Morris tribune., 1883-02-07
IN MEMORIAM.
Mabel COrliss and other Children Of the
Parish Of All Saints.

ID nGN - Ss "a ~ iN'S-'t $3.50 - AOD''
Job. l: xxi. 1.-THE lord gave, and
the Lord hath taken away; blessed be
the name of the Lord.
In whatever form death comes into
community it awakens sympathy
and love. That noiselss memorable
hand never touches man or child, of
whatever station, but a sense of SYM
patiZing sadness shadows all hearts.
This deep sympathy toward the atflict-
ed relatives whom death has bereaved
81 not wholly due to the fact that death
is the messenger whom each of Ills must
meet some day. This is one bond of
sympathy surely.
Yet this is not the whole cause of this
tenderness and sympathy stirred with
in the breasts of all, when some home
has lost n dear one. 1t is because the
hearts of most of us have been wound
ed by the loss of those We loved. The
grounds which death leaves behind are
common experiences. For who in this
world has not loved and lost? He
must be very young indeed who has
never parted at the grave with friend
or one dearer than friend.
There is no flock however watched and
tended;
There is no fireside hOwe'er defended;
But hath its vacant chair"
1t is for this reason that the grief of
one who weeps beside his dead cannot
be lonely grief. His sorrow needs
only to be known, and Christian SYM
pathy, which somehow in some way
divides the sorrows as it multiplies
the joys of men, comes in to share
their grief, and help in its dumb way,
to bear the burden Of sorrow.
1t is not often in the fresh free air of
a new country that death comes to any
but the aged and intirm. But within
a year five children of this Parish have
been called to Paradise. Two OF them
we buried last week. The one of them
a weakling babe of six months whose
life was never full, sank slowly and
quietly to it's rest. The other child
whose years were full of health and
promise, was cut off suddenly, almost
| without warming.
1t is the sense of human frailty
awakened by the memory of these
children of our cure; and deep SYM
pathy with the parents of this sweet
dear girl, we called Mabel, which
prompts us to words of comfort in the
sadness of this great sorrow. 1t is true
that "the ilsaFt Enoweth its own bit
terness and stranger int6rmeddleth
not" But all who knew the bright
active child whose death came so sud-
denly, and in such dread form, have
shared the pain of separation. we
have lost a child from our Sunday
School who was ever prompt and faith
full to her duties; always cheerful and
atfectionate, Baptized into Christ in
Infancy, she held a place in the Saw
tours Kingdom, and has gone to that
bright home above. With clearer faith
than David had, the words Of David
have a more blessed meaning to
Christian parents, II shall go to him,
but he shall not return to me-" 1t is
fitting that we seek here to-day the
cgnsolations of Religion, and pray for
resignation to Gods blessed will. The
world has no consultations for the loss
of child whose young affections had
intertwined so closely about all who
knew her, Her young life was smit-
ten down by disease, that even after
death repealed, with the breath of
pestilence, all who would approach
the lfeless corpse. Death seldom
comes with sterner yisage, Seldom
does a motoer suffer such sudden and
lonely bereavement; or father come
home to such desolating sorrows. Out
on the cold, bleak hillside we carried
that lifeless corpse, and among the
| dead of others we stood to perform the
last rites of Christian burial over our
beloved child.
Only once before have 1 stood IN
such loneliness to give back the form
of child-'earth to earth and dust to
dust" Last May, in the darkness and
gloom of night, q few friends went
forth with lanterns to bury, in Gods
acre yonder, dear girl who persisted
under the same dread disease. 0, the
sadness Of parting when the eontagion
of disease beats back from the closing
grave the willing friend and the gra-
cious offices of friendship.
There is little of consolation in the
best that earth can give at such time.
There is but one source of comfort.
Heaven alone can send the balm of
! healing grace. And blessed be Gods
nalne tiiat we can carry such fulness
of holy comfort t9 aaching hearts to-
day.
"The Rock is smitten, and to future years.
Springs ever fresh the tide of holy tears,
| And holy music whispering peace
Till time and sin together cease"
Our Christian religion tends to
strength en- the ties of friendship and
parental love; at relpes and deepens
the sensibilities of the heart. Rut it
also brings the solace and the comfort
of Christian resignation, when those
ties are severed and the heart strings
all but broken. We are sorry, but not
as men without hope, for those who
sleep ip Jesus. The disciplined heart
loves with deepes Affection than the
passionate attachments Of undisoi-
plined nature. But its abiding faith
in God enables the sore and wounded
heart to say even amid its tears; "The
Lord gave and the Lord hath taken
away; Blessed be the name Of the
Lord"
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