Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-09-03

1t is 9 practical process through
which am putting you" Yes, my
Christian friends, we want more tools in
the Church of God. Not more wedges to
split with: we have enough Of these. Not
more bores with which to drill: we have
too many bores. What we really want is
keen, sharp, well-tepperd axes, and il
there be any other way Of making them
than in the hot furnaces, and on the hard
anvil, and under the heavy hammer, do
not know what it is. Remember that il
God brings any kind of chastisement upon
you, it is only to make you useful. Do
not sit down discouraged, and say, II
have no more reason for living. / wish l
were dead" Oh, there never was 80 much
reason for your living as now By this
ordeal you have been consecrated q priest
of the Most High God. Go ont and do
your whole work for the Master.
OUR TROUBLES A REVELATION.
Again, there is comfort in the thought
that all our troubles are revelation. Have
you ever thought of it in that connection ?
The man who has never been through
chsstisement is ignorant about thousand
things in his soul he ought to know. For
instance, here is man who prides himself
on his cheerfulness of character. He has
no patience with anybody who is de-
pressed in spirits. Oh, it is easy for him
to be cheerful, with his fine house, his
filled wardrobe and wsll.strung instru-
ments of music, and tapestried psrlor, and
plenty of money in the bank waiting for
some permanent investment. 1t is easy
for him to be cheerful. But suppose his
down under the sheriff's hammer, and the
banks will not have anything to do with
his paper. Suppose those people who were
once elegantly entertained at his table get
so sbort-sighted that they cannot recog-
nize him upon the street How then?
Is it 80 easy to be cheerful I?
1t is easy to be cheerful in the home, after
the days work js done, and the gas is
turned on, and the house is full of romp-
lag little ones. But suppose the piano is
shut because the fingers that played on it
will no longer touch the keys, and the
childish voice that asked 30 many quss-
tions will ask no more. Then is it 20 easy?
When man wakes up aud finds that his
resources are all gone he begins to rebel,
and he says. "God is hard; God is outrag-
eous. He had no business to do this to
me-" My friends those OF us who have
been through trouble knew what sinful
and rebellious heart we have, and how
much God has to put up with, aud how
much we need pardon. 1t is only in the
light of flaming furnace that we can
learn our own weakness and our own lack
of moral resource.
There is also great deal of comfort in
the fact that there will be
A FAMILY RECONSTRUCTION
in better place. From Scotland, or
Eoglsnd, or Ireland, child emigrates to
this country. 1t is very hard parting, but
he comes, after while writing home as to
what a good land it is. Another brother
comes, a sister comes, and another, and
after while the mother comes, and after
while the father comes, and now they are
all here, and they have time of great con-
graduation and very pleasant reunion.
Well, it is Just so with our families: they
are emigrating to better land. Now,
one goes ont. Oh, how hard it is to part
with him! Another goes. Oh, hard it is
other, and we ourselves will after while
90 over. aud then we will be together.
Oh, what q reunion! Do You believe thstY
"Yes," you say. You do not! You do
not believe it as you believe other things.
If you did, and with the same emphasis,
why, 1t would take nine-tenths of your
trouble off your heart. The fact
is, heaven to many of us is great fog. 1t
is away off somewhere, filled with an un-
certain and indefuite population. That
is the kind of heaven that many of us
dream about; but it is the most tremend-
ous fact in oil the universe heaven
OF the Gospel. Our departed friends are
not adoat. The residence in which You
live ia not 30 real az the residence in which
they stay. You are ahoat, you who do
not know in the morning what will hap.
pen before night. They are housed and
safe forever. DO not, therefore, pity your
departed friends who have died in Christ.
They do not need any Of your pity. You
might as we'll send letter of coincidence
to Q aeen Victoria on her obscurity, or 70
the ROthschilds on their poverty, as to
pity those who have won the palm. Do
not say of those who are departed, "Poor
childpi "PoOr fatherW Poor motherW
THEY ABE NOT POOR.
You are poor-you whose homes have been
shattered not they. You do not dwell
much with your families in this world.
All day long you are off to business. Will
il not be pleasant when you con be to-
gether all the while? II you have had
four children and one is gone, and anybody
asks how many children you have, do not
be so infdel as to say three. Say four
one in heaven. Do not think that the
grave is unfriendly. You 90 into your
room, and dress for some grand entertain.
ment, and you come forth beautifully ap-
pareled; and the grave is only the place
where we 20 to dress for the glorious res
direction, and will come out radiant, rsdi-
ant, mortality having become immortality.
Ah, how much coincidence there is in this
thought! / expect to see my kindred in
heaven; expect to see them as certainly
as 1 expect to 90 home to-day. Ay, !
shall more certainly see them. Eight or
ten will come mp from the graveyard back
of Somerville; and one will come up
from the mountains back Of Annoy, China:
and another will come up from the sea of
Caps Hstteras; and thirty will come mp
from Greenwood; and shall know them
better than I ever knew them here. And
your friends they may be across the sea,
but the trumpet that sounds here will
sound there. You will come MP on Just
the same day. Some morning You have
oversight yourself, and you open your eyes
and see that the sun is high in the heavens,
and you say, II have oversight, and ! must
be up and Of" 80 you will open your
eyes on the morning of the resurrection, In
the foil blaze of Gods light, and you will
say, 81 must be up and away" Oh, yes,
you will come up, and there will be . re.
union, . reconstruction Of your family. I
like what old Halliburton, ! think it was-
good old Mr.. Halburton-said in his last
moments, 81 thank God thst / ever lived,
that I have father in heaven, and moth
er in heaven, and brothers in heaven, and
sisters in heaven, and ] am now going up
to see them.n
remark once more: our troubles in this
world are