Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1891-12-11

Ludh love l1lnlf Ab lucsS btuVS VI bs~%y
rise We have 10 tetreat and hold fast lest we
be swept off and drowned in the emotions or
gladness and thanksgiving and triumph.
What think you OF tia family property!
Il is considefod En- honor TO marry into
family where there Is great wealth Inc
Lord, th bridegroom OF earth and heaven,
offers you His heart and His hand, saying
M the words OF the Canticles, Rise up, MY
love, NJ fair one and come away" ana
once having put on toy hand the siguet ring
OF His love, you will be endowed with all tne
wealth Of earth and all the honors oil heaven
Almost every family looks back to home
stead--some country place whore you grew
up. You sat on the doorsill. You heard the
footstep OF the rain on Nhe garrett roof. You
swung on the gate. You ransacked the
bdrn ycu waded into the brook. You
thrashed the orchard for apples, ard the
neighboring woods for nuts, ard
everything around the old homestead
is OF interest TO you. | tell you Of the old
homestead Of eternity. In my Fathers
house are many mansions. When we talk
OF mansions we think OF Chatsworth and its
PARK, nine miles in circumference, and its
conservatory that astonishes the world; its
galleries Of art that contains the triumphs
Of Chantrey, Canova and Thorwaldsen; of
the kings aud the queens who have walked
its stately halls, or, flying over the heather,
ndve hunted the grouse. But all the dwell
ing places OF dukes AMI prices and Gusens
are as nothing to toe family mansion that Is
already awaiting on our arrival. The hand
Of the Lord Jesus lifted the pillars and swunq
the doors AMI planted the parks. Angels
walk there, AMI ths gods OF all dyes, The
poorest man in that house is a millionaire,
and the lowliest a king, and the tamesi
word he speaks in an anthem and the short
est life an eternity.
1t TOOK Paxton to build for Caatswortl
covering for tue wonderful flower, Vic
tcrid Rsgta, five fest in diameter. But our
Lily of the Valley shall neei no shelter from
the blast and in the open gardens OF Col
shall put forth its full bloom, aud all heaven
sfGll come to look at it. and its aroma shall
be as though the cherubim had swung before
the throne thousand canserS. have not
seen it yet. am in foreign land. But MY
Father is waiting for ME to come home !
have brothers and sisters there. In the
Bible have letters from there telling me
what fine place it is. Ii matters not much
ID me whether [ am rich or poor, or whether
the world hates me or loves me, or whether
| 60 by land or by sea, il only | may lift my
eyes at last on the family mansion.
1t is not frail house, built in a month,
coon to crumble, hut an old mansion which
Is as firm as the day il was built. It's walls are
grown with the ivy OF many ages, and the
lrns at the gateway are abloom with the
century plants OF eternity. The Queen OF
Saeba hath walked its halls. aud Esther AMI
Marie Antoinette and Lady Huntingdon AMI
Cecil and Jeremy Tayl0f and Samuel Ruth
srford and John Milton, and the widow who
gave two mites, and the poor men from the
lospital-these last two perhaps outshining
all the kings and queens OF eternity.
A family manson means reunion. Some
Of your families are very much scattered
The children married and went Off TO st.
louis or Chicago or Charleston: but per-
haPs once a year you COME together at tne
bid place. How You wake up the old piano
hat has been silent for years Father and
mother do not play in III How you bring
)ut the old relics, and runlmaZe the gar.
ret, and open old scrapboo ;, aud shout aud
laugh ami cry and talk over old times and,
though you may be forty-ive years OF age,
ict as though you were sixteen. Yet
soon it is goodbye at the car window, anu
200 lbye at the steamboat wharf. But how
viii we act at the reunion in the old family
mansion Of heaven? IL IS a good while since
you parted at the door Of the grave. There
aill be Grace AMI Mary and Martha and
Charlie and Lizzie and all the darllngs OF
your househo.d-nos pale and sicI AMI gasp
ing for breath, as when you saw them last,
out the eye bright with the lustec Of heaven,
ana the cheek roseate VITA the huSl Of celes-
ial summhr.
What c!asoinZ OF han Is! What EN-
oracingsl What coming together OF lip b
ipl What tears Of joy! You say, II
thought there were no tears in heaven.
There must be, for the Bible says that 'Io1
,hall wipe them away" and II there were no
tears there. how could He wipe them away?
They cannot be tears OK grief or tears OF dls'
apooinlment: They must be tears OF glat-
ness. Christ will come AMI say: wv hat
,hild of heaven, is it too mich for thee?
Dost thou break down under the Gladness OF
this reuniJn2 Then l will help thee" AND,
with His ons arm around US AMI tn, ot1or
arm around our love one, lie shall noId u
I'D in the eternal jubilee.
While speak. soma OF you, with broken
hearts. can hardly bid your polc,. You
feel as If you would speak out all say; va
blessed day speel on. TOwarl thee pres
with blisterei feet over the desert way. NY
eyes fail for their weeping. faint from
listening Tor feet that will not cJ1le an t15
sound OF voices that will not speak. SpeeI
on. oh. day Of reunion Aud then, Lord
Jesus be not an Try with me il after l have
Just once kssel Thy blessed feet turd
around to gather ~ the long lost treasure;
Of my heart. Ga, be not angry with me-!
One look at Thee were heaven. But all these
reunions are heaven encircling heaven,
heaven overtoppny heaven, helvel con-
minglirs with HEAVIER"
| was at Mount Vernon and went into thu
dining-room in which our first President en-.
terta;ne the prominent men OF tins AMI
other lands. IL was a very interesting spot.
But oh, the banquetins hall OF tle family
mansion of which SPEAK! Spread the Ia
bic: spread it wide. for q great mul4tlie
are 10 sit at il. From the Tree by tae River
gather the twelve manner Of fruits for that
table. Take the clusters from the
heavenly vineyards and press them
into the golden tankards for that
table. On baskets carry in the bread OF
which, il man eat. he shall never hunger.
Take all thu shot-torn flags OF earthly con-
quest and entwine them among the arches;
let David come with his harp, and tiaoriei
with his trumpet, and Miriam with the
timbrel. for the prodigals are at home, ana
the captives are free, AMI the Father hasl
invited the mighty of heaven and the re-
deemed OF earth to come and dine.