Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1892-02-13

.ASalu learn from the misfortune of the
,king OF Babylon what a terrible thing is the
loss Oh reason. There is no calamity that
can possibly befall us in this worli so great
as the arrangement of intellect-to have the
Dody OF man and yet to fall even below
pne instinct OF brute In this world of sad
sights the saddest is the IDIOTS stare. Ia
TINS world OF awful sounds the most awful
Is the manlac's laugh. a vessel on the
rocks. when hundreds go down never TO rise,
and other hundreds drag their mangled and
shlvertng bodies up the wintry beach. is
nothing compared to the laundering of intel
Iects full OF vast hopes and attachments and
capacities. Christ's heart went out to those
who were epiieptic, falling into the fire, or
maniacs cutting themselves among the
tombs.
We are accustomed to be moro grateful
for physical health than for the proper
working of our mind. We are apt to take
it for granted that the intellect which has
served us so well will always be faithful.
We forget that an engine with such
tremendous power, when the wheels have
such yastness of circle aud such swiftness of
motion and the least impediment might put
it out of gear, could only be kept in proper
balance by a divine hand. No human
power could engineer this train of i'm mortal
faculties.
How strange it is that our memory. on
fortunes and occurrences of lifetime are
placed, should not oftener break down. and
that the scales of Judgment which have
been weighing so much and SO long, should
not lose their adjustment, and that fancy
which holds dangerous wand should not
sometimes maliciously wave it, bringing into
the heart foreboiings and Authorizations the
most appalling. 1t is not strange that the
expectations of this intellect should not be
do ad fn MIC nr1i re
Though SO delicately attuned, this instru-
ment OF untold harmonies plays on, though
fear shocks it, and vexations rack it. and
sorrow and joy and loss and gain in quick
succession beat out of it their dirge or draw
from it their anthem. At morning and at
night, when in your prayer you rehearse the
objects of your thanksgiving, next TO your
salvation by Jesus Christ, praise the Lord
for the preservation of your reason.
How many fine intellects are being de-
stroyed by anodynes and an@sthetics, which
were given by Providence for occasional use
in alienation of pain or insomnia, but by be-
ing employed continuously after awhile cap
ture and destroy. Choral, cocoaine bro
mide of potassium, opium and whole shelves
of seductive eteeteras that help turn
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS into imbecility into mad
ness. Do not triae With opiatss that bsnumb
the brain. Ii you cannot live without ths
perpetual aud enslaving Use Of them, you
had better die. Better die sane man than
live fool. What right have you to kill
your brain and put in will jaagle your
nervous system? But rum is the cause of
more insanity than anything else. There is
nothing like rum to put a man. like
Nebuchadnezzer, down on all fours.
Again, learn how quickly turns the wheel
of fortune, from how high up to how far
down went Nebuchadnezzar. Those now i'll
places of position and power, even though
they should live. will in a few years be DIS
regarded, while some, who this day are OH
scure and poverty stricken, will ride up on
the shoulders of the people to take their turn
at admiration and the spo;ls of office. Oh,
how quickly the wheel turns Ballot boxes
are the steps on which men come down as
often as they go up. OF those vino were
few years ago successful in the accumulation
OF property how few have not met with re-
verses of fortune, while many OF those who
then were straitenei in circumstances now
hold the bonds and the bank keys OF the ma
ton and win the most bows on the ex-
change.
OF all tickle people in the world Fortune
is the most tickle. Every day she changes
her mind and woe to that man who puts
any confidence in what she promises or
proposes. She cheers when you 20 up and
laughs when you come down. Oh, trust not
a moment your hearts affections to this
God From Christ's love gather your joy.
Then come sorrow or gladness, success or
defeat, riches or poverty, honor or disgrace,
health or sickness. lite or death, time or
eternity all are yours aud we are Christ's
and Christ is Gods
Learn also from my subject the comfort
ing truth that affections are arrested as soon
as they have accomplished their mission.
For seven years did Nebuchadnezzar dwell
among the beasts of the field, but at the
expiration of that time his reason returned,
and as soon as with proper humility he
acknowledged the God of heaven he was
brought back to his palace and reinstated in
his former affiuence and power Now 1t
does seem that when heavy trials come upon
us it is as though they had no limit. We
exclaim, San thy waves and thy pillows
have gone over me-" but forget that the
depth of that sea and the power of that
pillow are definitely determined.
God sees how much our pride Is and lie
sends Just enough adversely to humble il.
He sees just how worldly minded we are and
pulls us Just hard enough to detach us from
our follies. He sees how hard our heart it
and smites just hard enough to break it.
He sees how our eyes have been blinded and
He cuts only just enough to remove the scales
from our spiritual vision. AS soon as
Abrahams faith is sufficiently tried tho
lamb is provided As soon al Pharaoh con.
sents to let the children of Israel depart the
plague pauses. As soon as the Israeites have
been sufficiently disciplined by their wander.
lngs they find their way into Canaan. But
tosome the limit is not set in this life Their
whole pilgrimage is through the wilderness
and the world is to them valley of tears.
But perhaps God has special throne in
heaven that no ordinary saint can occupy,
and by extraordinary trials He has prepared
toat Christian soul for extraordinary glory.
Tod Will not keep yoa in the furnace one
moment too long. just as soon as Paul had
met with enough Imprisonment and scourg-
lngs he reached up and plucked his eternal
crown. God will keep US no longer under
the hammer and on the stocks than is neces.
sary to mt us Tor entrance into the haven of
eternal rest. Glory be to the divine grace
that, as soon as our Affections have accom-.
plished their mission, they are arrested.
The defeats and sorrows of life have some.
times been the greatest advantage 1t was
because Dante failed as a statesman that lie
gave up politics and wrote his immortal
"Divinia Conme1ia." 1t was Violent
thunderstorm that first set Martin Luther
seriously thinking, ami the thunder of this
worlds disaster has started reformation.
James Y Simpson went from surgeons
operating table TO experiment and see if he
could not find something that would alleviate
human pain, and he kept on until he had dis
the story Of distress has almost always been
followed by the story OF rescue.
For many years ali ter Shakespaare'S death
his work was so little appreciated that In
1865 there was only one edition of bis works,
and that of only three hundred copies in
existence and that edition was nearly all
burned in the great London fire. But forty
eight copies had been sold out of the city,
and those forty-eight copies saved Shakes
peare for all nations and all time. Your
suppression on a smaller scale may last a
good while, but for all you are worth you
will yet shine out on earth or in heaven.
Again, learn from my subject that con-
nected with the most distressing judgments
OF God there are displays of divine mercy.
God might justly have left Nebuchadnezzlr
IN the field, but infinite compassion brought
him back to the pllace. No sooner was Eden
basted than blessing followed on the heels
OF the curse promising the coming OF One
who would destroy sin and make the whole
world paradise. The DEUCE descends, but
not until Noah had invited the people into
the ark. The destroying angel comes upon
Egypt for the shifting of the first born, but
left unmolested every house whose door was
sprinkled with the blood of sacrifice.
Fiery tempests bear down upon Sodom,
but not until two angels have warned Lot
and his family to flee from the destruction.
Jerusalem was utterly DESTROYED but not
until Jeremiah had sounded an alarm,
bidding them turn from their denominations.
On the darkest cloud OF wrath their is
rainbow OF mercy. Zechariah in his pro.
phetic vision beheld four chaTiots, sYmool-
ical of Gods government
The first chariot was drawn by red horses.
| They indicated the wars that were coming.
The second chariot was drawn by black
horses. They indicated the coming of