The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1891-07-29

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aud the sMarthy men began to thluk Of
their homes on the Eastern coast, and oi
their wives and children far away, and
their hearts were thrilled with home
sickness as they heard the babe cry.
But the music went oD, and the child
cried louder and louder, and the brass
band played louder and louder, trying
to drown out the infantile lnterruptlon,
when swarthy miner, the tears rolling
down his face, got up and shook his fist,
and said: stop that noisy band, and
give the baby chance" Oh! there
was pathos in it, as we'll as good cheer
in it. There Is nothing to arouse, and
melt, and subdue the soul like cllild's
voice. But when it goes away from YOU,
the high chair becomes higher chair,
and there is desolation ali about you. In
three fourths of the homes Of this con-
gregation there is a vacant high chair.
Somehow you never get over 1t. There
is no one to put to bed at night; no one
to ask stcange questions about GOD and
heaven. On, what is the Use OF taat
high chair? 1t is to call you higher.
What drawing upward it is to have
children in heaven! Aud then it is such
a preventive against sin. II father is
going away into s.n, he leaves the living
of his children wiLu their mother; but If
the father is going away into sin, What is
be gong to do with dead children float
iny about him, and lowering over his
every wayward step. Oh, speak out,
vacant high chair, and say: Father,
come back from sin; mother, come back
from worldliuesS. am watching you.
am waiting Tor you." With respect to
your child, the words O. my text have
been fulfilled: Thou shalt be missed,
because thy seat will be empty
Ny hearers. l have gathered up the
voices of your departed friends and tried
to intone them into one invitation up
ward. set in array all the vacant chairs
of your homes and Of your social cir
Gle, and I bid them cry out this morning:
Time is short, Eternity is near. Take
my Saviour. Be at peace with my God.
Come up where l am. We lived Logeth-
er on earth, come let US live together in
heaven" We answer that invitation.
We come. Keep seat for us, as Saul
kepta seat for David, but that seat shall
not be empty. And oh! when we are all
through with this world, and we have
shaken hands all around for the last time,
and all our chairs in the home circle
and in the outside world shall be vacant
may we he worshipplng God IN that place
from which we shall 90 out no more for
ever. thank God there will be no vacant
chairs in heaven. There We shall meet
again and talk over our earthly heart
breaks. How much you have been through
since YOU saw him last! On the shining
shore you will talk it all over. The
hes. The loneliness. The sleep.
less nights. The weeping until you had
no more power to weep, because the
heart was withered and dried up. Story
of empty cradle and little shoe only
half worn out never to be worn again,
Just tho shape of the foot that pressed
it. And dreams when you thought
the departed had come back again, and
the room seemed bright with their faces,
and YOU started up to greet them, and IN
the effort the dream broke and you found
yourself standing amid-room in the
uidnlhgt-alone. Talking it all over,
and then, hand in hand walking up and
down ID the light. No sorrow, no tears,
nc, death. Oh. heaven! beautiful heaven!
Heaven where our friends are. Heaven
where we expect to be. In the East
they take cage of birds anr bring it to
the tomb of the dead, and then they
open the door of the cage, and the birds,
flying out, singing. And would today
bring cage of Christian consultations TO
the grave Of our loved ones, and would
open the door and let them bill all the
air with the music OF their voices.
Oh, how they bound IN these spirits
before the throne! Some shout With glad
ness. Some break forth into uDc
trollable weeping for Joy. Some stand
speeches. in their shock Of delight. They
sing. They quiver with excessive glad
ness. They gaze on the temples, on the
palaces, on the waters, on each other.
The wave their Joy into garlsnds, they
spring it into triumphal arches, they
strike in on limbrels, and then all the
loved ones gather in great circle
around the throne of God-lathers, moth
ers, brothers, sisters, sous 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 a roe or young hart upon the
mountain OF Bether."