The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1891-07-30

three children that he fell dead in thei
arms. And are you, oh man. going Il
Drln% wreath 0t JOY and Christian use
luluCss and put it on your fathers brow
or on tho vacant chair, or on the memo
ry OF the one departed? Speak out! oil,
armchair. With reference to your father
The words OF my text have been fulfilled
"lhou shalt be missed, because thy seal
will be cmpty.'
90 little further on in your house
anu 1lnd the mothers chair. 1t Is very
apt to he rocking chair. She had sc
many cares and troubles to sOothe that
II must have rockers. | remember it
well. 1t was an old chair, and the rock
erS were almost worn out, for was the
Youngest. and the chair had rocked the
whole lanlly. 1t made creaking noise
as 1t moved; bat there was music IN the
sound. L: was just high enough to a low
US children to put our heads into her
lap. That was the bank where we de-
posted all our hurts and worries. All!
what a chair that was. 1t was different
rom the fathers chair; 1t was entirely
different. You ask me how? | caunot
tell; bu" we all felt it was different. Per-
haps there was about that chair more
gentlcnesS, more tenderness, more uriet
when we had done wrong. When we
were wayward, father scolded, but moth
cr cried. 1t was a very wakeful chair,
In the sick days ofchidren, other chairs
could not keep awake; that chair always
kept awake-kept easily awake. That
chair knew all the old lullabies and all
those wordless songs which mothers
sing TO their sick childrcn-songs in
which all p ty, and compassion and sym
pathetic Influences are combined. That
Old chair has stopped rocking tor good
many years. 1t may be set up in the
loft or the yarrct, but it holds uueenly
power yet. When at midnight you went
into that grog- shop to get the intoxicat-
ing draught, did you not hear vol G
that said: My son, why go IN thcrc?"
Ard louder than the bolstcrous encore
OF the place OF sinful amusement, a voice
saying, My son, what do you here?"
And when you went Into the house of
abandonment, voice saying, "What
would your mother do If she knew YOU
were hcre:" And YOU were provoked
with yourself, and you charged yourself
with superstition and tanaticism and
your head got hot with your thoughts,
and you went home and you went to
bed, and no sooner had you touched the
bed than voice said: "What? pray.
crless pillow: Mali! what is the mat,
ter:' This: You are too near Your
mothers rocking chair.
"Oh, pshaw" YOU say, "Thcrc's
nothing in that; Pm 800 miles of from
where l was born; Pm 5000 miles of
from the church whose bell was the first
| ~.
that; you are two near yorr mothers
| rocking chair. son. you say, There
can't be anything in that; that chair has
| been vacant great WHILE" cannot
help that; it is al the migEticr for that
it is omnipotcnt. that vacant mothers
chair. 1t whispers; it speaks; it weeps
it carols; it mourns; it prays; it warns
it thunders. ~ young man went of anC
broke his mothers heart, and while he
was away from home his mother died
and the telegraph brought the son, anc
| he came into the room where she Law anC
looked upon her face, and he cried out
"Oh. mother! mother! what your life
could not do your death shall effect
This moment give my heart to God.'
And he kept his promise. Another vic.
tory for the vacant chair. With refer.
cncc to your mother, the words of my
text were fulfilled. Thou shalt be
missed, because thy seat Will be emp,
| ty."
| go on little further, and come tc
the invalld's chair. What! How lone
have you been sick? 80! l have been
sick ten, twenty, thirty years." Is il
possible? What story of endurance
There are in many of the families of my
congregation these invalid's chairs. The
occupants of them think they are dong
no good in the world bIt that iuvalid's
chair ls the mighty pulpit from WI icll
| they have been preaching all these years.
trust IN God. The first time preached
here at Lakeside, Ohio amid the throngs
present there was nothing that so much
impressed me as the spectacle of Just
one lace--the face of an invalid who
was wheeled in on her chair. | said &c
her afterwards: "Madam, how long have
You been pros;latcd?" for she was lying
Hat in the chair. "O!" she replied: II
have been This way fifteen years."
said: 'Do YOU suffer very much?" 80
yes" she said: II suffer very much;
suffer alt the time; part OF the time was
blind. | always suffer-" "Well,"
said: 'cau YOU keep your courage up?''
80 yes" she said; II am happy, very
harry indccd." Iicr face showed it,
She looked lhs happicst of any one on
the ground.
q! what means Ot Grace to the world,
these invald chairs. On that field o
human suffering the grace of God gets it's
victory. Edward Paysun the invalid
and Rlchald Baxter the invalid. and Rob
rrL Hail tho invalid, and ten thousand OF
whom the world has never heard, but O
whom all heaven Is cU9nlZant. The
most cons picuOus tinlG on earth tOl
G0d'S eye aud the eye Ul angels to resi-
on, is not Il throne UI earthly power, but
it is the invalld's char. q! these mer
and women who are always suffering
but never com claiming these victims OF
spinal disease, and neuralgia torture
aud rncumatic cXcruciali n will answer
10 the roli-call OF the martyrs, and ris,
TO the martyrs throne, and will wave
the martyrs palDl. But when one o
thcse inValids' chairs becomes vacant
no" suggestive j. is! No more bolster
'bS up ol Tie weary head. No NOR
| changing from side IN old. 10 c,,t On o,a,