Sharp County record., 1891-08-13

their garlands, put them on the fathers
brow, and the old man was so rejoiced
at the victories of his three children
that he fell dead in their arms. And
are you, oh man, going to bring
wreath of JOY and Christian usefulness
and put 1t on your fathers brow, or on
the vacant chair, or on the memory of
the one departed? Speak out old arm
chair. With reference to your father,
the words of my text have been full
filled: "Thou shalt be missed, because
thy seat will be empty"
go a little further on in your house,
and l find the mothers chair. 1t is
very apt to be rocking chair. She had
so many cares and troubles to soothe
that it must have rockers, / remem-
ber it well. 1t was an old chair, and
the rockers were almost worn out, for |
was the youngest, and the chair had
rocked the whole family. 1t made a
creaking noise as i. moved, but there
was music in the sound. 1t was just
high enough to allow us children to
put our heads into her lap, That was
the bank where we deposited all our
hurts and worries. All, what a chair
that wasl 1t was different from the
fathers chair; it was entirely different.
You ask me how? l can not tell;
but we all felt it was differ
ent. Perhaps there was about this chair
more gentleness, more tenderness,
more grief when we had done wrong.
When we were wayward father scolded,
but mother cried. 1t was very wake
full chair. In the sick days of children
other chairs could not keep awake; that
chair always kept awake-kept easily
awake. That chair knew all the old
lullabies and all those wordleas songs
which mothers sing to their sick chill
dren-songs in which all pity and com
passion and sympathetic influences are
combined. That old chair has stopped
rocking for good many years. 1t may
be set up in the loft or the garret, but
it holds a queenly power yet.
When at midnight you went into
that grog-shop to get the intoxicating
draught, did you not hear voice that
said: "My son, why go in there?" And
louder than the boisterous encore of
the place Of sinful amusement, voice
saying: "My son, what do you do
here?" And when you went into the
house of abandonment, voice saying:
"What would your mother do if she
knew you were here?" And you were
provoked with yourself, and you
charged yourself with superstition and
fanaticism and your head got hot with
your own thoughts, and you went home
and you went to bed, and no sooner had
you touched the bed than voice said:
"What! a prayerless pillow? Man!
what is the matter?" This: You are
near your mothers rocling-chair.
"Oh, pshaw" you say. There's
nothing in that; I'm five hundred miles
off from where ] was born; I'm three
thousand miles off from the church
whose bell was the first music | ever
heard" | can not help that; you are
too near your mothers rocliing-chair.
"Oh," you say, there can't be anything
in that; that chair has been vacant a
great while" | can not help that; it is
all the mightier for that; it is omnip-
otent, that vacant mothers chair.
1t whispers; it speaks; it weeps;
it carols; it mourns; it prays; it
warns; it thunders A young man
went off and broke his mothers
heart, and while he was away from
home his mother died. and the telegraph
brought the son, and he came into the
room where she lay and looked upon
her face, and he cried out: ooh, moth.
er! mother! what your life could not dc
your death shall effect This moment
give my heart to Cod" And he kept
his promise. Another victory for the
vacant chair. With reference to your
mother, the words of my text were full.
filed "Thou shalt be missed, because
thy seat will be empty"
go on little further, and come tc
the invalid's chair. What! How long
have you been sick? ooh, ! have beer
sick ten, twenty, thirty years" Is il
possible? What story of endurance
There are in many of the families OF
my congregation these invalids' chairs
The occupants Of them think they are
doing no good in the world; but that in
valids chair is the pulpit from which
they have been preaching, all these
years, trust in God. The first time
preached here at Lake. side, o amid the
throngs present there was nothing that
so much impressed me as the spectacle
of just one face-the face of an invalid
who was wheeled in on her chair. sale
to her afterward: madam, how long
have you been prostrated?' for she was
lying fiat in the chair, "Op she re-
plied II have been this way fifteen
years" ! said; "Do you suffer very
much?" "Oh, yes" she said, ~ suffer
very much; suffer all the time; part OF
the time / was blind. Ialways suffer. q
"Well, / said; "can you keep your cour.
age up?" "Oh, yes" she said; 81 am
happy, very happy indeed" Her face
showed 1t, She looked the happiest Of
anyone on the ground,
o! what means Of grace to the
world, these invalid chairs. On that
field of human suffering the grace OF