Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1886-10-04
geligions department.
TREASURES.

Earth is full of them, heaven
abounds with them. To acquire
them while on earth men struggle
and delve and even die. But when
it comes to striving to lay them up
in heaven, heaven seems very far off,
and the future is far too likely to
seem the best time for such boarding.
But there is trite old phrase that
"what you keep you lose and what
you give away is saved" If only
men would stop and consider, it
would be quite pleasing study and
in many cases a pleasing discovery
also to find in how many ways treas
ures can be laid up in heaven. The
season is approaching when the poor
must needs be fed, clothed and
warmed. If only from pure heart
and with a soul striving to serve the
Lord a portion of such goods as fall
to our lot are shared with these needy
ones, let it. be remembered that like
the cup of cold water it will in no
case lose its reward. A pretty Incl
dent appeared recently in one of our
religious papers illustrating the re-
membrance in which kindly act is
held. A poor soldier, one cold stor-
my night, took off his great coat to
put it on shivering sentinel whose
position was even more exposed than
his own. Not long afterwards when
the soldier lay dying, he had beau
tiful dream in which Jesus Christ
appeared, and began thanking him
for sheltering him one bitter cold
night with his warm overcoat. The
soldier fastened to disclaim all right
to the Saviour's gratitude, saying that
it had never been his privilege so to
help his Lord. But the Saviour re-
piled: ooh, yes; you remember
the night you shared your VAIN gar
ment with the half-frozen sentinel,
but without knowing it, you were
really sheltering me-"
All acts of charity and alms-giv-
ing when done in the name of the
Lord will be held in loving remem-
brance by the great Father whose
slumberless eyes are watching over
his children. But the greatest treas
ures we have are put for safe keep
ing in the most secure places we can
find. The more valuable the treasure,
the more anxiety there is to place it
in a stronghold "where neither moth
nor rust can corrupt, and where
thieves cannot break through nor
steal" Few and seldom found are
the places on earth where immunity
from rust or thieves can be promised.
The greatest treasure yet is the
life. What will man take in ex-
change for his mortal life? Yet he
cannot hold it. Surely, even if slow
ly, the day is creeping on when life
will ebb to it's close and the soul will
fee-whither? That which Is I'M
mortal must be the most precious
thing in life. Then most important
must it be to secure for the soul 9
happy resting place at last. All the
accumulated treasure Of earth cannot
avail to detain the soul moment
after the summons comes for it to
appear before its Maker. Nor could
all the wealth of earth effect an en-
trance to the presence of neglected
Saviour. One of the caesars gave o.
ders that at his funeral his hand:
should be placed outside the coffir
with the palms open, that who should
come to gaze upon him in death
might see that he took nothing away
with him. But only seemingly EN-
ty-handed shall we 60 forth at las
if our treasure has been laid up il
heaven. For if the heart has beer
there before, the soul has only t.
follow. The traveller to a distan
cline experiences no misgivings i
sure that treasure and welcome avail
his coming. If as earth recedes
heaven dawns, what glory to flint
our treasure safely awaiting us there
-ChTistian at Work.