Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-05-06


much to you as it used to be? Have those an
| ticipations been gratifed? God help you to-
| day in your solemn Renaissance, and let His
mercy fall upon your soul if your kindness has
been i'll requited. God have mercy on the
parent on the wrinkles of whose face is written
the story of a childs sin. God have mercy on
the mother who, in addition to her other pangs,
has the pangs of child's lniQuity. Oh, there
are many many sad sounds in this sad world,
but the saddest sound that is ever heard is the
breaking of a mothers heart Are there any
here who remember that in that home they
were unfaithful? Are there those who wan
dered OFF from that early home, and LETT the
mother to die with broken heart? Oh, / stir
that "reminiscences to-day
1 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 lust one
word that seemed to sob through your banking
house. or through your office, or through your
shop, or your bedroom, and that word was
Eternity You said, ~ am not ready for it.
o God have mercy" The Lord heard. Peace
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 up the cup of the Communion. You re-
member the old minister who consecrated it,
and you remember the church officials who
carried it through the aisle; you remember 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 with
cred away, that Communion Sabbath is resurrec-
ted this morning; 1t is resurrected with all It's
prayers and songs and tears and sermons and
TRANSPORTATION. Have you kept those vowsf
Have you been a backslider? God help you
This day kneel at the foot of mercy and start
again for heaven. Start to-day as you started
then. Arouse your soul by that "reminiscences.
But must not spend any more OF my time In
going over the advantages of your life. Just
put them all in one great sheat: 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 crowed spirits of heaven!
But some of you have not always had
smooth life Some of you are now in the
shadow. Others had their troubles years ago,
you are q mere wreck of what you once were.
| must gather up the sorrows OF your past llfe,
but how shall do it? You say that it is impos-
sible. as you have had so many troubles and ad-
versities. 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 unconsciously find
yourself keeping step to the music, so when you
started life your 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
a while suddenly voice from heaven said,
''Haltr 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 unhealthy flush. You said it
can't be anything serious. Death in slippered |
feet walked about the cradle. You did not |
hear the tread; but after a while the truth |
flashed on you. You walked the floor. Oh, If |
you could, with your strong, stout hand, have |
that chile from the destroyer. You |
went to your room and you said, God, save my |
child! God, save my childr' The world seemed |
going out in darkness. You said, II can't bear |
o,afN haar II fa1f anr11d
not put the long lashes over the bright eyes, |
never to see them again sparkle. Oh; If you |
could have taken that little one in your arms |
and with it leaped the grave, how gladly you |
property go, your houses go, your land and |
your stOrehouse 60, how gladly you would have |
allowed them to depart if you could only have
kept that one treasure
But one day there arose from the heavens a |
chill blast that swept over the bedroom, and |
instantly all the light went out, and there was
murky impenetrable, shud-
dering darkness. But God didn't leave you |
there Mercy spoke. As you took up the cup,
and was about to put it to your lips, God said, |
Let it pass and forthwith, as by the hand of
angels, another cup as put into your hands; it /
was the cup of God's 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 His consolation, and you looked |
at the empty cradle and looked at your broken
heart and you looked at the Lords chastise-
ment, and you said, Even so, Father, for so it
seemeth good in Thy sight"
coMFoRTED BY GOD.
All, it was your first trouble. How did you
get over it? God comforted you. You havs
been a better man ever since You have been
a better woman ever since. In the jar of the
closing gate of the sepulchre you heard the
Changing of the opening gate of heaven, and
ar@
ou have been purer of mind ever since the
night when the little one for the last time put
its arms around your neck and said: Good
night, papa; good night mamma. Meet me in
heaven"
But must come on down to your latest sor-
row. What was it? Perhaps it was your own
sickness. The child's tread on the stair, or the
tick of tie watch on the stand disturbed you.
Through the long, weary days you counted the
figures in the carpet or the flowers in the wall
paper Oh the weariness the exhaustion! Oh
the burning pangs! Would God it were morn
ing, would God it were night, were your fire.
Iuent cry. But you are better. or perhaps
even we'll Have you thanked that GOO to-day
you can come out in the fresh air, that you are
IN this place to hear Gods name, aud to sing
Gods praise, and implore Gods help. and to
lsk Gods forgiveness? Bless the Lord who
lealeth all our diseases, and redeemeth our
ives from destruction.
Perhaps your last sorrow was financial en-
l congratulate some of you on
|
,rnate apparel, on a commodious residence
everything you put your hands to seems to
urn to gold. But there are others of you who
ire like the ship on which Paul sailed, where
wo seas met, and you are broken by the vio-
ence of the waves By an unadvised indorse-
nent, or by a conjunction of unforeseen
vents, or by fire, or storm, or senseless panic,
'ou have been flung headlong and where you
me dispensed great charities now you have
lard work to make the two ends meet.
EAVE yoTT EoRcOTTEN
o thank God for your days of prosperity, and
hat through your trials some of you have
made investments which will continue after
he last bank OF this world has exploded, and
he silver and gold are molten in the fires of
turning world? Have you, amid all your losses
nd discOuragements, forgot that there was
read on your table this morning, and that
here shall be a shelter for your head from the
torn, and there is air for your lungs and
lood for your heart. and light for your eye,
nd glad and glorious and triumphant reli-
ion for your souly
Perhaps your last trouble was a bereavement.
he heart which IN childhood was your refuge,
he parental heart, and which has been source
f the quickest sympathy ever since. has sud-
enly become silent forever, and now some
ines whenever in sudden annoyance and
lithout deliberation you say, 81 will go and tell
nother," the thought flashes on you, 81 have
% mother" or the father. with voice less ten
eT but as stanch and earnest and loving as
yer, watchful of all your ways, exultant over
our success without saying much. although the
Id people do talk 1t over by themselves, his
rembling hand on that staff which you now
eep as a family relic, his memory embalmed
n:grateful hearts, is taken away forever.