Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1890-03-08

this world, thousand per cent. better.
million per cent. better Take the giaddest,
brightest, most jubilant days you ever had
on earth and compress them all into one
hour, and that hour would be a requiem, a
fast day, gloom, a horror, as compared
with the poorest hour they have had in
heaven since its first tower was built or its
first gates swung or its first song caroled.
''Oh, you say. that may be true, but am
50 afraid of crossing over from this world
to the next, and fear the swapping Of the
cord between soul and body" Well,
all the surgeons and physicians and
scientists declare that there is no pang at
the parting of the body and soul, and all the
seeming restlessness at the closing hour of
life Is involuntary and no disease at all And
| agree with the doctors, for what they say
is confirmed by the fact that persons who
were drowned or were submerged until all
consciousness departed and were afterward
resuscitated declare that the sensation of
passing into Inconsistencies was pleasurable
rather than distressful. The cage of
the body has a door on easy hinges, and
when that door of the physical cage opens
the soul simply puts out its wings and scars.
But" you say, Il fear to go because the
future is so full of mystery" Well, will
tell you how to treat the mysteries. The
mysteries have ceased bothering me, fer |
do as the judges of your courts often do.
They hear ali the arguments in the case and
then say: u will take these papers and give
you my decision next week. So have
heard all the arguments in regard to
the next world. and some things are
uncertain and full of mystery, and 50
fold up the papers and reserve until the
next world my decision about them. / can
there study all the mysteries to better adj
vantage, for the light will be better and my
faculties stronger, and will ask the Christian
philosophers. who have had all the advau-
tages of heaven for centuries, to help me,
and | may permit myself humbly to ask the
Lord, AMI | think there will be only one mys-
terry left, and that will be how one SO I'M
worthy as myself got into such an enrap-
tured place. Come up out Of the sepulchral
shadows. If you are not Christians by
faith in Christ come up into the light;
and if you are already like Lazarus,
terminated, but still have your grave clothes
on, get rid of Them. The command is:
Loose him, ard let him 60" The only part
of my recent journey that really dreaded,
although | did net say much about it before
hand, was the landing at Joppa That is
the port of entrance for the Holy Land, and
there are many rocks, and in rough weather
people cannot land at all. The boats taking
the people from the steamer to the docks must
run between reefs that looked to me to he about
fifty feet apart. and ons mis-stroke OF al
OarSman Of an unexpected wave heS some
times been fatal, and hundreds have persisted
along those reefs Besides That, as we left
Port Said the evening before an old traveller
said: "The wind is Just right to give you u
rough landing at Joppa; indeed. | think
you will not be able to land at ALL" The
fact was that when our Mediterranean
steamer dropped anchor near Joppa
and we put out for shore i'll the small boat,
the water was as still as though it had been
sound asleep a hundred years. and we landed
as easily as l came on this platform. Wel,
your fears have pictured for You an APP
palling arrival MT the end Of your yoy-
ago of life, and they say that the sea
Will run high and that the breakers
will swallow you up or that if you reach
Canaan at all it Will be a very rough
landing. The very opposite will be true if
you have the eternal God for your portion.
Your Decentralization for the promised land
will be as smooth as was ours at Palestine
last December. Christ will meet you far out
at sea and pilot you into complete safety,
and YOU will land with hosanna on one side
of YOU and hallelujah on the other.
Land ahead - its fruits are waving
Ger the hills Of fadeess green,
And the living waters having
Shores where heavenly forms are seen.
Rocks and storms I'll fear no more
When on that eternal shore;
Drop the anchor furl the sail!
! am safe within the veil!