ana mercy of God? The spirit of the poor widow, whose gilt won the commeudation of the Son of God, has not always been equally understood by contributors to his treasury of the present day. Occa sioua.lv the “widow’s mite’’ has an un true riug, as though it lacked the one element, “even all her living,” which made it more precious than the abun ... dance oi the rich. fat that spirit has not died out. As the secretary ol a missionary associa tion, which 1 confidently believe is one of the very poorest honored by the name, I have received this year the collection of one widow, who, on ac count of her extreme poverty, it seem ed to me ought not to be encouraged to be a box holder. When asked how she managed to spare anything lor foreign missions, she answered that .a! la flhftntfMu |tfiry straightway into her box.—Church Mitnonary Gleaner. Here are three small paragraphs on ^missions, which ougut to “stir the soul dike a trumpet.’' The fuel that the number ot converts «n China has more than doubled with in ten years, and now exceeds 30,000, is proof that Cbustian work is emi nently successful there, and should act as a stimulus to more abundant la bors. The London Missionary Society, with onh tliiity English missionaries at Madagascar, repoita the astounding number ot 838 native ordained minis ters, and 4,395 native preachers, with 61,000 church members and 230,000 “adhereuis.” We are neariug the close of a cen tury of missions, (luring wuicu more doors of ucce.-i ■* have I teen opened, more missionary organizations formed, more laborers sent forth, more new Xrauslations of the Bible made, and more copies scattered, more converts gathered from Pagan, Papal and Mos lem communities, more evangelists raised up, aud more evangelizing agen cies set in motion than during a thou sand years preceding, \ Here is a thought which though old, has ou a new dress and it looks well in it. Bead and see it lor yourself: Satan once expressed bis deliberate -opinion of man. He said: “Skts=for -skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give tor hie life.” Tin* was very im politic. It enables us to contradict him. We know that this estimate is incorrect. On the^contrary, u> 1 wili give life for the defense of bis proper ly , home, honor, or country. He wdl give it sometimes for the good of his fellow-man and for his Muster, Christ The patriots and martyrs of all ages are man's contradiction of Satan. W e are too apt to think that the enemy of our souls is another God, omniscient as he is; but it is helpful to us to con sider that bis knowledge is not intui tive, but is arrived at by observation and experience aa ours is, and like onrs often mistaken. His method oi acquiring knowledge is. what we know aa temptation—that is, testing When a temptation comes to you, you may say to yourself, Satan is trying to find me out. It may lie a little thing, but it is enough to tell him all be wants to know. Guard, then, the secrets of your soul. Protect your weak points by hiding them from his knowledge. This you do when you watch against the little temptations, and avoid the little sins. Ram—wherefore is it sent? The Christian Neighbor talks sensibly on this subject, which, as a rule gets vary little attention from the people who reap most benefit from it. Says the Neighbor: “At length Job's three friends ceas ed to answer him because he was righteous in his own eyes. Then was kiudied the wrath of Elihu the son of barachel the Buzile, ot the kindred of Ram: against Job was his wrath kind led, because he justified himself rather than God.” In his vindication ot God’s works and providence Elihu said: Also by watering he wearieth the thick cloud: he scattereth his bright cloud: And it is turned round about by his counsels: that they may do whatsoev er he oommandeth them upon the face of the world in the earth. He causeth it to come, whether for correction, or for his land, or for mer cy Here are three objects God has in sending rain upon the earth—for cor rection, or for hit land, or for mercy. In lime of drought or in “ seasons ’’ ram is sent in mercy; in the wilderness and deserts it is sent for hit land; and when a people forget God, rain, the same as the other “judgments,” is sent for eorrtction. “When thy judgments are m the world the people [may or should] learn righteousness.’’ Does not God use rain as well as drought for ‘ correction?’’ A people thus may or not “learn righteousness,’’ as they choose: with a man so with a nation. That the judgments of God are now in the earth, as manifested in storms, Ires, floods, and various eruptions of the earth—volcanoes,earthquakes, etc. —there can be little doubt except with a class of scientists who seem to think that God cannot do any thing which they cannot explain, or for which they are unable to give a reason. Most persons Deueve in me propri ety and power of prayer for rain in time ol' drought. Is there not equal reason for prayer in time of much rain, especially when rains and floods ap pear so much like judgments as at present? But some will say that all these phenomena are “accordi ag to the laws of nature”—that “all things continue as they were from the beginning ot the creation,'’ Even so. “The laws of nature’’ are simply God's way of doing things. It was according to the laws of nature that the old world, “be ing overflowed with water, perished; out the heavens and the earth which are now, by the same word are kept in Btore, reserved [according to the laws of nature} ontoSro agaiset the day of judgment and perdition ot ungodly men.” -o—— 4 What is mental prayer? G. 1). Wat son in the Christian Witness say’s: Mental prayer is not a mere intel lectuality such as engages the mind in a mathematical matter; it is an effu sion of the heart—of the inner spirit, passing up through the mind, and simply using the perceptive power of the miud to shape itseil in converse with the Lord. From the warm bosom ot tin' ocean ihere is a ^continuous evapoiatiwii of moisture in an indefi nite quantity, which the atmosphere floats and forms into gorgeous eloud*, and transports over the earth. In like manner, when the heart has been pen etrated and heated by tue love ot Je sus, it sends up a constant distillation (unintelligible at first to the cold rea son, us oceauic evaporation is unseen by the eyes), which surcharges the thoughts, until these heart effusions shape themselves in distinct ideas and mental words of expression to God, more pleasing to him limn are the brilliant clouds to us. This emblem of oceanic evaporation will serve to il lustrate mental prayer in many fea tures of it In a general sense mental prayer is constant, even when it is not shaped into formulated converse with the Lord. The evaporation from the ocean is uninterrupted f»r an instant, day or night, even though therefore periods when U’t clouds are seen, yet the vap >r is going up ail the time, sooner or la ■ ' ' - ' Y , . '\ li-r to be manifested in great displays of cloud and ruin. So wuen tbe heart is in tbe love of God, it^s continuous ly sending forth effusions to God, though the reason and perceptive fac ulty may be otherwise occupied or not cognizant of all the subtle and spirit uni movements within. -o Now, Vy Va8 Dat ? The Interior tells this story of a Pennsylvania Dutchman, who was not very learned, but who never was ashamed of bis re ligion: In his neighborhood was a skeptic, who said: “You can’t believe anything you can’t understand.” And so some of the better class of people asked the Dutchman if he would have a conver sation with him. He said, -‘Yes, if you think best.” So they made tbe appointment, and everybody was there. Tbe old gentle man came in, and laid by his bat, and was introduced to the skeptic; when be began suddenly by saying: “Yell, now, look herel 1 bleefs the Bible; vat you bleefs?” Said he: “I don’t believe anything 1 can’t understand.” “Oh, you must be one very smart manl I was mighty glad to mast yea; 1 ask you some qusstions. Tbe odder day I was riding along tbe road, aad I met von dog, and that dog he had one of his ears standing up in this way, and tbe odder he stands down so. Now, vy vas dat?’’ Now this was as bad as the other, because the same perplexity arose. He had to explain why there was hair on tbe back of the pig, or wool on the sheep, and as be could not tell why, therefore he had no business to believe it. Finally, he said, “I do not know.” “Veil,’’ said the Dutchman, “you are not half so smart as you thinks you are. Now I asks you anodder ques tion: “Do you bleefs dere is a God?” “No; I don’t believe any such non sense.” “Oh, yes! I bear about you long ago. I bear about you: My Bible, he save, ‘The fool bath said in bis heart there is no God;' but you, big fool, blab it right out.” 7HE LAST WORDS OF 'JHE SAVIOR. BY REV. JAMES MAPLE, D. D. Text : Father, into thy hands I commend my Spirit. Luke 23: 46. “ Christ also hath suffered for as, leaving us an example.” He came (o show us how to live, and how to die. He is our example tn all periods, atid in all the phases ot human life. To the child lie is the most beautiful ex ample of obedience to parents that earth has ever witnessed. He “ was subject unto them.’’ .To the youth he is a wise example. He sought the so ciety ot the wise and learned ot his countrymen. When only ‘twelve years old’ we find ‘him in the temple, sitting in the midst ot the doctors, both hear ing them, and asking them questions.’ Is it any wonder that we read in the history of his youth, 'and Jesus in creased in wisdom and statue, and in favor with God and man ?' To man, in the strength of bis manhood, be is the noblest example in the history of our race. ‘He went about doing good.’ He lived only for the good of the race, and died for the salvation of the world. In his death he shows U3 how to meet ‘the last enemy’ with calmness and joy. As the strange mystery of death gathers around him, he looks up to that Father in whose love he re joices, and in the calm 'composure of unshaken faith says, ‘Father ,JintoJthy hands 1 commend my spirit.’ These words'are a beautiful crowning of the tragic*1 ot the Saviour’s mortal ftflthb rotnhrvm. in a#.-» 1>a - cloud of the departing storm—It was i fit, that he who had lived a life of prayer, should die praying. Christ could do nothing of himself. (I do nothing of myself.’ ‘The Son can do nothing of himself.’ ‘As the Father hath lite in himself, so hath he given to the Son to have life in him self.’ J’he Father gave him the right to lay down this life for the redemp tion of the world. ‘1 lay down my life, that 1 might take it again. No man laketh it from me, but, I lay it down of .myself. 1 have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it agaim This commaudment have I re ceived of my Father.' John 10: 17-18. He gave up all things to the will of his Father. ‘Not my will, but thine, be done,’ was the language of Ins whole life; lor he had the utmost con fidunce in his Father, and when reel ing out of life, under the fearful load of agony that was crushiug him, he commended his spirit into the hands ol his Father He trusted all to him From this we learn. 1. That the spirit is distinct from the body, and continues to live when it dies. The Saviour did not say, ‘father, into thy hands I commend my body.’ His body went to the grave. It was laid away in Joseph’s new sepulchre, but his spirit returned to his Father. It remained conscious. Thus it is with the Christian in death. 'Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.' Ecle 12: 7. The word ‘commend’ means ‘I will commit—I deposit my soul in tby bunds.’ This shows that Christ ex pected that bis soul would live when his body was dead, fur if he did not how could he with any prospriety com mit his spirit into the hands of bis Father ? The scriptures'clearly teach the pre existence of Christ, and in that state be is called the 'Son of Cod’ and ‘the Word.’ This pre existant word, in be coming incarnate, became the soul of a human body. Fan! represents him as saying when about to oome into the worid, “Sacrifice and offering thou would'st, not, but a-body hast than prepared me.’ Heb. 10: 5. John says, ‘The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.' John 1:14 The word in the original denotes ‘dwelt as in a tab ernacle or tent’ with us. The body was the tabernacle in which be lived while on earth just as the soul of mac lives in his body; hence he speaks of his body as a temple. “He spake of the temple of his body.' John 2: 21. Death to him was only the going out ot this temple, and he expected to live when out of it; hence be commu ted his spirit into the hands of Ins Father. He left bis body to the care of his satlhly friends. This BHipHitioi of tbe Saviors liou^l ia coatraocd bv what be sa:d to roe penitent malefactor: ‘To-day sbalt thou be with me in paradise.’ Luke 23:43. This shows that be did not expect to go to tbe grave when be died, but to paradise. Paradise is ‘the third heaven.’ 2 Cor. 12: 2. It is used in the scriptures to denote a place of happiness, and tbe tree of life grows there. Christ says, ‘To him that overeometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.' Rev. 2: 7. J.t was into this place that the Savior expected to go, and be promised to take the penitent thief with him. Christ died just as man dies. At denth be went out of tbe earthly house to which he lived, and so it is with man in death. Peter says, “Know ing that shortly I must put off this mv tabernacle, even as our Lord Je sus Christ has shewed me.’ 2 Pet 1:14, Christ had shown this by his teaching, and in his own death. He had put off bis earthly tabernacle, and thus taught bis disciples that they must all do the same; but they bad the same hope that Christ had. They expected when they left this bouse of clay to enter a higher state of being than this. ‘For we know,’ said Paul, that if our earth ly nouse of this tabernacle were dis solved, we have a building of God, a bouse uot made with hands, eternal in the heavens,’ 2 Cor, p; 1..... This is a glorious truth that our spirits shall out live our bodies, andr that death is only passing out of this earthly house into a heavenly home. This robs death of its terrors, and brings heaven near to us. How sweet the thought that the dear ones who have passed away from earth have not ceased to be, but still live on the better shore, amid the peaceful scenes of heaven, with the Savior who taught them how to live, and how to die. They are invisible, not on account of distance, but because ‘a cloud receives them out of sight.’ Heaven is near us in sympathy and love, and when we die we will not have a long journey to reach it. ‘‘Ob, Heaven is nearer than mortals think, '_ Wheu they look with a trembling dread, At the misty "future that stretches on From the silent home of the dead. ’Tis no lone isle in a bounding main— No brilliant, but distant shore, -1_ Where ibe loved ones, who are called • > away, Must go to return no more.. Na; baarca to near us; the mighty ■ «.aell Of morality blinds the eye, That wc see not the hovering angel bands On the shores ol eternity. Yet oft in the hours of holy thought To the’ thirsting soul is given That power to pieree through the world of sins To the beauteous scenes of heaven. Then very near seems its pearly gates, And sweetly its limpings fall, 'V Till the soul is restless to soar away, And longs for tue a'ngel call. I Know, when the silver cord is loosed, When the veil is rent away, Not long and dark shall the passage be To ihe realms of endless day. The eye that shuts tn a dying hour, Will open next iu bliss; The welcome will sound in a heavenly world Ere the farwell is hushed in this. We pass from the clasp of mourning friends To the arms ot the loved and lost; And those smiling faces will greet us then Which on earth we valued most.'' It is said Jesus ‘yielded up the ghost.’ The learned tell us the original means, ‘lie dismissed the spit'd.’ lie willingly gave up his life, ilis cue mies could not have taken it from him if be bad not been willing to die. He says, ‘I lay down my life, that 1 might take it again. X>> man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself.’ Jno. 10:17-18. His enemies intended to kill him, but they canid not have done it it be had not been willing to die. Tbis was a matter of choice with him ‘Christ also bath loved us, and hath given himaelf for us.’ Epbe. 5:2. Men die because they oannot help it. It is not a matter of choice with them, Christ is the only being who ever lived on earth whose death was a mat ter of choice with himself. In this he stands alone, and this reveals the depth and strength of his love for man. How strong the love that led him to bleed and die. When dying on the cross his ene mies tauntingly said,‘He saved ofhers, himself he cannot save; if he be the King ot Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will be lieve on him.’ Matt. 27: 41. This was a cutting taunt, and who has ever paused over these bitter words for the first lime withont feeling that they contained a cruel force—without say ing to himself, O why did he not come down ? If he had power to open the eyes ot the blind, unseal the ears of the deaf, heal the sick, and raise the dead, why did he not descend from lire cross, aud dissipate all doubt for ever ? But he used not his wonderful gilts for his own sake. He had al ready given sufficient proof that he { was the Messiah to satisfy all reason able and unprejudiced minds. His ob j jecjj was not triumph, but truth, and a sneer could" not turn him aside from his great work of saving the world. His enemies were so selfish that they could not comprehend the hero’s self sacrifice that would die that others might live. They knew so little of the human heart, that they did not see that by nailing Christ to the cross they were lifting him to the throne of a universal kingdom, and that be would draw all hearts to him by the cords of love. The cross ! Instru ment of torture; sign of ignomy ! How glorious was it honored by the burden it bote ! iis disgrace, deeper than the scaffold and the halter,is now all wiped away. Hence forward, waving on the banners of nations, inscribed on the heralds ot honor, sparkling on the breast ot beauty and the crown of kings,shilling among the constellations of heaven, clenched by the hands of the dying, towering over tomb and cathedral, the speaking symbol of the gospel, the cross was to gather about it the brightest halo of glory, and command the ever increasing love and veneration of the human race. The love of God for his sinful children, the love of the heavenly brother1 for his erring earthly brothers, shines out from the cross to melt the hearts of stone, and draw them back to good ness and to God. “In tbe cross of Christ 1 glory !— Towering o’er the wreck of time, All the light of sacred story Gathers round its head sublime.’' It is here said, that ‘Jesus cried with a loud voice.' This was the con vulsive gasp of dissolving nature, and shows, with vivid reality his great agony. The system, already faiuting and dying, he gathers up its strength, aud pours out one earnest prayer— ‘Father, into thy hands 1 commend my spirit.7 2. Christ committed his soul into tbe hands of his Father with the ut most confidence. ‘Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.’ ‘Father.’ What an en dearing title 1 How tender the rela tion it reveals. Chiist comprehended all the fulness of this relation, and felt tliat he was encircled iu the arms of a Father’s undying love; therefore -j. his -spirit to the keeping ot this tender love. This look away alt fear of the mighty luture upou which he was entering through death, tor he knew that his Father would take care of him. He was in living union with him. Heath was a new experience to the Saviour lie did not know, from exi perience just what it meant. He had not yet Hasted death.’ Mystery hung around it, and as this new and thrill ing sensation came over him looked to the only source of help in this dark hour, ‘Father, into thy bauds- lcom mend my spirit.’ We have the same refuge, tor God is our Father. ‘The Father ! Id this one word what consoling, strengthen ing, ennobling truth is wrapped up ! Ill this single view of God how much is there to btud us to him, with strong indissoluble, ever-growing love, and to make worship not only our chief duly, but our uighesl privilege and jo> ! The Father ! can it be that the High and Holy one, the Lord of heav en and earth, the majesty of the uni verse, bears to us this relation, reveals himself under this name, aud that we, so weak and erring, may approach him with the hope of children ? Who canuot comprehend the dignity and blessedness of such worship ? Who does not teel that the mail to whom God s pareutal character is a deep felt reality, has in this couvietiou a fountain of strength, hope aud purity, springing up into everlasting life ?’ When vve look abroad over the beauti’ fui universe with all its vast resources, ' its mines of intellectual wealth, and its fountains of social and spiritual happiness, bow sweet and thrilling the thought all this belongs to my Father. YVbeu we look out upon the sweeping storm and the dark mysteries of life’s fearful realities, h consoling and strengthening the fact, all these things are control I' I and determined by my Father. And when standing on the verge of life, looking over the mystic river into the mighty future that stretches away off into the ease less ages of eternity, knowing that we must sdbn pass into that mysterious realm, how full of hope aud sweet peace is the glorious assurance that this etei nity is the home of our Fath er, and that our destiny there ia to be determined by him. Then let the dark river sweep the sands from beneath our feet, and carry us over into the mystic realm, as we are swept away we can look up in the calm composure of faith and hope and say, ‘Father, in to thy hands i commend my spirit.’ ‘My Father !—blissful name I Above expression dear ! it thou accept my humble claim, I bid adieu to fear.’ When we come to die there are bat two things left to us. Every thing is swept away by death but eternity and God. Etergity is ours, and we must enter it. The world and nil its inter ests we leave behind. It is no longer ours. We are cut off lrom it forever, and carried oy the resistless current of time into great eternity. The only being there who can do any thing for ns is God. He ‘inhabileth eternity.’ That is bis home. He is the ruler of eternity. Our only hope is to seek his friendship, and secure his protec tion. In commending his spirit into the hands of his Father; Christ has shown us our only refuge. When we come to die all that we can do is to commend our souls into the bands of God. Then we leave all things earthly, riches, society, power and position— all, all, is left, and we go alone into eternity. Even the loving mother whose affection for her child is as un, dying as the soul, cannot go with us All that we can do is simply to trust in God. Men in all ages have realized this, and like the Savior have com meuded their spirits into his hands. In the hour of storm, when all things earthly had tailed, and David felt him self sinking, be exclaimed, ‘Into thy hands 1 commit my spirit: thou bast redeemed me, O Lord God ot truth.’ Confidence in God’s promises takes away all fear of the futuri, and in spires the soufc with a sublime hope ; for what have we to fear with such a friend there. Eternity is a strange mysterious realm to us We know but little about it, and can know but little while on this side the mystic view; but with the assurance that the infinite Father, who dwells there, will take care of us, we have nothing to fear when we enter its mj sterious shadows. We are only going to our Father’s home. Christ was going back to his, native Home, ana neaven is me real home of the child of God. It is his Father’s house Here we are born in to conscious existence, but this is only the nursery of our being. In its place where we receive our first les sons, but heaven is our eternal desti nation. Then, in the presence and en circled in the love ot our Father, we are to dwell forever. Christ was in living sympathy with his Father, and it was this that gave him his confidence in him. Without this union he could not have had such unbounded confidence, and so cheer fully commended hiS spirit into his hands. Theie can be no confidence where there is no union. Thus it is witbnus in our relation to God. If we would commit our souls to him in con fideucc, we must seek to be reconciled, and be made one with him. In an unreconciled state there is a conscious ness that *e deserve the displeasure of God, and this makes us afraid of the future. It fills the mighty ' vista of coming eternity with fearful forbod ings of coming wrath, and we turn from it with trembling iear. Recon ciliation to God, and a consciousness of striving to please him in all things, is the only thing that can give us con fidence in him, and enable us to com mit our souls in to bis hands with the pleasing assurance that he will take them home to himself,in heaven. Dismissing the sod? irom the body is not the prerogative of man. This belougs to God, but the Christian cau commend his soul into his hands. This is an act both of piety and faith, aud in^ns hands we feel that it is safe. Christian iriends, the day of our departure is drawing on, and we loo must soon die; but we are Ouly ap proaching nearer our eternal home, “Our salvaiion is nearer than when we first believed." Glorious thought! It was this that inspired the song of the poet. “One sweetly solemn thought, Comes to me o’er and o’er; Nearer my parting hour am I ^ Than e’er I was before. Nearer my Father’s house, Where many mansions be; Nearer the throne whereJesus reigns -Nearer the crystal sea. Nearer my going home, Laying my burden down, Leaving my cross ot' heavy grief, Wearing my starry crown. Nearer that bidden stream. Winding through shades ol night, Rolling its cold dark waves between WTe and the world ot light. ’ Sinner, would yon die as the Sav iour died? Would you have the same confidence in the hour of death that he had? Would you be able to commend your spirit into the bands of your heavenly Father as he did? Would you look at death with the same feel ings that we looked at it? Then you must live aa he lived. This is the only way that yon can die as he died. To live as he lived you must repent, turn to God, and obey his commands. “Blessed are they that do his com mandments, that they may have a right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gales into the city.” <§ithy joints. The empty vessel makes the great est sound. Betrayal of self is at times as base as the betrayal ot a tribe. There are many echoes in the world and but few voices. When God walks the earth bis steps are often centuries apart It Is a great shame to a man to have a poor heart and a ric^ purse. A man is never so on trial as in the moment of excessive good tortnne. All one’s life is a music, if one touches the notes right and in time.— John Ruskin. We have nothing to do with the past but to get a future out of it.—Phillip* Brooks. Riches take wings, comforts vanish, hope withers away, but love stays with us. In thankfulness for present mercy nothing so becomes us as losing sight of past ills. Intellect has been called the star light of the brain. Religion is the starlight oi the soul.—Ruskin. There isn’t wisdom euougb, put it all together, to tell what makes one apple sweet and next sour. As a rule there is no surer way to the dislike of men than to behave well where they have behaved badly\ Re loving and you will never want for love; be humble and you will never want for guiding. » He who is positive without real con viction is a tryant; he who has real convictions without being positive is a craven. In deciding questions of truth and duty remember that the wrong side has a crafty and powerful advocate in your own heart. If, instead of a gem or even a flow er, we could cast the gift of a lovely thought into the heart of a friend, that would be giving as the angels give.— Macdonald. The jug is a most singular utensil. A pail, tumbler or decanter can be rinsed, and you can satisfy yourself by optical proof that it is clean; but the jug has only a hole in the top, and the interior is all darkness. No eye pen etrates it; no hand moves over the sur face. You can clean it only by put ting in water, shaking it up and pour mg it. out. if the water comes out clean, you judge you have succeeded in cleaning the jug/ and vice verta. Hgsoc the-jug is-iijfc the human heart. No mortal can ever look into its reces see, ana you ccn c * judge of-its-pu rity by what comes from it. _.When the great astronomer/Kep ler, had demonstrated the reality of his discovery of the three laws of planetary motion, his devout ‘heart' ' found expression m this prayer:— “ Father of the universe, what moved thee to raise a feeble creature of earth so as to make him a king, and almost * a god, in thiuking thy thoughts after thee? I thank thee, Lord and Crea tor of all, that thou hast filled me with rapture over the works of thy band, and hast enabled me to disclose to men the glory of thy creation, so far >'■ as finite mind can comprehend infi nity. The new census gives tbe number of Protestant churches in the United States at 29,553; Protestant ministers at 71,622, and members at 9,003,030. From these tigures it is easy to calcu late that we have one church lor every (about) 475 persons, including infants and children; one preacher for every 615 of the people; and that about one in five of the people are professing Christians. How groundless, then, is the plea that we should “convert the heathen at home before sending tbe gospel to the heathen abroad! ’ We nave no heathen at home to convert, unless it may be some recent arrivals trom heathendom, and soon they will have heard the gospel. We have many sinners among us, but no heathen. All our people have a chance, a fait chance, to be saved,
The Christian Sun (Elon College, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Nov. 15, 1888, edition 1
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