The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1889-05-09
[Continued;from frs t page.l

sculptor, after building that watch tower,
cut his name on 1t. Then he covered it
with plastering. and to please tie king
he put the monarch 5 name on II out
side of the plasterins; and the storms
beat and the seas dashed in their fury,
and they washed off the pas ering, and
they washed it down, but tt e name of
Sostratus was deep cut IN the imperishable
rock. So across the face of this nation
there have been great m ny names writ
ten, across our finances, across our reli
gions, names worthy of remen brance,
names written on the architecture of our
churches and our schools and our As ylums
and our homes of mercy, but God is the
architect of this continent and he was the
sculptor of all its grandeurs, and long
after, through the wash Of the ages and
the tempestssof centuries, all OIL er lanes
SHALL be obliterated, the diyil e signature
and divine name will be brighter, and
brighter as the millenniums go by, al the
world shall see that tie God wLo made
this continent has redeemed it by his grace
from al its solrows and from all its
crimes.
Have you faith in such a thing as that?
After all the chariots have been unwheeld,
and after all the war chargers have leen
crippled, the chariots which Elisha saw
on the morning of his peril will roll on in
triumph, followed 10y all the armies of
heaven on willie horses. GodacCuld do it
without us, but he will not. The weakest
of US, the faintest of US, the smallest
Drained of us. shall have part IN the tri-
umph. We may not have our name, like
the name of Sostratus. cut i'll imperishable
rock and conspicuous for centuries, but
we shall be remembered in better place
than that, even in the heart of Him who
came TO redeem us and redeem the world,
and our names will be seen close to tie
signature of his wound, for as day he
throws out his arms toward us, he says:
behold, | have given thee on the palms
of my hand" by the mightiest OF all
agencies, the potency of prayer, beg you
seek our national welfare.
Some time ago there were 4,6OO, 600 let
tiers in the dead letter postolce at wash
ingtOn-letters that lost their way-hut
not one prayer ever directed to the heart
of God misearried. The way is all clear
for the ascent of your supplicatlons heaven
ward in behalf of this nation. Before the
postal communication was SO easy, and
long ago, on rock one hundl ed feet
high, on the coast of England, there
was barrel fastened to post, and
iH great letters on the sioe OF the
rock, SO it could be seen far out at sea,
were the words Post Ottice;'' and when the
ships came by a boat put out to take and
fetch letters. And so sacred were those de-
posits Of affection III that barrel that no lock
was eyer put upon that barrel. although it
ceutainel messages for America, Europe,
Asia, Africa, and all of the ISLANDS OF the
sea. Many a storm-tOssed sailor, home
sick, got message of kindness by that rock
and many home stead heard good news
FROM boy long gone. Would that all the
heights of our national prosperity were Ill
init rchange of OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES going
up meeting blessings coming down; postal
celestial, not by storm struck rock On
Wintry coast. but by the ROCK OF Ages.