The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1882-05-04
1I10 WI 2" 7'VOS
Ipray the Lord my soul 70 keep

| upon MS pillow *,
"Now Hay me down to Sleep,
Ipray the Lord my soul 70 keep
We may be too feeble:tO employ either
| OF these familiar forms; but this prayer
OF Stephen is so short, isSo concise, is so
earnest, is so comprehensive, we surely
VIII be able to say that: Lord Jesus,
receive my spirit" o, if that prayer is
answered, how sweet it will he tn die.
ms world is clever enough to us. Per-
maps III has treated us a great dealbetter
| Ihan we deserve to be treated; but if OU
the dying pillow there shall. break the
light OF that better world; we;shaII have
no more regret about leaving this life for
the next than man regrets leaving a
small, dark, damp house, for one large,
beautiful, and capacfOus. That dvflg
minister in Philadelphia, SOME wears
ago, beautifully depicted it when, in the
last moment, hethrew UP his hands and
cried out: 81 move into the light"
| PaSS on now. and | will show Won Ona
more picture, and that is Stephen asleeD,
With a pathOs and simplicity peculiar
to the Scriptures, the text; saws of
Stephen: HE fell asleep" 90" YOU
say, what, place that was to sleep!
A hard rock under him, stones falling
down upon him, the blood streaming,
the mob bowling. What place it was
to sleepP" And yet my text takes that
symbol of slumber to describe his de-
parture, so sweet was it, so cOntentIH
was 1T, so peaceful was it. Stephen had
lived very labOriOus life. His chief
work had been to care for the poor. How
many lOaVes of bread he distributed
how many bare feet he had sandaled,
how many cots of sickness and distress
he blessed with ministries of kindness
and love, do not know; but from the
way he lived and the way he preached,
and the way he died, know he was a
labOrlOus Christian. But that is all over
now. He has pressed the cup to the last
falntlng lip. He has taken the last in
suit from his enemies. The last stone
to whose crushing weight he is suscep-
tible has been hurled. Stephen is deadl
The disciples come. They take him up.
They wash away the blood from the
wounds. They straighten out the bruised
limbs. They brushed back the tangled
halr from the brow, and then they pass
around to look upon the calm cOunten-
ance OF him who had lived for the Door
and died for the truth. Stephen asleepI
L nave seen the sea driven with hurri-
cane until the tangled foam caught in
the rigging, and wave rising above wave
seemed as If about to storm the heavens,
ana then have seen the tempest drop,
and the waves crouch, and everything
become smooth and FURNISHED as
though camping place for the glOries
OF heaven. So | have seen a man, whose
life has been tossed and driven, coming
down at last to an infinite calm, in
which there was the hush of heavens
lullaby, stephen asleep! | saw such
an one. He fought all his days against
poverty and abuse. They tTaduced his
name. They ratified at the door knob
while he was dying, with duns and
debts he could not pay; yet the peace of
GOd brOoded over his pillow, and while
the world faded, heaven dawned, and
the deepening twilight of earth's night
was only the opening twilight of
heaven S morn. Not a sigh. Not tear.
Not struggle. Hush Stephen sleepsl
l have not the faculty to tell the
weather. | could not have told yester-
day THAT this would be a day of cloud
ana darkness. | can never tell by the
setting sun whether there will be a.
drought or not. l cannot tell by the
blowing of the wind whether it will be
fair weather or foul on the morrow. But
L can prOpheSy, and / will pTODhesy,
what weather it will be when you, the
Christian come to die. You may have it
very rough now. 1t may be this week
one annoyance, the next another annoy
ance. 1T may be this year one beTeaVe-
ment, the next another bereavement.
Before this year has passed you NAV
nave TO beg for bread, or ask for a scut-
lie of coal or pair of shoes; but spread
your death couch amid the leaves of the
forest, or make it out of the straw of "a
pauper's hut the wolf in the Jungle
hOWIlng close by, or ineXOrable creditors
Jerking the pillow from under your dy-
ing head-Christ will come in and dark
ness will go out. And though there
may be no hand to close your eyes, and
no breast on which to rest your dying
head, and no candle to lift the night,
the OdOrs of Gods hanging garden will
regale your soul, and at your bedside
Will halt the chariOts of the king. No
more rents to pay, no more agony be-
cause Hour has gone up, no more strug-
gle with "the world, the flesh, and the
devil" bnt peace-lOng, deep, eyerlast-
ing peace. Stephen asleep
"Asleep in Jesus, blessed sleep
From which none wake to weep
A calm and undisturbed repose,
Uninjred by the last of foes
"Asleep in Jesus, far from thee
Thy kindred and their graves may be;
But there Is still a blessed sleep,
From which none ever wake to weep
You have seen enough for one morn
ing. No one can successfully examine
more than five pictures in day. There
fore we stop, having seen the cluster of
Divine aphaels-Stephen gazing into
heaven; Stephen looking at Christ;
Stephen stoned; Stephen in his dying
prayer; Stephen asleep.