The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1883-05-24


P. N. Powell, j. J. Larew, Daniel Miller,
Jacob Koiner, w. A. Hanger, D. +. Hoov-
er. II. b. Seig and S. A. East.
Rev. i. M Frost's Sermons.
After long absence we found ourselves
in one Of the pews of the Baptist church
on Sunday, and the auditorium cleverly
filled awaiting the services of the morning
hour Soon the tall, but spare and delicate,
form of the Rev. Mr.. Frost moved up the
aisle, and entered the pulpit. He an
nounced for his text the justly famous
words of Ruth to Naomi, found in the
book of Ruth, LIST chapter, 10Th and 18th
verses And Ruth said, entreat ME not
to leave me, OF to return from following
after thee, for whittier thou goest, | will
go; and where thou lodgest. | will lodge :;
thy people shall be my people, and thy God
my God where thou diest will | die, and
there will | be buried the Lord do so to
| me and more also, if aught but death part
thee and me. ?
Perhaps, in all the wide range Of both
sacred and profane history, there is hardly
a passage to be found which in tender ut
terance, genuine pathos and true devotion,
equals the entreaty of Ruth to Naomi.
Nor has the thirty centuries gone by given
to the world a better model of classical lit
erature or of Il nobler woman. The orator
cursorily glancing over the book of Ruth,
brought fresh before the mind of his hear
ers the main incidents connected with this
most interesting portion of holy writ. Pro-
ceeding, he dwelt upon the wonderful char
acter Of Naomi rs exhibited in the yicissi-
tudes Of her eventual life. The poverty
stricken heroine refugee fleeing from fam
Inc into an unfriendly land, there bereft by
the death of her husband and her two sons,
ignoring the dumb idol deities which sur
rounded her, cleaving all the while to the
God OF her fathers, inStructmg her house
hold in the faith in which she was brought
up. she stands before us to-day Il sublime
spectacle, Il grand picture of a fortitude
scarcely belonging to our fallen race-a
painfully pleasing contrast with too many
of our present day ballroom bellies and
lovers of pleasure and fashion. But if the
life of Naomi is so splendidly grand, what
shall be said of that of Ruth, now the
Moab widow renouncing the religion Of
her fathers and embracing that of her
mother-n-law, worshipping the God of
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? Certainly it
has no counterpart even in the Bible itself.
And well did Mr.. F. deseant upona theme
every way worthy of himself and his au-
dience. The peroration of this discourse
was fully in keeping with the whole ser
mon. This same poor Moabtish maid,
seen but a short time before cleaning for a
| livelihood amid the fertile fields of her ma
| tive plain, now bidding farewell to home
friends and kindred, following hel. Hebrew
mother back.to the land of Canaan, sud
denly becomes the mother herself of the
grandfather of David and is placed in the
divinely appointed line of descent from
| Adam to Christ, chosen from among all
! the race as one of the illuStrious progeni-
| tors of the Lord himself ,outranking earthly
princes OF royal dynasty. Addressed es-
pecially to the female part of the eongre-
CATION, rarely has any sermon throughout
been listened to more attentively. There
was Il peculiar and, rs it were, special fit
ness in the man for the occasion, and in
| the theme for the man. We will not say
that Mr.. F. is the Sturgeon of our divines,
nor is he master of that eloquence that
leads a listening Senate, but for deep devo-
ton to his God and his religion the Staun-
ton OF any other pulpit may be proud of
him.
| This sermon was followed byone at night
on the life and character of Sampson. Adj
verting to the nine manifestations left on
record of the great strength of this re-
markable parsonage the speaker said it
could only be reasonably accounted for on
| the ground that it was given him for a
special purpose. 1t was entirely phenom-
| enal as his death was clearly miraculous.
Sampson stands out in history as the
strong-Weak man. While physically moth
| ing could confront him, morally he was not
able to govern himself. Here again pain
| full contrast was instituted, as we often see
the man of mental prowess and energy not
able to pass the dram shop without going
in. Sampson, unlike Naomi but little an
| terror to his time, forsook his NaZarite
VOW and became the dupe of Della and
these two notable characters standing thus
in close juxtapostion show to all subse-
quent ages I'LL the rewards of virtue and of
vice. There is this singnlarity in the con-
trast The weaker vessel endured the
mightiest of temptations. The strong
man fell into the meshes of an almost i'm
beetle foe. SIMPSONS last prayer fol
strength was heard and answered. In the
crash and slaughter of that heather tenn
pie which he overturned, God was glorihed
and though the corpse of the mighty MAJ
suicide.
SPECIAL VENIRE.-The following We
niremen have been summoned, and from
the number will be selected the jury t,
trv Susan Harris, the colored woman
charged with killing her husband. The,
are required to be at the Court House, Oh
Tuesday, the 18th Of the present month
Hugh F. Lyle, jacob Bowman, John Chris
: tien. Hazel s. Williams, Henry Fl. Hamil
ton, George w. G. Kames, II. Clay Pal
mer, VIM. F. Smith, DIR. M. G. HiIder
brand, G. Lewis Duh. Thomas III. Antrim
James A. Patterson, John w. Gilkeson
Robert w. Moffett. John w. Churchman
. John NJ Lambert. William f., Gilkeson
Frank M. Bell. Jacob E. Harnesbergei
! J. AL. Fmkhouser. John +. Leonard an
t Frank Oyerton, Simon Beverley, Irvi
Read, the three latter being colored.