Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1889-01-31

OHIy utNdsudtlou ana woe. ZIklag in ashes
In Ulster County New York. the villa =,
church was decorated until the Fragrance 81
the flowers was almost bewildering. Tn,
maidens OF the village had emptied IN,
place of flowers upon one marri.C.
altar. One OF their own number wa
affianced to a minister of Christ. who bar
come TO take her to his home. With hand,
Joined, amidst a congratulaJory audience
the vows were taken In three DAYS from
that time one of those who stood at the altar
exchanged earth for heaven The wedding
march broke down into the funeral din pe
There were not enough flowers now for the
colin lid, because they had all been taken fol
the bridal hour. The dead minister o.
Christ is brought to another village He
had gone out from them less than a
week before in his strength: now he
comes home lileless. The whole church
bewailed him. The solemn procession
moved around 10 look upon the still face that
once had beamed with messages OF salvation.
Little children were lifted up to look at him.
And some of those whom he had comforted
in days of sorrow, wnen they passed that
silent form. made the place dreadful with
their weeping. Another village emptied of
its fowers-some OF them put in the shape of
a cross to symbolic his hope others put in
the shape of a crown to symbo ize his tri-
umph. A hundred lights blown out in one
strong gust from the open door of sepul-
cher. Liklag in ashes
/ preach this sermon to-day, because |
want to rally you. as David rallied his men,
for the recovery of the loved and the lost
want not only 10 win heaven tut | want a 1
this congregation to go along with me.
feel that somehow | have a responsibility in
your arriving at that great city. have on
other Sabbaths used other Inducements I
mean, to day, for the sake of variety, hoping
to reach your heart TO try another
kind OF inducement. Do you ally want to
join the companionship of your loved ones
who have gone! Are you as anxious to ioin
them as David and his men were to ioin
their families' Then am here, in the name
of Col, to say that you may, and to tell you
how.
remark, in the first place. il you want to
join your loved ones in glory. you must travel
the same way they went No sooner had the
half-dead Egyptian been resusctated than he
pointed the way the captors and the captives
had gone, and David and his men followed
after So our Christian friends
have gone into another country, and
II we want to reach their companion
ship we must take the same road. They re-
pented; we must repent They prayed; we
must pray. They trusted in Christ; we must
trust in Christ. They lived religious life:
we must live religious life. They were in
some things like ourselves. know, now that
they are gone, there is halo around their
haihcos but bHcJ Hdu tuelT lney Balu
and did things they ought never to have said
or done. They were sometimes rebellous,
sometimes cast down. They were far from
being perfect. So | suppose that when we
are gone. some things in us that are now
only tolerable may be almost respen lent.
But as they were like us in deficiencies, we
ought to be like them in taking supernal
Christ to make up for the deficits. Had it
not been for Jesus, they would have all
persisted; but Christ confronted them, aud
said: 81 am the way and they took il.
lhave also to say to you that the path that
these captives trod was a troubled path and
that David and his men had to &c over the
same difficult way. While these captives
were being taken Off. they said: "Oh, we are
so tired; we are SO sick we are so lnngryi'
But the men who had charge of them said;
"Stop this crying. Go onl" David AMI his
men also found it a hard way. They bad TO
travel it. Our friends have gone into glory.
and it is through much trbulation that we
are TO enter into the kingdom How our
old hearts achedl how sometimes they had a
tussle for breadl In our childhood We
wondered why there were SO many wrinkles
on their faces We did not know that what
were called ''crow's feet on their faces were
the marks of the black raven OF trouble,
Did you never hear the old people,
seated by the evening sand, talk
The accidents, the burials, the disap-
pointma the empty -four barrel when
there were SO many hungry ONES to feed, the
sickness almost unto death. where the next
dose of morphine decided between ghastly
and an untroken home crclei
oh, yes il was trouble that whitened their
hair. 1t was trouble that shook the
cup in their hands. 1t was trouble
that washed the lustre from their eyes
with the rain OF tears until they
needed spectacles. IL was trouble that
made tho cane necessity for their Journey
DO you never remember seeing your old
mother sitting, on some rainy day, looking
out of the window, her elbow on the window
SILL her hand to her brow-loolsing out, not
seeing the falling shower at all you well
knew that she was looking into the distant
past. until the apron came up to her eyes,
because the memory was too much for her.
loft the big, unbidden tear.
Stealing down the furrowed cheek,
Tod in eonuencc sincere,
Tales OF woe they could not speak.
"But this scene Of weeping DER
Past tn q scene Of toll and pain,
They shan feel distress no more,
Never, never weep again.
"Who are these under the altar +" the ques-
ton was asked; and the response came:
These arc they which came out OF great
and have washed their robes,
and maze them WnlLe III the DtuOu vi tuc
Lamb" Our friends went by path OF tears
INTO glory. Be not surprised If we have to
travel the same pathway.
/ remark, again. If We want TO win the so
ciety of our friends in heaven, we will not
only have to ira el path OF faith and
path of tribulation, but we VIII aiso have 10
positively battle for their compromising.
David and his men never wanted sharp swords
and invulnerable shields and thick breast
plates so much as they wanted them on the day
when they came down upon the Amalekltes
II they had lost that battle, they never
would have got their families back. sup
,ose that one glance at their loved ones in
,aptivity hurled them into the battle with
en-fold courage and energy They said;
we must wiz it Every thing depends upon
[ Let each one take man on point OF siear
,r sword We must win IL. And have 20
ell YOU that between us and coming into the /
of our loved ones who are !
there is an Austerlitz, there Is
there is a Waterloo. war with
he world, war with the flesh, war with the
leviL We have either to conquer our trouo- /
es, or our troubles will conquer Us Davi