Milford chronicle., 1888-08-03

her shroud, and she will be carried out IN
plain box with no silver plate to tell her
years, for she has lived a thousand years
Of trial and anguish. The gamblers
and swindlers who destroyed her husband
will not come TO the funeral. One carriage
will he enough for that funeral-one carriage
to carry the orphans and the two Christian
women who presided over the obsequics.
But there is a flash and the opening Of a ce-
lestial door and shout: Lift up your head,
We everlasting gate, and let her come inr'
And Christ will step forth and say: Come
inl We suffered with me on earth, be glorified
with me in heaven What is the highest
throne in heavenl You say: "The throne OF
the Lord God Almighty and. the Lamb"
No doubt about it. What is the next highest
throne in heavenl While l speak it seems to
me that it will be the throne Of the drunkard's
wife, il she with cheerful patience endured
all her earthly torture. Heroes and herOines.
find also in this roll the heroes of Christian
charity. We all admire the George Peabodys
and the James Lenoxes Of the earth, who
give tens and hundreds of thousands Of dol
lars to good objects.
But am speaking this morning Of those
who, out of their pinched poverty, help
others-of such men as those Christian mis-
sionaries at the west, who are living on $3.50
year that they may proclaim Christ TO the
people, one Of them, writing to the secretary
in New York, saying 81 thank you for that
S25. Until yesterday we have had no meat
in our house for three months. We have
suffered terribly. Ny children have no
shoes this winter" And Of those people who
have only half loaf of bread, but give
a piece Of it to others who are hungrier;
and of those who have only a scuttle of coal,
but help others to fuel; and Of those who
have only dollar in their pocket, and give
twenty-five cents TO somebody else; and Of
that father who wears a shabby coat, and Of
that mother who wears a faded dress, that
their children may be well appareled. You
call them paupers, or ragamufhns, or emil
grants. / call them heroes and heroines.
Yon and may not know where they live, or
what their name is. God knows, and they
have more angels lowering over them than
you and have, and they will have higher
seat in heaven.
They may have only cup of cold water to
give a poor traveller, or may have only
picked splinter from under the nail of a
child's finger, or have put only two mites
into the treasury, but the Lord knows them.
Considering what they had, they did more
than we have ever done, and their faded
dress will become a white robe, and the small
room will be an eternal mansion, and the old
hat will be a coronet Of victory, and all the
applause of earth and all the shouting Of
heaven will be drowned out when God rises
up to give his reward to those humble work.
ers in his kingdom, and to say to
them: "Well done, good and faithful
servant" You have all seen or heard
of the ruin of Melrose abbey.
suppose in some respects it is the most ex-
quisite ruin ON earth And yet, looking at it
l was not so impressed-you may set it dewn
to bad taste-but was not SO deeply stirred
as was at a tombstone at the foot Of that
abbey the tombstone placed by Walter
Scott over the grave of an old man who had
served him for many years in his house-the
inscription most significant, and l defy any
man to stand there and read it without tears
coming into his eyes-the epitaph: "Well
done, good and faithful servant Oh, when
our work is over, will it be found that
because of anything we have done for God,
or the church, or suffering humanity, that
such an inscription is appropriate for usl
God grant it.
Who are those who were bravest and de
served the greatest monument-Lord Claver-
house and his burly soldiers or John Brown,
the Edinburgh carrier, and his wife. Mr..
Atkins, the prosecuted minister Of Jesus
Christ in Scotland, was secreted by John
Brown and his wife, and Claverhouse rode
up one day with his armed men and shouted
in front of the house. John Browns little
girl came out. He said to her: "Well, miss,
is Mr.. Atkins heref' She made no answer,
for she could not betray the minister of athe
Gospel "Haln Claverhouse said, "then you
are a chip of the old block, are youi have
something in my pocket for you 1t is a
nosegay Some people call it a thumbscrew,
but call it a nosegay." And he got of his
horse, and he put it on the little girls
hand and began to turn it until
the bones cracked and she cried. He said;
Don't cry; don't cry; this isn't a thumb
screw; this is q nosegay.n And they heard
the childis cry. and the father and mother
came out and Claverhouse said: "Hal It
seems that you three have laid your holy
heads together determined to die like all the
rest Of your hypocritical, canting, sniveling
crew; rather than give up good Mr.. Atkins,
pious Mr.. Atkins, you would die. l have a
telescope with mo that will improve
your vision," and be pulled out a
pistol. "Now,n he said, 'yOu old prag-
natical, lest you should catch cold
in this cold morning Of Scotland, and
for the honor and safety of the king, to say
nothing Of the glory Of God and the good Of
our souls, will proceed simply and in the
neatest and most expeditions style possible
to blow your brains out" John Brown fell
upon his knees and began to pray "Ahr'
said Claverhouse, ''lOok out, if you are going
to pray: steer clear of the king, the council
and Richard Cameron 20! Lord,n said
John Brown, "since 1t seems to be thy will
that l should leave this world for a world
where can love thee better and serve thee
more, I put this poor widow woman and
these helpless, fatherless children into thy
hands. We have been together in peace a
god while, but now we must look forth to
a better meeting in heaven, and
as for these poor creatureA blindfOlded
and infatuated, that stand before me, con-
vert them before it be too late, and may they
who have sat in Judgment in this lonely place
on this blessed morning upon me, poor, dc
fenseleSs fellow creathre-lnay they in tho
last Judgment find that mercy which they
have refused to me, thy most unworthy, but
faithful servant. Amen." lie rose up and
said: Isabel, the hour l'ns come OF which
spoke to yzsi ON the morning when proposed
hand and heart to you; and sre you willing
now, for the love Of God, TO Jet me der Size
put her arms around him and said; 'The
Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away.
Blessed be this name Of the LordF
''stop that sniveling," said Claverhouse 81
have had enough Of it. Soldiers, do your
work Take aiml Fireln And the head Of
John Brown was scattered on the ground.
While the wife was gathering up in her apron
the fragments Of her husbands head-gather.
ing them up for burial-C -Claverhouse looked
into her face and said; 'Now, my good wo-
man, how do you feel now about your bonnie
manr nOh," she said, II always thought