Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1885-12-07

sisters. Each one lost the first born, and
suppose that in hundreds Of cases in thi
house, it was the first born that was taken
Some people give what is to me very sb
surd reason for that. They sayit is becsus,
the child is loved too much. / do not thinl
that is possible. / do not believe any
father or mother loved child too much
You cannot love your child too much, Goo
did not take your child because you loved i
too much. think this is the reason WHY
God 80 often takes the first born. 1t is t
transfer your affections to heaven, snC
make that place the more grand anC
blessed; at the beginning of your life max
ing heaven blessed. 60 that you keep think
ing of that place and so be elevated and
lifted on toward it. / think that i'd tht
reason. Perhaps | am wrong. am SURE
the other reason is wrong, that so many
people give when they say it is because YOU
leve your child too much.
Now suppose the first trial COMES
AND YOU HAVE no GOD.
What them Have you ever tried to set
one 60 through bereavement without any
God? have witnessed that sad spectacle
But We want grace, we want Divine grace
when bereavement comes into the house
which erst was full Of sunny locks and
greetings at the door, and kisses flung By
little hands from the window as you went
down the front steps, and the doves
in the nest cry because the hawk
swoops, aud the cheek pales, aud the eyes
close, and the heart stops. Oh, to put away
garments that never will be worn sgaiu, tc
gather up from the floor toys that never
again will strew the carpet, and to go with
a sense of suffocalon through the desola
ted household that once rang with childish
merrimentl Oh. my God who can stand
that without Thy grace to help, without
Thy grace to smoothe, without Thy grace
to comfort2 Oh, you will want Christ in
your frat trouble, and so | beg of you this
morning TO take Him as yours.
You say you are strong and we'll. Sc
am /. You say that life is buoyant and
beautiful. So it is to me. But sicknes:
will come to you and it will come to me,
We shall be told we cannot 60 out, the
door will be closed against the world, there
will be two watches, and some will order
silence on the stairs, saying: Hush!
hushl" and in your dream you will hear the
dash of water which you will take 10 be the
beating of the wave of the Jordan against
your pillow, and you will hear q sound at
the gate which you will take to be the paw
ing of the pale horse. Oil then you and
will want q phylician; we will want
Christ to come 10 and put His arms around
Us and say: Fear not; all is we'll, all il
well"
But there is one more pass OF great i'm
portance, of which l must spesk-one tire,
mendous crisis, when we will want God.
say that not more to you than do to my
self We will want God in that crisis.
And that pass is
THE LAST HOUR.
| suppose We all would like to expire at
home. We want our friends ia the room,
some to recite the promise, some to sing,
one 10 hold the hsnd. We want TO look
I'D in faces that have been familiar TO US a
good while and we will have messages 10
give. If we are parents, we will want TO
tell our children how they ought to act
when We are gone, what principles they
ought to adopt, how near they ought to live
10 God.
And if we have aged parents living, we
will want 10 tell our children how they
ought to act toward the old people, how
they ought to care for them after we are
gone. think when we leave this world
We will oil have message to give 10 some
BODY. When that hour comes we viii
want Christ, we will want divine friend
to sand by US, and to say that all shall bt
we'll in the future. when thou passes
through the waters l will be with thee, and
through the rivers they shall not overflow
thee" But you know very well that If WI
20 out of this world, my brother, without
Christ, we take leap into the dark. -.
Who would want to 20 out Of the worlC
like that when be can 60 in triumph indie
scribable2 Like Paul saying: Il have
fought the good fight, have finished M
course, l have kept the faith
henceforth there is laid up tOI
me q crown Of righteousness
which the Lord, the righteous Judge, vii
give me" o. that other battle shout
20 death, where is thy etingr . grave
where is thy victory? Thanks be untC
God who giveth me the victory througi
my Lord Jesus Christ
Well, there are good many men i!
this house who say: What you have de
clared this morning is the truth, but | au
so far gone in sin that there is no hope TO
me-" o nv brothers there you make
great mistake. l stand here this morn
ing to declare
THERE IS HOPE FOR ANY MAN
who wants to come to God. Let tn
wicked forsake his way, and the unrigh;eou
his thought, and let him return unto tn
Lord, who will have mercy, and unto ou
God, who will abundaully pardon.
Come this morning. @" you say, '1
yod knew my history you would Mt invit
me" l do not cara what your history IL
come to God to day. "Whosoeyer will.
That word "whosoever" covers all cases {
wandering Of iniquity. "WhosOever vii
let him come"
But" says some one in the house, It
have started in the line OF iniquity, and
am going on; | will risk the future;
haven't much faith in Christianity; / or
going to have an easy time in this work.
get all ont of it can, 60 into all kinds {
sin, taking the risk for the future" Oh
will you not be diverted from that course
Will you not now realize the fact that 20
want God? Oh, how much you need bin
1t may take q great struggle 10 bring 20
back; bat come back you may and 20
will; this morning some OF you will. Ma
God BY His Holy spirit move upon yoV
! heart!
have sometimes heard people say it
as easy for them to become Christians
10 turn their hands Oh, what q misrepr
sentstion that is 1t takes the blood.
is the mightiest struggle in all the wor
when q man who has been doing wror
tries to do right. 1t is mightier strugg
than would ask any man TO 60 into u
less he lays hold of the strong arm of Go
who will help him and who will deliV
him.
Some years sgo there was an excursit
steamer some miles above Niagara Fsl