Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1891-07-25

these invalii chairs. On that field Of kV-
man suffering the grace of God gets its
victory. Edward Passon, the invalid,
and Richard Baxter, tae invalid, and
Robert Hall, the invalid, and the ten thou
sand Of whom the world has never heard,
but of whom all heaven IS cognizant. The
mos conspicuous thing on earth for Cots
eye and the eye of angels to rest on, is not
a throne OF earthly power, but it IS the in
valid's chair. Oh. these men and women
who are always suffering, bat never conl-
plaining-these viesims % spinal disease,
and neuralgia torture, AMI rheumatic ex-
cruciation viii an3wer to the roll call OF
the martyrs. AMI rise 70 the martyrs throne,
ami will wave the martyrs palm.
But when one OF tlese iuvali1s chairs be-
comes vacant how suggestive it Isl No
more bolstering up Of ths weary heal No
more changing from side - side to get an
easy position. No more USE o. the ban lage
AMI tas cataplssl AMI the prescription.
That invalid I4ir NAV be folIai NJ or
taken apart, or set away. but it win
never lose its queenly power, it viii always
preach Of trust in God AMI CD eerful submis-
sion. Suffering all endel now With re-
spect to that invalid the words of my text
have been fulfilled, Thou shalt be missai,
because thy seat viii be empty.
pass on aud fini one more vacant chair.
1t high chair. 1t is the child's caair
II that chair be o,clpied l think it is the
most potent chair in all the household. All
the chairs wait on il; all this cnairs are
turDe1 toward it. II means more than
D3vid's chair at Saups BANG let At any
rate i5naAes more racket. That is strangs
house that can be duh with a child
in it. How that child breaks up the hard
worldiness of the place and keeps YOU
Young to sixty, seventy and eighty years OF
age. If You nave no child of your own
adopt one; it will open heaven to your
soul. It will pay its way. Its Growing in
the morliag will give the day a cheerful
starting, and its glee at night will give the
day cheerful close. You do not ike chill
dren? Then you had better stay out of
heaven, for there a.a 50 many there they
would fairly make you crazy, Oaly about
five hundred millions Of them. The oh
crusty Pharisees told the mothers to keep the
children away from Christ. You bother
Him. they said; "yol trouble the Master
Trouble Him! He has filed heaven with
that kind of trouble.
A pioneer in California says that for the
first year or two after his resi- lence in
Sierra Nevada county there was not a
sin gle child in all the reach of a hun1rei
miles. But the Fourth of July came, and
the miners were gathered together AMI
they were celebrating the Fourth with ora
ton and poem and b0isterous brass band,
and while the band was playing an infants
voice was heard crying, and all the miners
were startled, and the swarthy men began
to think of their homes on the eastern coast,
aud of their wives and children far away,
aud their hearts were thrilled with home
iciness as they heard the babe cry. But
the music went o., ami the child cried
louder ard louder and the brass band
played louder and louder, trying to drown
out the intantile Interruption, when a
swarthy miner the tears rolling down his
Las faHF and AZ
'yStop that noisy band and give the baby
chance" O3, there was pathos in it, as
well as good cheer in it. There is nothing
to arouse and melt AMI suodue the soul
like a chilfs voce. But when 1t goes
away from you tine high chair becomes
higher chair and there IS desoiatlon all about
you.
La thrae-fourths Of the homss OF this con-
gregation there is a vacant high chair
Somehow you never get over it. There IL
noone to pat to bel at night; no one to ask
strange questions ABOUT God and heaven.
On what is the use of that high chair? 1t Is
TO cali Won higher What drawing up
ward / is TO haze clil iren IN heaven AMI
then It'll suca a preventive against SIN LIZ
a father is going away into SIN he leaves
his living children with their mother; but
if a father Is goiug away into sin what Is
lie going 10 do with his dead children float
ing about him and lowering over his every
waywarI step. On SPEAK out vacant hlgn
chair. and say "Fa5fer, cons back from
sin; mother, come back from worldlin9ss. 1
am watching you. | am waiting for you"
With respect 10 your chill the words OF my
text have been fulfilled, Thou shalt be
missed. because thy seat will be empty"
Nv hearers, | have gathered up the voices
of your departed friends and tried to intone
them into one invitation upward set in ar
ray all the vacant chairs OF your homes and
Cf your social circle, ami | bid them cry out
thus morning.; Time is short, Eternity Is
near. TAXI my Saviour be at peacs
with my God Come up where l am
we lived together on earth; come let Us
live together In heaven We answer that
invitation. We come Keep seat for u',
Us Saul kept a seat for David, but that seat
shall not be empty. And oh when we arc
al through with this world, and we have
shaken hands all arounl for the last time
ana all our cAairsin the home circle and IN
the outside world shall be vacant may we
lie worshiping God in that place from Whlcn
we shall so out no more forever.
i THANK Col there will he no vacant chairs
in heaven. There we shall meet again and
TAX over our earthly heart-breaGs. How
much you have been through sncs you saw
them last. On the shining shore you wilt
tall il all over The heart-lches The lone
lines. The seepleSs nights Tbs weeping
unit, you md no more power TO weep he
clusa the heart was witherel and
dried up. Story OF empy cradle
and little shoe only half worn out
never TO be worn again, just ths shape Of
tJ3 fOo5 tdGt once p"aIs4t r.. And 1rte.25
waen you thought the departed hal come
back again, ami the room seemed bright
with their aces, and you started up to
greet them and in Che effort the dream
broke and you found yourself standing amid
roo I'M ta mid DTrr T.. Iona
Talking it all over, and then, hand in
hand, walking up and down in the light.
No sorrow, no tears. no death Oh heaveul
beautiful heaven Heaven where our friends
are. Heaven where we expect to be- In the
east they take a cage of birds and bring it b
the tomb of the deal, and then they opefi
the door of the cage, aud the birds flying
out, sing And would to-day bring a cage
of Christian consultations to the grave of
your lowell ones, and would open the door
ami let than fill all the air with the music
Of their voices.
Oh, how they bound in thes3 spirits be.
fore the throne Some shout with gladness
Some break forth into uncomfortable weep-
ing for Joy. Some stand speeches. in their
shock OF delight. They sing They culver
with excessive gla1ness. They gaze on the
temples on the palaces, on the waters on
each other. They weave their joy into gar
lands, they spring it into triumphal
arches, they strike in on timbres, aud
then all the Lowell ones gather in q
great circle arounl the throne Of Go1-fa-
theirs, mothers, broth srs, sisters, sons and
daughters, lovers AMI friends, hand to hand
around about the throne of God-the circle
ever widening-hand to hanl joy to joy,
jubilee to jubilee victory to victory, until
the day break and the shadows fee away.
Turn thou, my beloved, and be like a roe or
young hart upon the mountains of Beth.
err