The Opelousas courier., 1890-04-26

4 ~ tAV T{Hxk EfTk
iii Sn5iseian, from cups of granite lily trimmed
i soul. 80 oo' Jus 1nHs1 OF LIS
again, | remark, that Christ is above nil
IN dying alleviations. '
;tr = nave not any sympathy with the morbid
~ ~ asload about our demise. The Emperor
" Cohstantinople arranged that on the dav
OIL MS coronation the stone mason shouid
come and consult him about the tombstone
that after a while he would need. there
are men VINO are monomaniacal on the sub
lect OF departure from this life by death, and
the more they think of it the less they are
prepared to go. This is an unmanlineSs NOT
worthy of you, not worthy of me.
Saladin, the greatest ~conqueror of his dav.
while dying, ordered that the tunic he had
on him be carried after his death on his spear
at the head Of his army, and that then the
soldier, ever and anon, should stop and a y
Behold, all that is left of Sahdin, the En-
conquered, of all the wealth he accumulated.
nothing did he retain but this shroud." I
have no sympathy with such behavior, or
! such absurd demonstration, or with much
that we hear uttered in regard to departure
from tins life to the next. There is a COM
monsensical idea on this subject that you and
l need to consider-that there are only two
styles Of departure.
A thousand feet underground. by light Of
torch toiling in a miners shaft, a ledge of
rock may fall upon us, and we may die q
miners death. Far out at sea, falling from
the slippery ratlines and broken on the hall
yards, we may die a sailors death. On
mission OF mercy in hospital, amid broken
bones and reeking leprosies and raging
levers, we may die a philanthropist's death.
On the field of battle, serving God and our
country, slugs through the heart, the gun
carriage may roll over us, and we NAV die O
PATRIOTS death. But, after all, there are
only two styles of departure-the death of
the righteous and the death of the wicked
and we all want to die the former.
God grant that when that hour comes you
may be at home. You want the hand of
your kindred in your hand. You want your
children to surround you. You want the
light on your pillow from eyes that have
room still. You do not want any curious
strangers standing around watching you.
You want your kindred from afar to hear
your last prayer. l think that is the wish of
all of us. But is that all? Can earthly
Of death come up to the girdle? Can
human voice charm open heavens
gate? Can human hand pilot us
through the narrows of death into
heavens harbor? Can any earthly friend
ship shield us from the arrows of death, and
IN the hour when Satan shall practice upon
us his internal archery No, no, no, mol
Alas! Poor soul, if that is all. Better die in
the wilderness, far from tree shadow and
from fountain, alone, v~ultures circling
through the air waiting for our body, I'M
known to men, and to nave no burial, if only
Christ could say through the solitudes: II
will never leave thee, | will never forsake
thee" From that pillow of stone a ladder
would soar heavenward, angels coming and
going; and across the solitude and the bar
renness would come the sweet notes of heav.
emily minstrelsy.
Gordon Hall, far from home, dying in the
door Of a heather temple, said: ''Glory to
say to his wife? "Come and sit beside me,
and let us talk of heaven. l never knew
what happiness was until I found Christ"
What did dying Hannah More sayl 'To go
to heaven, think what that is! To go to
Christ, who died that I might live, Oh,
is to die? Oh, the love of Christ, the love of
Christi What did Mr.. Toplady, the great
hymnmaker, say in his last hour? "Who can
measure the depths of the third heaven? Oh,
the sunshine that fills my soul! I shall soon
be gone, for surely no one can live in this
world after such glories as God has mani
tested to my soul"
What did the dying Janeway say? "I can
as easily die as close my eyes or turn my
head in sleep. Before a few hours have passed
| shall stand on Mount Zion with the one
hundred and forty and four thousand and
with the just men made perfect, and we
shall ascribe riches, and honor, and glory,
the Lamb" DIR. Taylor, condemned TO burn
at the stake, on his way thither broke away |
from the guardsmen and went bounding and
leaping and jumping toward the fire, glad to
60 to Jesus and to die for Him. Sir Charles
H 1is;oa in Last ts, moment It, had e sGsh raptu 9sf2ps
ward, upward, upwardp And SO
great vas the peace Of one of
Christs disciples that he put his J
fingers upon the pulse in his wrist ana
counted it and observed it; and so great was
his placidity that after a while he said:
begin in heaven. But grander than that was
the testimony of the worn out first mis-
sionary, when, in the Mamartine dungeon,
he cried: Il am now ready to be offered, and
the time of my departure is at hand, / have
fought the good fight, I have finished my
there is laid up for me q crown of righteous
ness, which the Lord. the righteous Judge,
will give me in that day, and not to me
only, but to all them that love His appear
ingn Do you not see that Christ is above
all in dying alleviations?
Toward the last hour of our earthly resi-
dence we are speeding. When / see the sun
set, / say: One day less to live When l
see the'spring blossoms scattered, say: AN
other season gone forever When I close
this Bible ON Sabbath night, ] say: "AH- |
other Sabbath departed" When / bury a
friend, I say: Another earthly attraction
gone forever" What nimble feet the years
havel The roebucks and the lightnings run
not so fast. From decade to decade, from
sky to sky, they go at q bound. There is q
place for us, whether marked OF not,
where you and I will sleep the last
sleep.s and the men are now living
who will, with solemn trade, carr. us to our
resting place. Ay, it Is known In heaven
whether our departure will be q coronation
or o Punishment.
Brighter than q ~banqueting hall through
which the light feet of the dancers 60 up and
down to the sound of trumpeters will be the
sepulcher through Whose riffs the holy light
of heaven streameth. God will watch you.
He win send His angels to guard. your sium-
bering ground, until, at Christs behest, they
shall roll away the stone.
4 So. also, Christ is above all in heaven. The
Bible distinctly says that Christ is the chief
theme OF the Celestial ascr1ption, all Sne
thrones facing His throne, all the palms
waved before His face, all the crowns down
at His feet. Cherubim to cherubin, ssrar
Dhim to seraphim, redeemed spirit t9 re-
deemed spirit, shall recite the Saviour's EARTH
" sacrifice.
Stand ON some high hill of heaven, and in
all the radiant sweep the most glorious OBJ
iect shall be Jesus. Myriads gazing on the
scars of His suffering, in silence first after
ward breaking forth into acclamation, The
martyrs, all the purer for the flame through
which they passed, viii say: 'eThis is Jesus.
for whom we dfed.n The apostles, all the
happier for the shipwreck and the scourging
through which they went, will say: This
IS the Jesus whom we preached at Corinth,
and at Cappadocia, and at Antioch, and at
jerusalem Little children clad In white