The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1890-06-24
enJoyments Of the unpardoned there Is

+, enJoyinents of the unpardoned there is
n chilliness of death Although they
may pull out the arrows that strike
their soul from the Almighty's culver,
there remain q sting and n smarting.
If men wrench themselves away from
Christ they will bear the mark of his
hand by which he would have rescued
them. The pleasures of the world
may give temporary relief from the up
braidings of conscience, but arc like
Supplying drugs that dull the pain only
temporarily.
Ahab has u great kingdom and you
would think he ought to be happy with
his corrtiers and chariots and palaces,
yet he goes to bed sick because Naboth
will not sell him his vineyard. Hannah
is prime minister of the greatest nation
in the world, and yet one poor man
who will not bow the head makes him
utterly miserable. IIerod monopolizes
the most Of the worlds honor, and vet
is thrown into rage because they say
q little child is born in Bethlehem who
may after 4 while dispute his authority.
Byron conquered the world with his
pen and yet said that he felt more I'M
happiness from the criticism OF the
most illiterate reader than he expert
enced pleasure from the praise OF all
the talented.
AIESsoN FROM sHENsroNE'S LIFE.
In the last century in England lived
the immortal Shenstonc. Portions OF
his life were given to tho writing OF
poetry, but this WAS not evidently the
field for which nature had equipped
him. His name will never be forgotten,
because of the home which he adorned
and beautiiied until there probably
never has been so bright spot since
the Garden of Eden us what he loved
to call "The Leasowcs In addition to
the marvels which nature had wrought
he added the perfection of art. .lrbor
and terrace and slcpc and rustic tenn.
pic tillu IeSclNCi ''ii'i ttiii 't'li iot'!itttil
here had their crowiing. Oak and
yew and hazel put on their glory of
vcrlure. 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 diiigent
and no soul more ingenious than those
of Shenstone, and all that genius and
diligence were directed to the adorn-
ment of that treasured spot. What
more could one want to make home
happy?
Yet there is one man who sits signing
in those bowers, and casting gloomy
looks upon those parks, and the nirth
of leaping waterfalls makes no melody
in his ear 1t is Shcnstone, the owner
of the Leasowes II have lost my road
to happiness, says the respondent
man. II am angry and enyious and
detected and frantic, and disregard all
present things, just as it becomes
mailman to do" Ny friends, there is
no solid happiness in anything but re-
igion. I care not how bright a home
Orpah has in Moab, when she turns
away from duty she turns away from
peace. Amid the bacchanalia Of Bel
shazzar's feast and the glitter of clal-
ices there always will come out a hand
writing on the wall fcarfully ominous:
''Tekel''-weighed in the balances and
found wanting When you can reap
harvests Off bare rocks, and gather
balm out of nightshade, and make sun
light sleep in the heart of sepulcherS,
and build a firm house on u rocking
bllow, then can AN unpardoned soul
End firm enjoyment amid its trans
gressions. Then can Orpah go back to
Moab without weeping.
FAMILIES DIVIDED BY RELIGION.
Again, this subject teaches that O
religious choice and the want Of it fire.
qucntly divide families. Ruth and
Orpah and Naomi were tenderly at
tached. They were all widows, and
their life had been consecrated by a
baptism of tears. In the fire Of trial
their affections had been forged To
gether they were so pleasantly united
you can hardly imagine them separated.
Yet a fatal line is drawn dividing them
from cacll other, perhaps forever.
Naomi cannot live in u hcatilen coun
try. She must 70 into Bethlehem, that
there among the pious she may worship
the true God. Ruth makes similar
choice, but Orpah rebels. And they
lifted up their voice and wcpt again,
and Orpah kissed her motherin-law,
but Ruth clayc unto her" The history
of this family OF Elimelcch is the his
tory Of many families of this day.
How often it is that in q circle Of rel
atives, while they look alike, and walk
alike and talk alihe there is a trc
mendous difference Outwardly united
in the affectional relations of this life,
they are separated in the most i'm
portant respects. Some now are the
children of light and others the chill
dren of darkness. These are alive
in Christ and those are dead in sin,
Ruth in the land of Bethlehem, Orpah
in Moab. OF the same family are David
and Solomon, worshipers Of the most
high God, and Adoziiah and Absalom,
who live and die the enemies of all
righteousness. Belonging to the same
family was the holy and devout Eli
and the reckless Phineas and Hophni.
Jonathan Edwards, the good, and
Pierrepont Edwards, the bad, belong
to the same family. Aaron Burr the