Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-07-20

coast. and of their wives ana CHI
6ren far away, and their near.s
were thrilled with Inconsistencies
&c they heard the babe cry. But tne
music went Oh, and the child crieu
louder and louder, and the brass panu
nlaved louder and louder, trying 10
drown out the infantile interruption
when a swarthy miner, the tears roii,ps
down his face, got up and shook MS ns.;
and said: "Stop that noisy oanu anu
give the baby chance. ON tnele
was uathos In it, as well as good cneer
In IL. There is nothing to arouse, ana
melt. and subdue the soul like child's
voice. But when IL 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 congregation there Is
vacant high chair. Somehow you
never get over 1t. There is no one 10
put to bed at night; no one to ask
strange questions about God ana
heaven. Oh, what is the use OF that
high chairP 1t is to call you higher.
What drawing upward Ii is to nave
children in heavenl And then 1t Is such
a preventive against sin. II father Is
going away into sin, he leaves his living
children with their mother; but II a
father is going away into sin, what IS
he going to do with his dead children
floating about him, and lowering over
his every hayward step? Oh, speak
out, vacant high chair, and say:
Father, come back from sin; mother,
come back from worldliness. am
W atching you. am waiting for you"
With respect to your child, the words OF
my text have been fulfilled: Thou
shalt be missed, because thy seat will
be empty.
VOICES OF THE DEPARTED.
Ny hearers, 1 have gathered up the
voices of your departed friends and
tried to intone them into one invitation
upward. l set in array all the vacant
chairs of your homes and Of your social
circle, and bid them cry out this morn
ing: Cline is short. Eternity Is near.
Take my Savior. Be at peace with my
God. Come up where l am. We lived
together on earth, come let US live to-
gether in heaven" We answer that In
vltation. We come. Keep seat for
US, as Saul kept a 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
be worShipping God in that place from
which we shall 60 out no more for
ever. thank God there will be no va
cant chairs in heaven. There we shall
meet again and talk over our earthly
heartbreaks. How much you have been
through since you saw them last! On
the shining shore you will talk it all
over. The heartaches. The loneliness.
The sleepless nights. The weeping I'M
Til you had no more power to weep, be-
cause the heart was withered and dried
up. Story Of empty cradle, and little
shoe only half worn out never TO be
worn again, just the shape OF the foot |
that once 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 mid
Talking It all over, and
then, hand in hand, walking up and |
down in the light. No sorrow, no tears,
no death. Oh, heaven! beautiful heav-
en-! Heaven where our friends are.
Heaven where we expect to be. In the
East they take cage of birds and bring
Il to the tomb of the dead, and then
they open the door of the cage, and the
Law bring cage of Christian consola-
lions to the grave of your loved ones
and would open the door and let them
Gil all the air with the music OF their
voices.
Oh, how they bound in these spirits
before the throne! Some shout Win |
rladness. Some break forth into uncon- |
trollabe weeping for JOY. Some stand
speechless in their shocks OF delight. |
They sing. They culver with excessive
gladness. They gaze on the temples,
on each other. They weave their Joy
into garlands; they spring it into trl-
umphal arches; they strike 1t on tim
brels, and then all the loved ones gath
er in a great circle around the throne
of God-fathers, mothers, brothers, Sis
tiers, sons and daughters, lovers and
friends, hand to hand around about the
throne of God-the circle ever widen
highland 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 mountains OF
Bether."