The record-union., 1891-11-09

and loss. and disappointment. He who
wept with the sisters at the grave of their
brother Lazarus, will mingle his tears of
divine sympathy with yours. ALAS for
grief, but for those tears which fell at
Bethany" Jesus was man of sorrows
and acquainted with grief. His spmpa-
thy is the surest balm for grief-Stricken
hearts. There is no other source of com
fort. The poets have said beautiful things
about death and grief, but they cannot
heal the wound
Be still sad heart and cease repining.
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining.
Thy fate is the common fate OF all,
Into each life some rain must fall,
Some days be dark and dreary.
That may be very true, but it is no COM
fort to me in the hour Of grief to be told
that my fate is the common fate Of all.
The fact that others have suffered does
not ease my burdened heart.
That loss is common would not make
Ny own less bitter, rather more.
But TO be assured that God is the God
of all comfort, and doeth all things well,
gives me rest, and quiet, and peace.
This Shunemite woman teaches us to
| bow subniissively to the divine will and
in the darkest hour of our life say 1T is
WE'LL" There are times when we find
it hard to say these words. Sight cannot
say them. Our natural feelings cannot.
Only faith in the wisdom and goodness
of God can say TT is we'll"
In the trial hours OF life we need great,
strong, truths to lean on. Those were
great strong words that Job spoke. They
will hold their place in literature as long
as time endures. We cannot afford 10
lose them. They are so helpful to us. In
the day when he was stripped of all his
possessions, when the children of his
heart were all taken from him by one
terrible blow, he bowed himself to the
earth and said the Lord gave and the
Lord hath taken away: blessed be the
name Of the Lord. Though He slay me,
yet will l trust in Him.
Many of us have tried to repeat his
words in our night of sorrow and have
tailed. Gods providences perpleX US.
lie moves in mysterious way. Clouds
and darkness are round about Him.
Great things doth He which we cannot
comprehend. But in the darkest mid
night hour of grief the Christian knows
that God reigns and doth all things well.
The cloud that veileth love, itself is love.
All things work together for good. His
chasusementS are for our profit. In the
hard, stony seed lies concealed the germ
that will blossom into sweetness and
beauty. The discipline of disappoint-
ment prepares the soul for higher service
and more heroic achievement Gods
ways seem dark and tortuous, but soon
or late they open into the shining halls of
day. Therefore we will wait and muir
mur not. | am thankful to Whittier for
that psalm he wrote. 1t is "my psalm"
as well as his:
All as God wills who wisely heeds
To give or to withhold,
And knoweth more Of all my needs
IMAM all my prayers have told.
Enough that blessings undeserved
Have marked my errng track
That wheresoe'er my feet have swerved
His chastenings turned me back.
That more and more Providence
or love is understood
Making the springs of time and sense
Sweet with eternal good;
That death seems but covered way
Which opens into light
Whprin no blinded child can stray
Beyond the Fathers sight
That care and trial seem at last
Through memory's sunset-air,
Like mountain ranges oyerpast
In purple distance fair.
That all the Earring notes of life
Seem blending into psalm
And all the angles of its strife
Slow rounding into calm.
And so the shadows fall apart
And so the west winds play,
And all the windows of my heart
open to the day.
When death removes our loved ones it
viii help us to say ''It is we'll" if we re-
member that death is but covered wav
which opens into light" The story we
studied this morning reminds us that
uedIn IS DuI sleep, ana that our loved
ones will be restored to US and we to
them By the power of God this child
was restored to life and to his mother. AS
Christ called back to life and delivered to
the widowed mother of Main her only
son, so He will deliver to US our dear
ones who have gone on before, and are in
His keeping. Life shall live fOrevermore.
The open, abandoned sepulcher that once
held the sacred body of our Lord is proof
and pledge and prophecy of our own re-
surrection to life and glory with Him.
For if we believe that Jesus died and
rose again, even so them also who sleep
in Jesus will God bring with him." AS
we have borne the image of the earthly
we shall also bear the image of the
heavenly. In those mansions of light
dear friends, parted on earth, shall meet
again. Life is ever lord Of death, and
love can never lose its own" AS David
said when his boy died, He shall not re-
turn 10 me. but l shall 90 to him" And
we shall know them when we meet. Our
loved ones live with God, and there we
shall find them worthier to be loved.
Then let us stretch our hands in darkness
And call our loved ones DER and DER.
Some day their arms shall close about us
And the old voices speak once more