Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1891-07-24
valIas chair is the mighty pulpit


been prostratedy1 for she was lying has in
the chair. "Ohm she replied. Il have
been this way fifteen years" said,
''Do YOU suffer very muchY On, yes,
she said. 81 suffer very much; l suiier al
the time. mart of the time | was blind. L
always suffer" We'll" | said. can you
keep your courage up" "Oh, yes" she sad,
81 am hanny. very happy indeed" Her face
showed h She looked the happiest OF any
one on the ground. u,d
Oh. what a means OF grace to the Woriu
these invalid chairs. On that field OK 40
man suffering the grace OF God gets It's
victory. Edward Payson, the invalid;
and Richard Baxter, the Invalid, ana
Robert Hall, the invalid, and the ten tnou-
sand of whom the world has never heard,
but of whom all heaven Is cognlzant' lns
most conspicuous thing on earth Tor do1 )
eye and the eye of angels to rest Cd, Is NOT
a throne of earthly power bat IL Is the IN
valid's chair. Oh. these men and women
who are always suffering, but never com
plaining-these victims OF spinal disease
and neuralgic torture and rheumatic ex-
cruciation will answer TO the roll call OF
the martyrs. and rise to the martyrs throhe'
and will wave the martyrs palm.
But when one Of these invallds chairs D.
comes vacant how suggestive 1t Isl no
more bolstering up OF the weary head. No
more changing from side to side TO get an
easy position. No more use OF the oanda9e
and the cataplasm and the prescription
That invalid chair may be folded no or
taken apart, or set away, but it will
never lose its queenly power, 1t will always
preach of trust in God and cheerful submis-
sion. Suffering all eudei now. With re-
spect to that invalid the words Of my text
have been fulfilled, Thou shalt be missed,
because thy seat will be empty.
pass on and find one more vacant chair.
1t i high chair. It is the child's chair.
Ii that chair be occupied | think it is the
most potent chair in all the household. All
the chairs wait on il; all the chairs are
turned toward it, IL means more than
Dlvid's chair at Saups banquet AT any
rate il makes more racket. That is strange
house that can be dull 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. IL you have no child OF your own
adopt one it will open heaven TO your
soul. 1t will pay its way. It's Growing IN
the morning will give the day cheerful
starting, and its glee at night will give the
day a cheerful close You do not like chill
dren: Then you had better stay out OF
heaven, for there are so many there they
would fairly make you crazy. Only about
five HUNDRED millions of them. The oil
crusty Pharisees told the mothers to keep the
children away from Christ. You bother
Him" they said: you trouble the Master.
Trouble Him He has filled heaven with
that KIM of trouble.
4 pioneer in California says that for the
first year or two after his resi- iencs IN
Sierra Nevada county there was not a
single child in all the reach Of hundred
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,
AMI while the band was playing an infants
voice was heard crying, and all the miners
were startled. and the swar;hy men began
20 think of their homes on the eastern coast,
and of their wives and children far away,
and their hearts were thrilled with home
sic mes, as they heard the babe cry. but
the music went o., AMI the caild cried
louler and louder, and the brass band
played lou Ter and lou Ter trying 10 drown
out the infantils interruption. wnen
sva-thy miner the tears rolling down MS
face. got up ami shook his fist and sal1,
..Stop that noisy band. aud give the baby a
ciianca.p On. there was pathos in 1t, as
well as GOOD cleer in it. There is nothing
10 arou,, ami melt AMI subdue the soul
E.a child's voice But when it goes
away from you the high chair becomes a
hirhsr chair and there is desO.ation all about
you. u..
In thrse-fourths Of the homes OF this con-
gre1ation there is a vacant high chalr.
Somehow you never get over it. Ihere Is
no one to pat t. be at night: no one % ASK
strange gu ,stiOns about God and heaven
On what Is the use OF that high chair? lt Is
~ call Won hi.her. WHAT a drawing up
ward II Is 20 have clilIren in heaven Ant
then tits sucn preventive against sin IL
q father is going away iuJO sin he leaves
his living children with their mother; oub
If father is going away into sin wnat u
no goinr to do with his dead children fioat-
ing about him and lowering over his every
wavwarl step. On. speak out, vacant hlS1
chair. and say. "Father, cone back IRON
in. mother. come back from wOrldlness. /
am watching YOU. | am waiting for you.
With respect to your caill the words OF my
tovr have been fulfilled. Thou shalt be
missed because thy seat will be empty
Nv hearers. | have gathered up the voices
IF voui. teparted friends and tried to intone
them into one invitation upward set in ar
raw all the vacant chairs of your homes and
If your social circle AMI bid them cry out
this mornin-: Time is short. Eternity Is
near. Take my Saviour Be at peac'
with my God Come up where l am =
We lived together on earth; come let u;
live together in heaven We answer thao
invitation. We come. Keep seat Ior US
as Saul kept seat Tor David, but tna1 seat
shall not be empty. And OH when we are
eli through with this world, and we have
shaken hands all around for the iasI uue,
ana all orr chairs in the home circle ana III
The outside world shall be vacant, may we
lie worshiping God in that place from whlch
we shall go out 10 more forever
| 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
them last. On the shining shore you will
talk il all over. The hsart-aches. The lone
illness. The slespless nights. The weeping
until YOU had no more power TO weep be-
caus, the heart was wthere1 and
dried I'D. Story OF empy cradle
and little shoe only half worn out
never to be worn again, just the shape OF
the foot that once pressed il. And creams
when YOU Thought the departed hal cone
back again, and the room seemed bright
with their faces, and You startel up to
greet them and in the effort the dream
broke and you found yourself standing amid
room IN the midnight-alone.
Talking it all over, AMI then hand IN
hand. walking up AMI down in the light.
No sorrow, no tears, no death. Oh, heaven!
beautiful heaven. Heaven where our friends
are. Heaven where we expect to be. In the
east they take cage Of birds and bring It T.
the tomb of the dead, and then they open
the door Of the cage, AMI the birds, flying
ont sing And would to-day bring cage
of Christian consultations to the grave OF
vour loved ones and would open the door
AMI let them FIJI all the air with the music
of their voices.
Oh. how they bound in these spirits be-
fore the thronel Some shout with glaiaass.
Sore break forth into uncomfortable weep
inc for iov. Some stand speechless in their
shoc,S OF delight. They sing. They culver
with excessive glalness. They gazs on Tue
temples, on the palaces. on the waters, on
each other. They weave their Joy into gar
lands. they spring it into trlumphai
arches. they strike in on timbreis, anu
then all the lovei onss gather IN
GREAT circle around the throne OF Coda.
fhers mothers brothers, sisters, sons and
daughters. lovers aud friends. hand TO hand
around about the throne of God-the circle
ever wideninz-haud to han !, JOY to JOY,
Jubilee TO Jubilee victory to victory, 'untl'
the dav break and the shadows nee away.
Turn thou. my beloved, AMI be Ike roe OF
a young hart upon the mountains o. De'"
err"