Milford chronicle., 1888-09-14


word Of three letters, but each letter Is a
chariot if you would triumph, or a crown if
you want to be crowned, or lake if you
would slake your thirst-yea, chain Of
three letters-G-o-d, the one for whom David
longed. and the one whom David found.
You might as well meet a stag which,
after its sixth mile Of running at
the topmost speed through thicket and
gorge, and with the breath Of the dogs on its
heels, has come in full sight Of Scro0n lake
and tried to cool its projecting and blistered
tongue with a drop Of dew from a blade Of
grass, as to attempt TO satisfy an immortal
soul, when flying from trouble and sin, with
anything less deep and high and broad and
immense and in lite and eternal than God.
His comfort, why it embossoms all distress.
His arm, it wrenches 90 sll bondage. His
hand, it wipes away all tears His Christly
atonement, it makes us all right with the
past and az right with the future aud all
right with God all right with man, and all
right forever. Lamartine tells us that King
Nimrod said to his three sons; "Here are
three vases, and one is Of clay, another Of
amber, and another Of gold. Choose now
which you will have.n The eldest son, hav
ing the first choice, chose the vase Of gold,
on which was written the word empire
I
human blood The second son, making the
next choice, chose tho vase of amber, in
scribed with the word glory" and when
opened it contained the ashes Of those who
were once called great The third son took
the vase Of clay, and opening it, found 1t
empty, but on the bottom Of it was inscribed
the name Of God. King Nimrod asked his
courtiers which vase they thought weighed
the most. The avaricious men of his court
said the vase of gold The poets said the one
of amber But the wisest men said the
empty vase, because one letter Of the name
of God outweighed universe
For him l thirst; for his grace l beg; on
his promise l build my ALL Without him
cannot be happy. have tried the world,
and it does well enough as far as it goes, but
it is too uncertain world, too evanescent a
world. l am not prejudiced witness. l
have nothing against this world. l have
been cne Of the most fortunate, or, to use
more Christian word, one Of the most blessed
of men-bleSsed in my parents bles ed in the
place of my nativity, blessed in my health,
blessed in my field of work, blessed in q
natural temperament, blessed in my family,
blessed in my opportunities, blessed in my
comfortable livelihood, blessed in the hope
that my soul will go to heaven through the
pardoning mercy of God, and my body,
unless it be lost at sea or cremated
| in some conAagration, will lie down in the
/ gardens of Greenwood among my kin
dred and friends, some already gone and
4 others to come after me. Life to many has
been a disappointment, but 10 me 1t has been
q pleasant surprise, and yet declare that if
did not feel that God ws,s now my friend
and ever present help, l should be wretched
I
I have thought over this text and preached
this sermon to myself until with all the
aroused energies Of my body, mind and soul,
can cry out: "As the hart panteth after
the water brooks, so panteth my soul after
thee, o Cod"
Through Jesus Christ, make this God your
God, and you can Withstand anything and
everything, and that which affrights others
will inspire you. As in time of an earth
quake, when an old Christian woman was
asked whether she was scared, answered: "No,
! am glad that l have God who can shake
the world;n Or as in a financial panic, when
Christian merchant was asked if he did not
fear ne would break, answered: ''Yes; l shall
break when the fiftieth Psalm breaks in the
fifteenth verse; Call upon me in the day Of
trouble; will deliver thee and taou shalt
glorify me-" Oh Christian men and women,
pursued Of annoyances and exasperations,
remember that this hunt, whether still
hunt or a hunt in full cry, will soon be over.
If ever a whelp looks ashamed and ready to
stink out Of sight, it is when in the Adj
rondacks a deer, by one long; tre-
mendous plunge into Big Tupper lake, gets
away from him. The disappointed canine
swims in little way, but, defeated, swims
out again and cringes with Inundated yawn
at the feet of his master. And how abashed
aud ashamed will all your earthly troubles
be when you have dashed into the river from
under tho throne of God, and the heights
and depths Of heaven are between you and
your pursuers. We are told in Revelation
xxi, Is: "Without are dogs;" by which
l conclude there is a whole kennel Of hounds
outside the gate Of heaven, or, as when a
master goes in a door, his dog lies on the
steps waiting for him to come out, 50 the
troubles Of this life may follow US TO the
shining door, but they cannot get in. with
out are dogsm khave seen dogs, and owned
dogs, that l would not be chagrined to see in
the heavenly city. Some Of the grand
old watchdogs who are the constabulary Of
the homes in solitary places, and for years
have been the only protection of wife and
child; some of the shepherd dogs that drive
back the wolves and bark away the hocks
from going too near the precipice; and some
Of the dogs whose neck and paw Landseer,
the painter, has made immortal, would not
find me shutting them out from the gate Of
shining pearl. Some of those old st. Ber-
nard dogs that have lifted perishing travel
ers out of the Alpine snow; the dog that
John Brown, the Scotch essayist, saw ready
to spring at the surgeon, lest, in removing the
cancer, he too much hurt the poor woman
whom the dog felt bound to protect; and
dogs that We caressed in our childhood
days, or that in later time laid down on
the rug in seeming sympathy when our
homes were desOlated. l say, If some soul
entering heaven should happen to leave the
gate ajar and these faithful creatures should
quietly walk in, it would not at all disturb
my heaven. But all those human or brutal
hounds that have chased and torn and lacer-
ated the world; yea, all that now bite or
worry or tear to pieces, shall be prohibited.
without are dogsl No place there for
harsh critics or backbiters or despoilers Of
the reputation Of others. Down with you to
the kennels of darkness and despairl The
hart has reached the eternal water brooks,
and the painting Of the long chase is quieted
in still pastures, and ''there snail be nothing
to hunt or destroy in all Gods holy mount !"
Oh, when some OF you get tnere lS"lh %
like what hunter tells of when he was push
ing his canoe far up north in the winter
and amid the ice foes, and hundred miles,
as he thought, from any other human be-
ings He was startled one day as he heard a
stepping on the ice, and he cooked the rifle,
ready to meet anything that came near. He
found man, barefooted and insane from
long exposure, approaching him. Taking
him into his canoe and kindling fires to
warII him, he restored him, and found out
whe-s he had lived, and took him to his
home, and found all the village in
great excitement. A hundred men
were searching for this lost man, and his
family and friends rushed out to meet him;
and as had been agreed at his first appear
ance, bells we're rung and guns were dis
charged and banquets spread and the reseuer
loaded with presents Well, when some OF