The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1891-07-30

| 15Ss.9. y
sick? o! l have been sick ten, twenty,
thirty Years. Is it possible? What
story of endurance. There are in
many families Of my congregation
these lnvalids' chairs. The occupants
OF them think they are doing no good
IN the world; but that invalid's chair
IS the mighty pulpit from which they
have been preaching all these years
trust in God.
q! what q means of grace to the
world these invalids chairs. On that
held OF human suffering the grace OF
God gets its victory. Edward Payson,
the invalid, and Richard Baxter, the
Invalid, and Robert Hall, the invalid,
|@and the ten thousand of whom the
world has never heard, but OF whom
all heaven is cognizant. The most
conspicuous thing on earth for Gods
eye and the eye Of angles to rest on
is not a throne of earthly power,
but 1T Is the invalid's chair.
l pass on, and 1 find one more
vacant chair. It is high chair, It is
- THE CHlLD's CHAIR.
Ii that chair be occupied, think it is
the most potent chair in all the house
hold. All the chairs wait on it; all the
chairs are turned toward it. 1t means
more than David's chair at Saul's
banquet. At any rate it makes more
racket. That is a strange house that
can be dull with child in it. How
that child breaks up the hard worldli-
ness OF the place, and keeps you young
to 90, 20 and 80 years OF age! Hyou
have no child OF your own, adopt one;
1T Will open heaven to your soul. 1t
will pay it's way. It's growing in the
morning will give the day a cheerful
starring, and it's glee at night will give
the day cheerful close. You do not
like children? Then you had better
stay out Of heaven, for there are so
many there they would fairly make
| you crazy There is nothingto arouse,
and melt, and subdue the soul like
| child's voice. But when it goes away
! from you, the high chair becomes a
higher chair, and there is desolation
all about you. In three-fourths of
the homes OF this congregation there
is a vacant high chair. Somehow you
never get over it. There is no one to
put to bed at night; NO one to ask
strange questions about God and
heaven. Oh, what is the use of that
high chair? It is to call you higher.
What d drawing upward it is to have
children in heaven.
In the East they take cage Of
birds and bring it to the tomb Of the
dead, and then they open the door Of
the cage, and the birds, flying out,
sing: And I would today bring a cage
OF Christian consultations to the grave
Of your loved ones, and I would open
the door and let them fill all the air
with the music of their voices. Oh,
how they bound in these spirits before
the throne! Some break forth into
uncomfortable weeping for Joy. Some
! stand speechless in their shock OF de-
light: They sing. They culver with
excessive gladness. They gaze on the
temples, on the palaces, on the wat
ers, on each other. They weave their
! Joy into garlands, they spring it into
triumphal arches, they strike it on
timbrels, and then all the loved ones
gather in a great circle around the
throne of God-fathers, mothers,
brothers, sisters, sons and daughters,
lovers. and friends, hand to- hand
around about the throne Of God-the
circle ever widening hand to hand,
Joy to Joy, jubilee to jubilee, victory
to victory, "until the day break and
the shadows flee away. Turn thou,
my beloved, and be like roe or
Young hart upon the mountains Of
Besher." -