THE GARLAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 3196, 16 June 1915, Page 78

THE GARLAND.

FOR THE QUIET HOUR. No. 94.

By Duncan Wright, Dunedin.

“KING OF THE AGES.”

King of Ages! we adore Thee, Great in wisdom, grace, and love; Thine the kingdom, power, and glory; Earth is Thine, and heaven above. King cf Ages! Thou hast made us; By 1 hy bounty we are fed; Only when Thine hand doth aid us Are we truly strengthened.

The thoughts of the saintly writer (St. John of the Cross) move on to the day when the Church says to her Lord, “We will weave for Thee garlands.” “ Her meaning is that every holy soul begotten by Christ in the Church is like a garland woven of the flowers of virtues and gifts, and all together make one garland for the head of the bridegroom, Christ.” The garlands of earth are transformed in his fancy to the immortal wreaths of heaven, ana of these he distinguishes three varieties characteristic of his age and education. He names first the white flowers of the virgins, “ each head with its laurel wreath, hud all the wreaths one crown to be placed on the head of the groom.Next he names the “dazzling flowers of the holy doctors ” ; and he sees above each doctor’s cap a circlet of living green to be set over the virgin’s leaves on the head of Christ. Thirdly-, he mentions the crimson thornwreaths of the martyrs, and thece also make one crown. Do I exaggerate the position if I suggest that this moment Christendom is convulsed as never before, and that Christendom is passing through a fiery furnace? Is the Christianity of Christ, “ the King of Ages,” in full peril? Let the Huguenots of'France reply: Hammer away ye hostile bands — Your hammers break; God’s anvil stands. So, then, rather let ns sing with William Cow per: Come then, and, added to Thy many crowns, Receive yet one —the crown of all the earth, Thou who alone art worthy 1 It was Thine By ancient covenant, ere Nature’s birth,> And Thou hast made it Thine by purchase since And overpaid it with Thy blood. Thy saints proclaim Thee King, and in their hearts Thy title is engraven with a pen Dipped in the fountain of eternal love. The man—be he bishop or beggar, profound scholars, or presumptuous ignoramus—in Church or State who dares to lower the dignity, tampers with or touches with impious hands the spotless character, the supreme divinity, majesty, and ineffable glory of the Lord as “ King of Ages” is a barefaced traitor, and is guilty of high treason. Amidst the tumult and the strife let the Lord’s redeemed ones often repeat the inspired and inspiring message, “ The Lord reigneth; let the earth rejoice; let the multitudes of isles be glad.” One song employs all nations, and all cry: “Worthy the Lamb for He was slain for ua!” The dwellers in the vales and on the rocks Shou| to each, other; and the mountain tops From distant mountains catch the flying joy; Till, nation after nation, taught the strain, Earth rolls the rapturous Hosanna round.

The kingly words of our Saviour to His disciples recorded in Matthew’s Gospel are strong and clear and full of good cheer: “ All power in heaven and over the earth, has been given to Me.” Nor should we forget the message in I Corinthians xv: “Later on comes the End, when He is to turrender the Kingship to Gcd the Father, when He shall have overthrown all other government and all other authority and power. For He must continue King until He shall have put all His enemies under His feet.” Every man who is honest to his own soul will ask: “ Under which King am I? Do I belong to and own allegiance to King Jesus? Do I serve Him? Do I obey His laws? Do I give Him part of my substance? Am I loyal to Him always and everywhere?” How small and paltry are all the “isms” when put alongside of these realities ! There’s not a leaf within the bower, There’s not a bird upon the tree, There’s not a dewdrop on the flower But leaves the impress, Lord, of Thee. Thy hand the varied leaf designed, And gave the bird its thrilling tone; Thy power the dewdrop’s tint combined. Till like the diamond’s blaze they shone. Yes, dewdrops, leaves, and buds, and all, The smallest, like the greatest, things. The sea’s vast space, the earth’s wide hall, Alike proclaim Thee, King of Kings. “Lift up your heads, 0 ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of Glory shall come in. “ Who is this King of Glory ? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. “Lift up your heads, 0 ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of Glory shall come in. “ WTio is this King of Glory? The Lord of Hosts, He is the King of Glory.” —Psalm xxiv. Concerning this last sentence, here is what Mr Spurgeon wrote in his precious Treasury: ‘‘The closing note is inexpressibly grand. Jehovah of hosts. Lord of men and angels, Lord of the universe, Lord of the worlds, is the King of Glory.

The ascended Saviour is here declared to be the Head and Crown of the universe, the King of Glory. Our Emmanuel (God with us) is hymned in sublime strains. Jesus* of Nazareth is Jehovah Sabaoth.” “ The Lord is King forever and ever.” —Psalm x, 16. King cf Ages! Earth will crumble And the sky in smoke decay, ■“’it , Th y love, which lifts the humble, Shines—the light of endless day. King of Ages! Kindly hear us, And through light Thy Word affords Eet us find Thee always near us: King Eternal! Lord of lords. When Ptolemy built Pharos he would vainly have his name upon it; but Sostratus, the architect, did not think that the King who only paid the money, should get all ‘the credit, while he got none; so he put the King’s name on the front in plaster, but underneath, in the granite, he cut deeply enough “ Sostratus.” The sea dashed against the plaster and chipped it off hit by bit. By and by the plaster was all chipped away,*.but there stood the name “ Sostratus.” With blasphemous lips one blatant inhdel (1 should be ashamed to soil this paper by giving the name) long ago cried out crush the wretch,” meaning thereby voui Saviour the Son of God and the King of the Ages. Who can count the number of Christ’s true followers through all lands and down all the ages? Who? Men or angels? In spite of infirm.ties, backslidings, and shortcomings in thought, in speech, in action, that countless throng still sing and repeat the song without being tired the old words: Let every kindred, every tribe On this terrestrial ball To Him all majesty ascribe, And crown Him Lord of All! Oh that with yonder sacred throng We at His feet may fall; Join in the everlasting song And crown Him Lord of All! If we may believe one of the historians, Julian the Apostate figures in romances both as a tyrant and persecutor, and had himself to the devil. He put his officer Mercurius to death because of his adhesion to the Christian faith. On the day of battle, when the wicked Emperor was at the head of his men, an unknown warrior, bareheaded and of a pale and ghastly countenance, was seen mounted on a white charger, which he spurred forward, and, brandishing his lance, he pierced Julian through the body, and then vanished as suddenly as he had appeared. And Julian, being carried to his tent, took a handful of the bicod which flowed from his wound and flung it in the air, exclaiming with his last' breath, THOU HAST CONQUERED, GALILEAN! Thou hast conquered. Said Napoleon at St. Helena to Count D’Montholow: “I know men, and I tell you that Jesus is not a man! The religion of Christ is a mystery, which subsists by its own force, and proceeds from a mind which is not a human mind.” Turning to General Bertrand, the Emperor added, “If you do not perceive that Jesus Christ is God, I did wrong to appoint you general.”

Men and women are not brought into Sonship with the Father by or through a creed. But great multitudes have been saved, sanctified, and glorified through humble faith in a Person —Jesus Christ. No man will be judged by a creed, but every man will be judged by Jesus Christ, and from His final and irrevocable judgment there will be no appeal. “Kiss the Son lest He be angry and ye perish from the way.’’ “Perish-” is the word, and no sophistry or reasoning from false teachers can alter the Word of the Lord. “WILL HE COME SOON?” The Rev. J. W. Ewing, of Peckham, told this pretty story about our late Queen Victoria: When the Bishop of Sierra Leone (who had been with.the Prince of Battenburg during the Prince’s fatal illness) returned to England, he was on several occasions invited to meet and converse with her Majesty and the bereaved Princess Beatrice upon the Prince’s closing hours. The Queen expressed her gratitude for all that he had done, and asked: “Would Cnot like to leave that fever-stricken and become my own chaplain?” The good man thanked her Majesty, but said, “ I want to go back to West Africa and continue the work God has given me there among the poor heathen, for when the Lord comes I should like to be found at my post.” “Do you think, then. Bishop, that He will come soon?” asked the Queen. “ I do, your Majesty.” “ I think so, too,” was the earnest reply ; “ and oh! how glad I shall be to cast my crown at His feet!” Have not we read somewhere that once a year every Roman soldier renewed his vow to be true and loyal to his country, and, if need be, die for his Emperor? In these dark and perilous days let every leal-hearted Christian man renew his vow to love, honour, and obey Jesus Christ as Saviour, Lord, and King. Great King of nations, hear our prayer While at Thy feet we fall And humbly with united cry, To Thee for mercy call: The guilt is ours, but grace is Thine; O turn us not away; And hear us from Thy lofty throne, And help us when we pray.