t has gripped many of us, yet because of Christ's death upon the
cross we are free from the penalty of sin; we may be free from the
power of sin, for the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus sets us
free from the law of sin and death; we may be free from the practice of
sin, for Christ is the secret of our deliverance. But the text tells
us that while the morning cometh the night also appears. And so for
those of us whose lives have been such a struggle we cry, "Is there no
deliverance?" and I answer, yes, we shall one day be free from the
presence of sin; and that will be at his return when we shall see him
and be like him, and the new day which is never to close shall be upon
us.

Third: We are in the night because of the existence of sorrow. Next to
sin this is the greatest fact in the world, for men are born unto
trouble as the sparks fly upward. And somehow the morning and the
night as they are fastened together in this text present to us the
story of our lives, for we are first in the morning when everything
seems peaceful, and almost immediately in the night when we are really
in despair.

I journeyed from Naples to Rome over a fine piece of railway and found
myself now in the darkness of a tunnel and almost immediately rushing
out onto a fertile plain. That railroad is the story of many a life.
But "Is there no deliverance that is complete?" and I answer, yes,
there is a time coming when there shall be no sea and no tears and no
night, for the former things are passed away.

Fourth: We are in the night because of mystery. Life is full of
questions. "Why must I have this trial or pain or trouble?" So many
of us are asking these questions, and there is really no answer, at
least none for the present. And yet God has not deceived us, for he
has said, "What I do thou knowest not now but thou shalt know
hereafter." He tells us that when we see him we shall know, but also
declares that no one can see his face and live; and then, said the
sainted Augustine, "Let me die that I may see him." It is true that we
shall go on from light into darkness, from morning into the night, but
is there no final deliverance? And I answer, yes, when we see him and
become like him we shall know as we are known. Let us wait and believe
until that day.

Have you ever seen a perfect rainbow--that is, a rainbow in a perfect
circle? I never have. The most perfect one I have ever seen was on
the plains of Jericho, but