Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1889-03-28

The father and mother almost idolized the
| boy, and the sob and shrek of that father
| and mother as they hung over the coffin
resound in my ears to-day. There seemed
to be no use Of praying. for when knelt
down to pray the outcry in the room
drowned out all the prayer. But the Lord
comforted that sorrow. They did not for
get their trouble II you should go on the
| snowiest winter afternoon into Laurel
| Hill you would find monument with the
word "Ealter" inscribed upon il, and q
wreath of fresh flowers around the name.
I think there has not been an hour all
| these years, winter or summer, when
there was not a wreath of fresh flowers
| around Walters name. But the Christian
mother who sends those flowers there,
having no child left Sabbath afternoons
mothers ten or twenty of the lost ones of
the street That is beautiful. That is
what call busy and triumphant sadness.
Here is a man who has lost his property.
He does not go to hard drinking. He does
not destroy his own life. He comes and
says: Harness me for Christian work.
My moneys gone. I have no treasures on
earth l want treasures in Heaven.
have a voice and heart to praise God. I"
You say that that man has failed. He has
not failed-he has triumphed o, wish
could persuade all the people who have
any kind of trouble never to give up.
wish they would look at the midnight
rider of the text, and that the four hoofs
of that beast on which Nehemiah rode
might cut to pieces all your discourage
ments and hardships and trials. Give upl
Who is going to give up, when on the
bosom OF God he can have all his troubles
hushedf Give up! Never think of giving
up. Are you borne down with poverty?
A little child was found holding her dead
mothers hand in the darkness of a tene-
ment house, and some one coming in, the
little girl looked up, while holding her
dead mothers hand, and said, 20, do
wish that God had made more light for
poor folks" My dear, God will be your
light, God will be your shelter, God will
be your home. Are you borne down with
the bereavements of life? Is the house
lonely now that the child is gone? Do not
give up. Think of what the old sexton
said when the minister asked him why he
put SO much care on the little graves in
the cemetery-so much more care than on
the larger graves, and the old sexton said:
'Sir, you know that of such is the king
dom of Heaven and l think the Saviour
is pleased when he sees so much white
clover growing around these little graves"
But when the minister pressed the old sex
ton for a more satisfactory answer, the
old sexton said: "Sir, about these larger
graves, don't know who are the Lords
saints and who are not; but you know.
sir, it is clean different with the BARNS"
O, if you have had thatkeen. tender, indie
scribable sorrow that comes from the
loss of a child, do not give up. The old
sexton was right. 1t is all we'll with the
BARNS. Or, if you have sinned grievously
-sinned until you have been cast out by
society, do not give up. Perhaps there
may be in this house one that could truth
fully utter the lamentation of another:
'Once was as pure as the snow, but fell
Fell like a snowflake. from Heaven to hell
Fell, to be lrampled as filth in the street.
Fill to be sconed at, spit on and beat;
Praying, cursing, wishing to die,
Selling my soul to whoever would buy,
Dealing in shame for morsel of bread,
Hating the living and fearing the dead
Do not give up. One like unto the Son
of God comes to you to-day saying, go
and sin no more" while He cries out to
your assailants, '.Let him that is without
sin cast the first stone at her." Oh! there
is no reason why any one in this house by
reason of any trouble or sin should give
up. Are YOU foreigner and in a strange
land? Nehemiah was an exile. Are you
penniless? Nehemiah was poor. Are you
homesick? Nehemiah was homesick. Are
you broken hearted? Nehemiah was
broken hearted. But just see him in the
text riding along the sacrileged
grave of his father, and by the
dragon we'll and through the fish gate,
and by the kings pool, in and out, in and
out, the moonlight falling on the broken
masonry, which throws long shadow at
which the horse SHES, and at the same |
time that moonlight, kindlng up the feat |
ures of this man till you see not only the |
mark of sad Renaissance, but the cour- |
age, the hope, the enthusiasm of a man |
who knows that Jerusalem will be re- |
buided. pick you up to day out of your |
sins and out of your sorrow and put you |
against the warm heart of Christ. ''The |
eternal God is thy refuge and underneath |
are the everlasting arms"