The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1889-05-11

I'LL ihihiorJai SplrlG. Two little teeG StarLeu
on an immortal journey, and you were to
lead them-a gem to flash in Heavens
coronet, and you to polish it; eternal ages
of light nj darkness watching the start
ing out of a newly created creature.
You rejoiced and you trembled at the
responsibility that in your possession an
immortal treasure was placed. You
prayed and rejoiced, and wept and won
dered, and prayed and rejoiced, and wept
and wondered; you were earnest in sup
Plicatlon that you might lead it through
life into the kingdom of God. There was
a tremor in your earnestness. There was
a double interest about that home. There
was an additional interest why you
should stay there and be faithful,
and when In a few months your house
was filed with the music of the child's
laughter you were struck through
with the fact that you had a s~tupendous
mission. Have you kept that vow? Have
you neglected any of these duties? Is
your home as mu ch to you as it used to beP
Have those a~nticipations been gratifed?
God help you to-day in your solemn re-
miniscence and let His mercy fall upon
your soul il your kindness has been Ill
requited. God ave mercy on the parent
on the wrinkles of whose face is written
the story of a child's sin. God have
mercy on the mother who in addition to
her other pangs, has the pangs of a child's
iniquity. Q, there are many, many sad
sounds in this sad world, but the saddest
sound that is ever heard is the breaking
of q mothers heart. Are there any here
who remember that in that home they are
unfaithful? Are there those who wan
dered off from that early home, and left
the mother to die with a broken hearth
o, l stir that "Reminiscences to-day.
] find another point in your life history.
You 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 thropg h
your office, or through your shop, or your
bed room and that word was Eternity"
You said, Il am not ready for it. o God,
have mercy" The Lord heard. Peace
came to 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 how your hand trembled
as you took the communion. You remem-
Der the old minister who consecrated it
and you remember the church officials who
carried it through the aisle; you remem-
Der the old people who at the close of the
service took your hand in theirs in con-
graduating sympathy, as much as to say:
"W, leone home, you lost prodigal;" and
though those hands are all withered away
that communion Sabbath is resurrected
this mornings; it Is resurrected with all its
prayers, and songs and sermon and trans
figuration. Have you kept those vowsi
Have you been a backsliderY God help
you. This day kneel at the foot of mercy
and start again for HEAVIER Start to-day
as you started then. rouse your soul by
tina "Reminiscences.
But l must not spend any more of my
time in going over the advantages of your
life. 1 just put them all in one great sheaf
and / wrap them up in your memory with
one loud harvest song, such as the reapers
sing. Praise the Lord, We blood bought
mortals Of earth! Praise the Lord, We
crowned spirits of Heaven!
But some of you have not always had a
smooth life. Some of you are now in tho
shadow. Others had their troubles years
ago; you are a mere wreck of what you
once were. must gather up the sorrows
of your past life; but how shall l do il?
You say it is impossible, as you had so
many troubles and universities. Then i
will just take two, the first trouble and
the last trouble. As when you are walk
ing along Ine SUTeet, uuu IuoTo MAS Deeu
music in the distance, you unconsciously
find yourself keeping step to the music. so
when you started life, you very life was
a musical time-beat. The air was full of
joy and hilarity; with the bright, clear
oar you made the boat skip; you went on,
and life grew brighter until after awhile
suddenly a voice from Heaven said
'Haltp' and quick as the sunshine you
halted; you grew pale, you confronted
your first sorrow. You had no idea that
the flush on your child's cheek was an I'M
healthy flush. You said it can't be any
thing serious. Death in slippered feet
walked round about the cradle. You did
not hear the tread, but after awhile the
truth flashed on you You walked the
floor. O., If you could, with your strong,
stout hand have wrenched that child from
the destroyer. You went to your room
and you said; God, save my child; God,
save my child" The world seemed going
out in darkness. You said: ~ can't bear
it; 1 can't bear it." You felt as if you
could not put the long lashes over the
bright eyes, never to see them. again
sparkle. o. IL you CO uld lave taken that
little one in your arms and with it leaped
The grave, how gladly you would lave
done it'll o, If you could let your property
go, your houses 60, you land and your
s~torehouses go, how gladly you would
have allowed them to depart, If you only
could have kept that one treasure!
But one day there arose from the
heavens a chill blast that swept over the
bedroom, and instantly all tie light wen.
out, and there was darkness-thick,
murky, impenetrable. shuddering dark
ness. But God didn't leave you there.
Mercy spoke. AS o took up the cup,
and was about to put it to you lips, God
said, Let it pass" and forthwith. as by
the hand of angels, another cup was put
into your hands; it was the cup Of Gods
consolation. And as you have sometimes
lifted the head Of a wounded soldier and
poured wine into his lips, SO God put his
left arm under your head, and with his
right hand he poured into your lips the
wine of His comfort and consolation. and
you looked at the empty cradle and looked
at your broker heart, and you looked at
the Lords chastisement. and you said,
"Even so, Father, for SO it m good
in Thy sight"
All, it was your first trouble. How did
you get over 1t? God comforted you. You
have been a better man ever since. You
have been a better woman ever since. In
the jar of the closing gate OF the sepulcher
you hohtu inc Changing VI tuo opoliuB
gate of Heaven, and you felt an irresisti-
BILE drawing h~eavenward. You hav been
purer Of mind ever since that night when
the little one for the last time put its arms
round your neck and said: ''Good night,
papa; good night, mamma Meet me in
Heaven"
But l must come on down to your latest
sorrow. What was it? Perhaps it was
you own sickness. The child's tread on
the stair, or the tick Of the watch on the
stand disturbed you. Through the long
weary days you counted the figures in the
carpet or the flowers on the wallpaper. o,
the WEAKNESS, the exhaustion o, the
burning pangs! Would God 1t were morn
ing, would God it were night, were your
frequent cry. But you are better, or per-
haps 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 for
giveness? Bless the Lord who healeth all
our diseases, and redeemeth our lives from
destruction.
Perhaps your last sorrow was a inan-
cial emba rras 'ment- congratulate some
OF you on our lucrative profession or oc-
cupation, on ornate apparel, on a commo-
dious residence-every thing you put your
hands to seems to turn to gold. But there
are others Of you who are like the ship on
which Paul sailed, where two seas met,
and you are broken by the violence of the
wayaa. Rv an unadyiaad indoraamaut mr.