Richland beacon. [volume] (Rayville, La.) 1869-1890, 1889-05-25
NUMBER u.
Letter Of Bishop James to His Buriel
DAught r.


when it was Your turn for 2 let |
ter from father before. for reasons !
need not namc. did net address you.
But as yonr turn has come again
feel unwilling to pass YOU. This vii!
not br the first letter ever wrote
YOU which ! did not expect vou would
read. | wrote you Iuany IN your
early childhood that dear mother had
to read to YOU. | have also written
YOU MANY did no; expect you would
answer. not only in Your childhood
but during Your long illness. 1t was
Il happiness to me to write YOU. |
cannnt expect y"u will answer this
letter with pen and ink. That beau
| tiiul hand it will not make YOU vain
TO say there never was more beauti-
full one-will never write dear papa
again | am not certain but that YOU
NAV see ;his letter. and as an evi-
dence of loving remembrance it may
give you a pleasurable emotion. At
any rate | ike to continue this habit
of love, of writing to You. Have you
not been cognizant Of all mv doings
since you left ~? Have you not
witnessed my travels and services?
Perhaps so, and consequently | can
give you no information concerning
myself. Though you may'be acqualn-
ted with our outward circumstances,
| doubt whether You cain read our
hearts. You may know from the tear
on the cheek that we are unhappy, or
from the smile on our lips that we are
rejoicing, but the cause and character
Of our experience probably You may
, not discern. | do not think you know
how lonely and sad we felt after you
left us. While we had your precious
body with us our loss was but partial.
But when in the most delicate, hen
ored, and religious manner possible
we had laid that out Of our sight, and
realized that its eyes would no longer
beam on us, its lips no more address
us, or face no more smile on us until
the resurrection morning, we felt very
dasolate There was a great vacancy
in our sweet home, an irrepressible
desire for the loved presence an anxi-
Gus looking for her appearance; and
then the painful! recollection she will
never come-O it was a wonderful
experienced With me it still remains
i think will ever continue until
you hail me partaker Of your glory.
Even if I knew you wonld read this
statement / should not fear it would
pain you. ! believe all painful ex-
perience with you is past. But if you
were susceptible Of sorrowful emo
tions, | do not think this knowledge
would make YOU unhappy. In the
| light that now shines upon you, you
understand the reason for this provi-
denee, you vii! see how it works for
our good. Gods ways are all PLAIN
and pleasing to you. 'Alleluia, for
the Lord God omnipotent reigneth,
is the song of your heart. And il
you know our sorrows, you slso know
our joys. You know how God COM
forts us.
You also know how frequent oul
recollections of you are; how sweet
and strong our assurance is that Jesus
will watch your sleeping dust, and
bid it rise again like unto His glo
rious body. You know how we have
delighted to think of you as enjoying
, the beatitudes of the heavenly estate
l have allowed myself to imagine how
things occurred with you and how
they seemed to you as you entered
the realm Of glory. have though
e it not improbable that the spirit o
him who enabled you by faith t.
behold the Lamb of God who taketl
away the sin of the world, had som
agency in bringing you to the opel
vision of the glorious Saviour. I an
certain that vision was not withel'
!. from you. To see Christ as he is, @
/. who could turn away from that en-
! tertaining sight even to look ate
| lz,ol ii lo,,,ucv f~,o.Ic ,x<oc I,