The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1888-09-20

have all been under the harrowt Show me
man that has done anything for Christ in
this day, in public or private place, who
has had no trouble and whose path has been
smooth. All, no.
/ once went through an AK factory, and
saw them take the bars of iron and thrust
theni into the terrible furnaces. Then
besweated workmen with long tongs stirred
the blaze Then they brought outa bar Of iron
and put it into a crushing machine, and then
they put it between jaws that bit It In twain.
Then they put it on an anvil, and there were
great hammers swung by machnery-each
one a half ton in weght-that went thump'
thump thump! If that iron could have
spoken, it would have said; "Why all this
beating, Why must be pounded any more
than any other ironp The workmen would
have said: 1--WE want to mako. axes out OF
YOU. keen. sharp dxes-axes Win whlch 70
how down the forest, and build the ship, dan
erect houses, and carry on thousand enter
prises of civilization. That's tue reason we
pound you" Now, God puts a soul into the
furnace OF trial, and then it Is brought out
and run through the crushing machine, and
then it comes down on the anvil, and upon it
blow after blow, blow after blow, and the
soul cries out: "Oh. Lord, what does all this
means" God says: II want to make some
thing very useful out of you. You shall be
something to hew with and something to build
with. Il Is practical process through
which l am putting you" Yes. my Christ
tian 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 tempered axes, and il there be- any other
way of making them than in the hot furnaces
and on tile hard anvil, and under the heavy
hammer, l do not know what it is Remem-
her that if God brings any kind of chastiss-
ment upon you it is only to mako you use
full. Do not sit down discouraged and say:
81 have no more reason for living. l wish
| were deadn Oh, there never was so much
reason for your living as now! By this or.
deal you have been consecrated a priest OF
the Most High God. Go out and do your
whole work for the Master
There is also great deal Of comfort In the
fact there will be family reconstruction
| in a better place. From, Scotland, or Eng
| land or Ireland, child emigrates to this
| country. 1t is very hard parting but he
comes. after a viii Q writing home as to what
| 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 congratulation and
a very pleasant reunion. Well, it is just so
with our families they are enigrating to
| better land. Now one goes cut Oh, how
hard it is to part with him Another goes.
| Oh, how hard it is to part with her! And
another, and another, and we ourselves Will
after while go over, and then VIC will be
together. Oh, what a reunion! Do you be-
| lieve thatl eyes, you say. You do not!
You do not believe il as you believe other
, things. II you did. and with the same
emphasis, why. 1t would take nineteenth.
of your trouble off your heard. The fact
is, heaven to many Of lis is great fog. 1t is
away off somewhere, filled with an uncertain
and indefinite population. That is the kind
Of heaven that many of us dream about; but
| it is the most tremendous fact in all the
universe--this heaven Of the Gospel. Our
departed friends are not afloat. The resi-
| dence in which you live is not SO real as the
residence in which they stay. YOU are afioat,
you who do not know in the morning what
will happen 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 well send letter of coincidence to Queen
Victoria on her obscurity, or to the Roths-
childs on their poverty, as to pity those who
have won the palm. Do not say Of those
who are departed: "Poor child Poor
father" Poor mother!" They are not
poor. You are poor-you whose homes
have been shettered-n0t they. You do
not dwell much with your families In this
world. All day long you are off to business.
Will it not be pleasant when you can be to-
gether all the while9 If you have had four
children and one is gone, and anybody asks
how many children you have, do not be so
intidel as to say three. Say four-one in
heaven. Do not thnl. that the grave is I'M
friendly. You go into your room and dress
for some grand entertainment, and you come
forth beautifully appareed; and the grave
is only the place where you go to dress for
the glorious resurrection, and we will come
out radiant radiant mortality having be-
come immortality. Oh, how much condol
ence there is in this thought expect to
see my kindred in heaven; | expect to see
them as certainly as | expect to 60 home to
day. Ay, / shall more certainly see them
Eight or ten will come up from the graveyard
back of Somervile; and one will come ur
from the mountains back of Annoy, China
and another will come up from the sea of
Cape Hatteras; and thirty will come up. from
j Greenwood; and | shall know them better
than | 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 up 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. Il have
oversight and must be up and Off" So yot
will open your eyes on the morning of the res
direction in the full blaze of Gods light ant
YOU will say: II must be up and away" OF
yes, you will come up and there will be a re
union, reconstruction of your family.
like what Halburton. think it was-gooc
old Mr.. Halburton-said in his last moments
81 thank God that ever lived, and that
have a father in heaven, and mother il
heaven, and brothers in heaven, and sister
in heaven, and ain now going up to SCI
them"
remark once more: Our troubles in thi!
world are preparative for glory. What
transition it was for Paul-from the slippery
deck of laundering ship to the calm pres
ence of Jesus What transition it was fol
Latmer the stake to thronel Wha
transition it was for Robert Hall-fron
insanity to glory! What transition il wa'
for Richard Baxter-from the dropsy to tn
saints everlasting re,tm And what I
transition it will be for you-from worl
of sorrow to world Of joy! John Holland
when he was dying, said: what means tn
brightness in the room? Have you hghte
the candles" No" they replied, 1--WE hav
not lighted any candles" Then said be
"Welconie heavenr' the light already beam
ing upon his pillow. o We who are perse
cuted in this world your enemies VIII &c
off the track after a while, and a
will speak well of you among the thrones
Ho! We who are sick now, no medicine to TAX
there One breath of the eternal hills vii
thrill you with immortal vlgor And
who are lonesome now, there Will be thou
sand spirits to welcome you into their con
panionship We bereft souls. there will b
no grave dgger's spade that will cleave tn
side of that hill and there will be no dirg
wailing from that temple. The river of Goo
deep as the Joy of heaven, will roll on bt
tween banks odorous with balm, and owe
depths bright with jewels, and under skie
roseate with gadness, argosies of light goin
down the stream to the stroke of glitterin
oar and the song of angels! Not one sigh !
the wind; not one tear mingling with tn
waters.
There shall battle my weary soul
| In seas of heavenly rest,
And not q wave of trouble roll
Across my peaceful breast.