The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1885-07-29
Religious 3flistellanp.
A Vacant Chair.

What an appeal is made to our hearts
by the sight of vacant chair in the
family rooml If it is a chair which was
set apart, almost sacredly, for the use
of some dear one--for the invalid whom
every one loved and thought of, or for
an aged father or mother-we cannot
look at it without the sense of loss and
the reminder of pain. Silent, empty,
no longer needed, it is eloquent and pa
thetic, and the chord it touches is quick
to vibrate responsibility. We cannot
forget our beloved whom God has taken.
1t would be strange and unnatural were
our lives to 90 on just as if there had
come no change. But we are wrong to
nurse grief, and grief only, as we think
of household voices hushed in our
midst and fold away the garments that
are needed no more on earth. Morbid
sorrow is pagan, not Christian. We do
wrong to the living who continue with
us when we so mourn our dead that the
home grows gloomy, the light is ex-
cluded and our sad faces are check
upon innocent mirth. If we could but
take into our hearts the full significance
of that wonderful phrase, the "whole
family in heaven and on EARTH" we
should realize that God has right to
call some of the children home to rest,
while others still tarry that they may
work till he is ready to summon them
to his immediate presence. There is
great consolation in the thought that
the vacant chair in our group is vacant
by Gods direct agency. His personal
will has removed one who was dear as
the sight of our eyes. The death, sud-
den, perhaps, or after long illness, was
in either case no accident. 1t was in
tended of God and in his time. The
absent one is absent from us but pres
ent with the Lord. 1t happens some
times that the simple faith of heather
converts accepts this truth and holds it
in way not always easy to us in our
fuller light and longer experience. Miss
Adele NJ. Fielde, in her interesting
record of missionary labor in China,
tells that in many instances the native
Christians ask that the words, "Disci-
Pile of Jesus" may be inscribed on
their gravestones. Miss Fielde asked
an old woman, first in her community
to embrace the new religion, how
many Christians there were in her vii
lage. "She said there were twenty.
and gave the name, age and place of
residence of each. -Four of the number
were in heaven. l went over the list
and said, Then there are sixteen
women who are members of the church
here 'Ay,' said Sui, there are
twenty 1 remarked that l had seen
twelve of the sixteen, and Sui re.
sponded, 'Ay, teacheress, you have
seen twelve of the twenty Like
WORDSWORTH little maid, she had hel
way and always counted the sisters
who were in heaven" The best wis
dom is to take up our sorrow in spiri
of cheerful, or at least submissive, &C
quiescence with the divine will. WheI
its first anguish has yielded to the min
istry of time, then it is well to lool
about and see what work we may d.
for the sake of the dead. Were the,
forward in the distribution Of book
and papers among Gods poor? Di'
they look after the prisoner and tn
sick in hospitals? Did they try t.
strengthen the weak, assist the tempted
and lead back to the narrow path tn
feet of the wanderer? For their sakes
let us take up their work which the
were doing for Jesus. And he who
their Lord still, as he is ours, will bles
the work of our hands and establish il
and comfort us concerning the vacan
chair.-Illustrdted Christian Weekly.