The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1891-07-28

their wives and children far away, and
their hearts were thrilled with home
sickness as they heard the babe cry.
But tho music went On, aud the child
cried louder aud louder, and the brass
band played louder and louder, trying
TO drown out the infantile lnterruptlon
| when o swarthy miner, the tears rolling
down his face, got up and shook his fist,
aud said: .Stop that noisy band, ant
lgive the baby chance" Oh! there
was psthos in it, as we'll as good cheer
in 1t. There ls nothing to arouse, and
melt, and subdue the soul like chiid's
voice. But when 1t goes away from YOU,
the high chair becomes higher chair,
and there Is desolation all about you. Iu
three fourths OF the homes of this con.
gfegation there is vacant high chair
Somehow you never get over IL. There
is no one to put to bed at night; no one
TO ask strange questions about God and
heaven. Oh, what is the use OF that
high chair? 1t Is to call you higher
What q drawing upward 1t Is to have
children in heayenl And then it is such
preventive against sin. IT a father is
going away into san, he leaves the living
of Ills children with their mother; but il
the iather is going away into sin, what is
he 2oing to do with dead children float.
ing about him, and lowering over his
every wayward step. Oh, speak out,
vacant high chair, and say: Father,
come back from sin; mother, come back
from worldliness. am watching you
L am waiting tor you." With respect to
your child, the words Of my text hnVe
been fulfilled: "Thou shalt be missed,
because thy seat will lbe.empty."
My hearers. have gathered up the
voices of your departed friends and tried
to intone them into one invitation up.
ward. i set in array all the vacant chairs
of your homes and of your social cir.
Gle, and / bid them cry out this morning:
Thine is short, Eternity is near. Take
my Saviour. Be at peace with my God.
Come up where I am. We lived togeth-
er on earth, come let us live together in
heaven" We answer that invitation.
We come. Keep a seat for us, as Saul
kepta seat for David, but that seat shall
not be empty. And oh! when we are all
through with this world, and we have
shaken hands all around for the last time,
and all our chairs in the home circle
and in the outside world shall be vacant
may we he worshipplng God In that place
from which we shall go out no more for
ever. [ 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 him last! On the shining
shore you will talk it all over. The
heartaches. The loneliness. The sleep.
less nights. The weeping until you had
no more power to weep, because the
heart was withered and dried up. Story
of empty cradle and little shoe only
half worn out never to be worn again,
just the shape of the foot that pressed
1t. And dreams when you thought
the departed had come back again, and
the room seemed bright with their faces,
and you started up to greet them, and in
the effort the dream broke and you found
yourself standing amid-room in the
midnlhgt-alone. Talking it all over,
and then, hand in hand. walking up and
down In the light. No sorrow, no tears,
nc. o.death. Oh, heaven! beautiful heaven!
Heaven where our friends are. Heaven
where we expect to be. In the East
they take cage Of birds ant bring 1t to
the tomb of the dead, and then they
open the door of the cage, and the birds.
flying out, singing. And 1 would today
bring a cage OF Christian consultations to
the grave ofour loved ones, and would
open the door and let them ill all the
air with the music of their voices.
Oh, how they bound IN these spirits
before the throne! Some shout with glad
ness. Some break forth into unc
trollable weeping for JOY. Some stand
speechless In their shock Of delight. They
sing. They culver with excessive glad.
ness. They gaze on the temples, on the
palaces, on the waters, on each other.
The wave their Joy into garlands, they
spring it into triumphal arches, they
strike in on timbrels, and then all the
loved ones gather in a great circle
around the throne of God-lathers, moth.
ers, brothers, sisters, sous and daughters,
lovers and friends, hand to hand around
about the throne OF God-the circle ever
widening-hand to hand, Joy to 10y.
jubilee to jubilee, victory to victory,
''unti) the day break and the shadows
flee away. Turn thou, my beloved, and
be like "a roe or young hart upon the
mountain OF Betner."