Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1890-06-26


say little child is born in Bethlehem who
may after awhile dispute his authority
Byron conquered the world with his pen,
and yet said that he felt more unhappiness
from the criticism of the most illiterate
reader than he experienced pleasure from
the praise of all the talented
THE IMMORTAL sHENsToNE.
In the last century in England lived the
immortal Shenstone. Portions of his life
were given to the writing of poetry, but
this was not evidently the field tS-- which
nature had equipped him. His narae will
never be forgotten, because of the home
which he adorned and beautified until
there probably never has been so bright a
spot since the Garden of Eden as what he
loved to call THE Leasowesn In addition
to the marvels which nature had wrought
he added the perfection of art Arbors and
terrace and slope and rustic temple and
reservoir and urn and fountain here had
/ their browning Oak and yew and hazel
put on their glory of verdure What the
greenness of deep grass, and the foam Of
cascade, and the glitter of still lake could
give of beauty were added. No life was
more diligent and no soul more ingenious
than those Of Shenstone and all that
genius and diligence were directed to the
adornment of that treasured spot. What
more could one want to make home happyY
Yet there is one man who sits signing in
those bowers, and casting gloomy looks
upon those parks, and the mirth of leap
ing waterfalls makes no melody in his ear.
1t is Shenstone, the owner of The Leasowes.
Il have lost my road TO happiness says
the Respondent man. II am angry and en-
vious, and detected and frantic, aud disre-
gard all present things just as ii becomes
mailman to do" Ny friends, there is no
solid happiness in anything but religion.
care not how bright home Orpah has in
Moab when she turns away from duty
she turns away from peace. Amid the bac-
chanalia OF Belshazzar's feast and the gilt
ter of chalices there always will come out
handwriting on the wall fearfully omi-
nous; "Tekel-weighed in the balances and
found wanting When you can reap
harvests off bare rocks, and gather balm
out of nightshade, and make sunlight sleep
in the heart CT sepulchers, and build a
firm house on a rocky billow, then can an
unpardoned soul find firm enjoyment amid
its transgressions. Then can orpah 70
back TO Moab without weeping
ALIVE IN CHRIST. DEAD IN SIN.
Again, this subject teaches that re
ligious choice and the want of il frequently
divide families. Ruth and Otpah and
Naomi were tenderly attached They were
all widows, ana their life had been conse
Grated by baptism Of tears In the fir,
of trial their affections had been forged
Together they were 50 pleasantly uniteC
you can hardly imagine them separated
Yet a fatal line is drawn dividing then
from each other. perhaps forever Naom
cannot live IN a heather country. Sh,
must 90 into Bethlehem, that there amon,
the pious She may worship the true God
Ruth makes Il similar choice, but Orpah
rebels. And they lifted up their voice
and wept again, and Orpah kissed her
mother-in-law, but Ruth clave unto her.
The history Of this family of Elimeleeh is
the history Of many families Of this day.
How often il is that in a circle OF rela-
tives, while they look alike and walk alike
and talk alike, there is n tremendous diff
ference. Outwardly united in the affec-
tional relations Of this life, they are sepa.
rated in the most important respects Some
now are the children of light and others
the children Of darkness These are alive
in Christ and those are dead in sin Ruth
in the land Of Bethlehem, Orpah ia Moab.
mon, worshipers OF the most high God,
and Adoniiah aud Absalom, who live and
die the enemies Of all righteousness. Be /
longing 70 the same family was he holy !
and devout Eli and the reckless Phineas /
and Hophni. Jonathan Edwards, the /
good, and Pierrepoint Edwards, the bad. /
belong 10 the same family Aaron Burr, /
the dissOlute. bad a most excellent father 4
Dying yet immortal hearer by the solem-
nifty Of the parental and hlial and coniugal /
relation, by the sacredness of the family /
hearth, by the honor Of the family name, 4
by the memory of departed kindred, / 1
point out this parting Of Ruth and Orpah /
REASONS FOR REFUSING CHRIST.
Again this subject suggests to me two (
of the prominent reasons why people re-
fuse the kingdom of Christ. There may
have been many other reasons why Orpah (
left her sister and mother-in-law and went
back home, but there were two reasons
which think were more prominent than
the rest. She had been brought up in idol
atries. She loved the heather gods which
her ancestors had worshped, and though
these blocks Of wood AID stone could not
hear she thought they could hear, and
though they could not see she thought
they could see, and though they could not
feel she thought they could feel. A new
religion had been brought to her attention.
She had married "A godly man. She must
often have heard her mother-in-law talk of
the God Of Israel. She was so much shaken
in her original belief that she concluded 10
leave her idolatries, but coming to the
margin OF the land Of Bethlehem her de
termination failed her and speedily she re
turned 10 her gods.
This is the very reason why multitudes
of persons never become Christians. They
cannot bear 20 give up their gods. Bust
ness is the American iuggernaut that
brushes more men than the great car Of the
Hindoos. To it they say their morning
aud evening prayers. \ little Of Christ's
religion may creep into the Sabbath, but
Monday. Tuesday, Wednesday. Thursday
Friday AID saturday are the days devoted
to this American idol Every hour there
Is sacrifice on the altar. Home duties
health Of body. manly strength and i'm
mortal affections must all burn in this
holocaust Men act as though they could
u 4 a NJ