Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1891-07-31

! mattery' This. You are too near your
mothers rocking chair.
"Oh. pshaw % you say. There's nothing
| in that. Pm five hundred miles off from
where was born. IN three hundred miles
| Oft from the church whose bell was the
first music l ever heard" l cannot help
that. You are too near your mothers
rocking chair. "Oh," you say. there
can't be anything in that. That
chair has been vacant great while
! cannot help that. II is all the mightier for
that. 1t is omnipotent that vacant mother
ers chair. 1t whispers, it speaks 1t weeps it
carols, it mourns, 1t prays, it warns it
thunders. a young man went Off and
DroEe MS mothers helrt, and whils hs was
away from home his mother died, aui tho
telegraph brou ght tbs son, and he came
| into the room where she lay and looked
upon her face, and he cried out: "Oh,
mother. mother, what your life could not do
your death shall effectl This moment give
my heart to God" And he kept his prom
ise. Another victory for the vacant chair.
With reference to your mother the words OF
my text were fulfilled, "Thou shalt be-
missed, because thy seat will be empty"
/ go on little further ami come to the
invalid's chair What How long have you
been sick? "Ohl have been sick ten twenty,
thirty years" Is It possible' What a story
OF endurance. There are in many of the
families of my congregation these invalids
chairs. Tho occupants OF them thiuk they
are doing no goOi IN tho world. but that in-
yalids chair is the mighty pulpit
from which they have been preach
in,. all these wears, trust in God. The first
time preached here at Lakeside, ONO, amid
the throngs present, thers was nothing that
s0 much Impressed me as the spectacle OF
lust one facs-the face OF an lnValll VINO
was whee.e in on her chair. sad 70 her
nfterward' Madam how long have you
been prostratedy' for she was lying nat IN
the chair. on she replleL Il have
been this way fifteen years" | said,
"Do YOU suffer very muchy' lob. yes
she said, II suffer very much; suffer all
thu time: mart Of tho time | was blind. l
always suffer" "Wen,n | said, can you
Keen your courage upy "Oh, yes" she said,
II am happy, very happy indeed" Her face
showed it, She loo&ed the happiest OF any
one on the ground
Dh what a means OF grace to the world,
these invalid chairs. On that field OF hui
man suffering the grace OF Goi gets it,
victory. Edwnri Payson, the invalid,
and Richard Baxter, tde invalid aul
Robert Hall, the invalid, and the ten thou
| sand OF whom the world has never heard,
but OF whom all heaven Is cognZant. The
most conspicuous thing on earth for Goi's
eye and the eve OF angels TO rest on, is not
throne of earthly power, but it is the in
valids chair. Oh. thess men and women
who are always suffering, but never con.
| plaining-these victims OF spinal disease,
: and neuralgia torture, AMI rheumatic ex-
cruCiation will answer to the roll call OF
henartyrs, and rise TO the martyrs throne,
and will wave the martyrs palm.
But when one of these invali1s chairs be-
comes vacant how suggestive it isl No
more bolst-ring up OF the weary head. No
mo -hap riD IiI 70 CiJa ~,
easy position. No more use OF the bandaSe
and the cataplasm and the prescription.
That invalid chair may be folded up or
taken apart, or set away, but it will
never lose its queenly power. it will always
| preach OF trust in Col and cheerful submis-
sion. Suf ring all endel now. With re-
spect 70 that invalid the words Of my text
have been fulfilled, Thou shalt be missed,
| because thy seat will be empty
| pass on aud find one more vacant chair.
| 1t is a high chair. 1t is the child's chair.
II that chair bo occupied l think it is the
most potent chair in all the household. All
| the chairs wait on It; all tho chairs are
turnel toward it, 1t means more than
Davld's chair at Sauls banquet At any
rate il makes more racket. That is a strange
house that can be dull with a child
in it, How that child breaks up the hard
worldliness of the place an1 keeps you
young to sixty, seventy and eighty years OF
| age. IL you have no child OF your own
adopt one; it will open heaven to your
| soul. 1t will pay its way. Its Growing in
the morning will give the day a cheerful
starting, and It's glee at night will give the
day cheerful close. You do not like chill
dren? Then you had better stay out OF
heaven, for there are many there they
would fairly make you crazy. Only about
! I've hundred millions of them. The old
crusty Pharsees tol tho mothers to keep the
children away from Christ. You bother
Him." they said; you trouble the Master"
Trouble Him He has filed heaven with
that kind OF trouble.
A pioneer IN California says that for the
Hrst year or two after his resi- lence in
Sierra Nevada county there was not n
single child in all the reach OF hundred
miles But the Fourth of July came, and
the miners were gathered together and
thev were celebrating the Fourth with ora
ton aud poem and boisterous brass han-.
and while the band was playing an infants
voice was heard crying, and all the miners
were startled, and the swarthp men began
| TO think OF their homes on the eastern co,st,
and of their wives and children far away,
| and their hearts were thrilled with home
/ SICKNESS as they heard the babe cry. But
| the music went on, AMI the child criel
louder and louder, and ths brass band
Played louder and louder trying TO drown
out tho intantils interruption, when a
swarthy miner the tears rolling down his
face, got up ami shook his fist and said,
stop that noisy band, and give the baby n
chance" OI, there was pathos in it, as
well as good cncer in it, There is nothing
TO arouse aui melt anl suOdue the soul
like a Chilis vOca But when 1t goes
away from you the high chair becomes a
higher chair and there is desolntlon all about
you.
In three fourths OF the bones OF this con
gregation thero is a vacant high chair.
| Somehow you never get over it. There is
| no one to put t. be at night; no one to ask
strange questions about tod and heaven
Oh what is TIL use of that high charl 1t is
to call you higher. What n drawing up
ward Z Is to have cnil Irea in helven! And
then it is such n preventive against sin, II
n father is going away into sin he leaves
his living children with their mother, but
il father is going away into sin what is
he going t. do " tn his dr0t cnlldrsn float
ing about him ari hOEe.inS over his every
waywarI step. Ca, SPEAK out vacant hlSh
chair. aud say: "FIther. CO no baci from
in, mother, come back from worldlinesS.
am watching you. | am waiting for you.
With respect to your chill the words OF m,
text have been fulfilled, Thou shalt b
missed, because thy seat will be empty"
Ny hearers, | have gathered up the voice
of your depaI ted friends aud tried to inton
them into one invitation upward set in ar
ray all the vacant chairs Of your homes ant
of your social circle, ami bid them cry on
this morning; Time is short. Eternity
near. Take my Saviour. Be at peac
with my God. Come up where l am
We lived together on earth; come let d
live together in heaven" We answer tina
invitation. We come. Keep seat for u
as Saul kept a seat for David, but that sea
shall not be empty. And obi when we ar
all through with this world, aud we hay
shaken hands all around for the last timt
ana all our chairs in the home circle and |
the outside world shall be vacant, may "
be worshiping God in that place from whic
we shall go out no more forever.
thank God there will be no vacant chail
In heaven. There we shall meet again an