The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1889-05-23

stir that reminiscence to-day,
find another point In your life history.
Yon found one day you were in the wrong
road, You couldn't sleep at night; there was
Just one word that seemed to sob through
your banking-house, or through your office, on
through your shop, or your bedroom, and
that word was Eternity" You said; ~ am
not ready forit. o God, have mercy" The
Lord heard. Peace came 10 your heart. In
the breath Of the hill and the waterfalls dash
you heard the voice Of Gods love; the clouds
and the trees hailed you with gladness; you
came into the house OF God.
You remember now your hand trembled as
remember the old minister who consecrated
it, and you remember the church officials
who carried 1t through the aisle; you re-
member the old people who at the close
Of the service took your hand in
theirs in congratulating sympathy, as
much as to say: WELCOME home, you
lost prodigal;' and though those hands
are all withered away, that Communion
Sabbath is resurrected this morning; IL is re-
surrected with all its prayers, and songs and
tears, and sermons and TRANSPORTATION.
Have you kept those vowss Have you been
a backsliderS God help you. This day kneel
at the foot Of mercy and start again for
heaven. Start to-day as you started then.
rouse your Soul by that "Reminiscences.
Dut hust iob sptliu ulOTe Vi my Ulfno
in going over the advantages Of your life. l
just put them all in one great sheaf, and
wrap them up In your memory with ono. loud
harvest song, such as the reapers sing. Praise
the Lord, ycblood bought immortals Of carth! !
Praise the Lord, We crowned spirits of heavenl
But some of You have not always had
in the shadow. Others had their troubles
years ago, you are mere wreck
OF what you oncc were. must
gather up the sorrows of your past life; but
how shall ] do itS You say that is impossi-
BILE, as YOU have had so many troubles and
universities. Then will just take two the
first trouble and the last trouble. As when
you are walking along the street, and there
has been music in the distance you uncon.
sciously find youreclf keeping step to the
music, so when you started fife your very life
was musical timebeat The dir was full of
joy and hlarity; with the bright clear oar you
made the boat skip; you went on, and life
grew brighter until after while suddenly o
voice from heaven said: "IIalt" and quick as
the sunshine You halted: you grow pale, you
confronted your first sorrow You had no
idea that tho flush on your child's check was
an unhealthy i1ush You said it can't be any
thing serious Death in slppered feet
walked round about the cradle You did
not hear the tread; but after q while the
truth flashed on you. You walked the floor
Oh, il YOU could, with vour strong. stout
hand, have wrcnched that child from the
destroyer. You went to your room and you
said: "God, ave my child! God, save my
| child" The world seemed going out in dark
ness. You said. II can't bear it; / can't
bear it, You felt as il you could not put
the long lashes over tho bright eyes, never
to sec them again sparkle Oh, if you could
have taken that little ono in your arms and
with i ,leared tho grave, how gladly yoa a
| your property 60, your houses go, your land
md your storchouso 60 how gladly you
would have allowed them to depart if you
could only have kept that one treasured
But one day there arose from the heavens
a chill blast that swept over tho bed
room, and instantly all the light went
out, and there WIS darkness-thick,
ness, But God didn't leave you there.
Mercy spoke As you took up the cup
aud WINS about to put it to your lips,
| God said Let it pass" and forthwith, as by
| tho hand of angels, another cup was put
into your hands; it was tho cup of Gods
consolation And as you have sometimes
! lifted the head of a wounded soldier, and
poured wine into his lips, 50 God put His left
! arm under your head, and with Ills right
hand He poured into your lips the wine of His
comfort and His consolation, and you looked
at the empty cradle and looked at your
broken heart, and you looked ut the Lords
chastisement, and you said Even so,
Father, for so it scemeth good in Thy
sight,
All, it was your first trouble How did you
get over itY God comfortcd you. You have
been better man ever since You have been
4 bottcr woman ever since. In the jar of the
closing gate Of the sepulcher you heard the
Changing Of the opening gate Of heaven, and
| you felt an irresistible drawing heavenward
! You have been purer of mind ever since that
night whom the little one for the last time put
its arms around your neck and said: Good
| night, papa; goodnight, mamma. Meet me
| in heaven"
But must come on down to your latest
sorrow. What was IL? Perhaps it was your
own sickness. The childs tread on the stair,
or the tick Of the watch on the stand dis
t,irbed you. Through the long weary days
you counted the figures In the car
pet or the flowers in tho wall paper
Oh, the weariness, the exhaustion Oh
were morning, would God it were night, were
your frequent cry. But you are better, OIL
perhaps even well. Have you thanked that
God to-day you can come out in the fresh air
that you are in this place to hear Gods name
and to sing Gods praise, and implore Gods
help, and to ask Gods forgiveness? Bless the
Lord who healeth oil our diseases, and re
deemeth our lives from destruction.
Perhaps your last sorrow was financial
embarrassment l congratulate some of you
on your lucrative profession or occupation,
on ornate apparel on q commodious resi-
dence-everything you put your hands tt
seems to turn to gold. But there are other:
of you who ore like the ship on which Pau
sailed where two seas met, and you are
broken by the violence of the waves. BY oil
unadvised Endorsement, or by a conjunction
| Of inf &c nj hv fire. storm Ol
senseless panic, you have been flung head
long, and where you once dispensed grea
charities, now you have hard work to maxi
the two ends meet.
Have you forgotten to thank God for your
days Of prosperity, and that through YOU
trials some of you have made investments
which will continue after the last bank Of
this world has exploded, and the silver and
gold are molten in the fires of burnins
world? Have you, amid all your losses ant
discouragements forgot that there was breat
on your table this morning, and that Their
Shall be shelter for your head from tn,
storm, and there is air for your lungs ant
blood for your heart, and light for youfeye
and glad and glorious and triumphant re
lg1on for your soul?
Perhaps your last trouble was bereave
ment. That heart which in childhood wa
your refuge, the parental heart, and which
has been source of the quickest sympath,
ever since, has suddenly become silent for
ever, and now sometimes, whenever in sud
don annoyance and without deliberatiol
you say II will go and tell mother,
the thought flashes on you: II have n,
mother" or the father, with voice les
tender but as stanch and earnest and lovin,
as ever, watchful Of all your ways, exultan
over your success without saying much
although the old people do talk it over b,
themselves, his trembling hand on that stat
which you now keep as family relic, hi
memory embalmed in grateful hearts,
taken away forever.
Ur, there was your companion IN lire
sharer of your joys and SORROWS, taken, leav
ing the heart an old ruin, where the chi
winds blow over wide wilderness of desola
ton, the sands of the desert driving acros
the place which once bloomed like the garde
of God And Abraham mourns for Sarah a
the cave of Machpelah Going along you
path in life, suddenly, right before you wa
an open grave. People looked down and the
saw it was only few feet deep and fey
feet wide, but to you it was u cavern dow
which went all your hopes and oil your e1
pectations
But cheer up il the name Of the Lord Jesu
Christ. the Comforter. He is not going {
, forsake you. Did the Lord take that chill
cut of your arms? Why, He is going to she
ter it better than you could. He is going
army IL in n vhita robe and with palI