The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1890-03-20

press t hem into one hour, and that hour
would be requiem, q fast day, = gloom
horror. as compared with the poores,
hour they have had in heaven since its
first; tower was built, or its first gate,
swung or it's first song caroled. ooh,
you say. "tbat may be true, but am &C
afraid of crossing over from this world
to the next, and fear tho swapping oi
the cord between soul aud body" Well,
all the surgeons and physicians and
at the parting Of the body and soul, and
all the seeming restlessness at the clos
ing hour of life is involuntary and
no '';>trrss at all. And l agree with the
doctors, io' what they say is confirmed
by the fact th,t persons who were
drowned or were submerged until all
consciousness departed and were after.
wards resusoitated declare that the scnsa.
ton OF passing into unconsciousAess was
pleasuraole rather than distressful. The
cage of tie body has door on easy him
ges, and when that door Of the physical
cage open, tho soul simply puts out its
wings and scars. "But," yeu say, 81
fear to 20 because tho future is so full Of
mystery" Well. will tell you how to
treat the mysteries. The mysteries have
ceased bothcring me, for l do as the
judges of your courts often do. They
hear all the argument in the case and
then say: 81 will take these papers and
give you my decision next week" So
have heard all the argument in regard to
the next world, and some things are un-
certain and full of mystery, and so
fold up the papers aud reserve until the
next world my decision about them. l
can there study all the mysteries to bet
ter advantage, for tho light will bo bot
ter and nay faculties stronger, and will
ask the Christian philosophers, who have
had all the advantages OF heaven for
centuries, to hel p me, and may be per-
mittcd myself to humbly ask the Lord,
and think there will be only one mys-
terry left, and that will be how one so un-
worthy as myself got into such an en-
raptured place. Come up cut of the sepul-
chral shadows. If you are not Chris
tians by faith in Christ come up into the
light; and if you are already like Laza~
rus, terminated, but still have your
grave clothes on, get rid Of them. The
command is "Loese him, aud let him
CO." The only part of ny recent jour-
ney that l really dreaded. although did
not say much about it beforehand. was
the landing at Jsppa. That is the port of
entrance to the Holy Land, and there
are many rocks, and in rough weather
people cannot land at all. The boats
taking the people from tho steamer to
the docks must run between reefs that
looked to me to be about fifty feet apart,
and one misstroke Of an oarsnan or un-
expected wave has sometimes been fa-
tai, and hundreds have perished 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 rough landing at Joppa !;
indeed think you will aot be- able to
land al all.">> The fact was that when
our Mediterranean steamer dropped an
chor near Joppa and we pat cut for
shore in the small boat, tho water was 40
still as though it had been sound asleep
hundred years, and we landed as easily
as Icame on this platform. Well, your
fears have pictured for yeu an appalling
arrival at the end of your voyage of life,
and they say that the seas will run high
and that tho breakers will swallow you
up, or that il you reach Canaan at all it
will be very rough landing. The very
opposite will be true if you have the
eternal God for your portion. Your
decentralization fer the promised land
will be as smooth 40 was ours at Pales-
tine last December. Christ will meet
you far out at sea and pilot you into
complete safety, and you will land with
a Nosanna on one side of you and q hal
lelujah on tie other.
"IandSahead" IT fruits arc waving
Der the hills Of fadeless green,
And the living waters lavng
Shsres where heavenly forms are seen .
Rocks and storms I'll fear no more,
When on that eternal shore;
Drop tho anchor! furl the sail!
am safe within tho veil!