Sharp County record., 1891-01-01

LaDb.'
But while crossing over these mount
aims of Lebanon | Oethink myself ol
what an exciting scene it must be When
one of the cedars does fall. 1t does not
90 down like other trees with sllShl
craclsle that hardly makes the WOODS
man look up, or a hawk futter from
neighboring bough. When cedar tals
it isthe great event in he calendar OF
the mountains. The aXeman fly Inc
wild beasts stink to their dens. The
partridges swoop to the valley for es-
cd,h. The neighboring trees go down
under the awful weight of the descend:
ing monarch. The rocks are moved
out of their PLACES, and the earth
tYambles as from miles around all ra-
vines send back their sympathetic
echoes. Crash Crash! Crash. SoWhen
the great cedars of worldly or Christian
influence fall it is something terrific.
Within the past few years how many
mighty and overtopping men have gone
dSln. There seems now to be an cpl
demic of moral disasters. The moral
world the religious world, the political
world, the commercial world are quak
ing with the fall of Lebanon cedars.
1t is awful. We are compelled to cry
out with Zachariah, the prophet:
"Howl, fir trees, for the cedar is
fallen" Some of the smaller trees are
glad of it. When some great dealer in
stocks goes down the small dealers clap
their hands and say: Good for him"
When great political leader goes down
the small politicians clap their hands
and say "Just as l expected" When
eseat minister of religion falls many
little ministers laugh up their sleeves
and think themselves somehow advan-
tagged. All, my beloved brethren, no
one makes any thing out of moral
shipwreck. Not a willow by the rivers
Of Damascus, not a sycamore on the
plains of Jericho, not an olive tree in
all Palestine is helped by the fall of a
Lebanon cedar. Better weep, and
pray and tremble, and listen to Paul's
advice to the Galatians when he says;
considering thyself lest thou also be
tempted" No man is safe until he is
dead, unless he be divinely pro-
tected. A greater thinker than Lord
Francis Bacon the world never was,
and he changed the worlds mode of
thinking for all time, his "Novum
Organum" being miracle of literature.
With Lightweight thousand dollars
salary, and estates worth millions, and
from the highest judicial bench of the
world he goes down under the power of
bribery, and confessed his.crime, and was
sentenced to the Tower, and the scorn
Of centuries. Howl, fir tree, for the
cedar is fallen!
Warren Hastings, rising until he be-
came Governor-General of India, and
the envy of the chief public men of his
day, plunges into cruelties against the
barbaric people he had been sent to
rule, until his name is chiefly associated
with the criminal trial in Westminster
hall where upon him came the anathe-
mas of Sheridan, Fox, Edmund Burke,
the English natJol, end all time. Howl
Hf--tTcc,- T0T the cedar is falllJ1ifr r. rs U1ri1
nent instances of moral disaster are
found in our own land and our own
time, instances that do not recite lest
wound the feelings of those now alive
to mourn the shipwreck. Let your in
dignation against the fallen turn to pity.
A judge in one of our American courts
gives this experience. In respectable
but poor family, daughter was getting
musical education. She needed one
more course of lessons to complete that
education. The fathers means were
exhausted, and so great was his anxiety
to help his daughter that he feloniously
took some money from his employer, and
going home to his daughter said:
"There is the money to complete your
musical education" The wife and moth.
er suspected something wrong, and OBJ
tanned from her husband the whole
story, and that night went around with
her husband to the merchants house
and surrendered the whole amount Of
the money and asked forgiveness. For.
giveness was denied, and the man was
arrested. The judge, knowing all
the circumstances, and that the
money had all been returned,
suggested to the merchant he
had better let the matter drop for
the sake of the wife and the daughter.
No! he would not let it drop, and he did
all he could TO make the case conspicu-
GUS and blasting. The judge says that
afterward that merchant was before
him for breaking the law Of the land.
10 is a poor rule that will not work both
ways. Let him that standeth talqs
heed lest he fall. Not congratulation,
but tears when cedar is fallenl
Oh! / am so glad that the Holy Land
Of Heaven, like the Holy Land of Pales-
tine and Syria, is great place fol trees
an orchard Of them, grove of them,
Il forest of them. Saint John saw them
along the streets and on both sides
of the river, and every month they
yielded II great crop Of fruit. You
know what an imposing appearance
trees give to u city on earth,
but now 1t exalts my idea Of
Heaven when Saint John describes the
city on high as having It's streets and
It's rivers lined with them. Oh, tho