Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1892-04-22
THE FASTER SAERMON.
"sURELY THE BITTERNESS OF o
IS PAST" CRIED AeAe.

Lesson.
BROOKLYN, April 17.--Being Easter
morning, the Brooklyn Tabernacle congre-
cation had been invited to bring flowers
the night before, and Z bank Of them was
on the front of the pulpit and wreaths OF
them over the pulpit The word "Resur-
rection" was spelled out In letters of white
lilies Especial music was added to the
great congregational singing. Text, l
Samuel XIV, 80, "Surely the bitterness Of
death is past"
So cried Agag, and the only objection l
have to this text is that a bad man uttered
it. Nevertheless it is true, and in higher
and better sense than that in which it was
originally uttered. Years ago a legend
something like this was told me: In a
hut lived a very poor woman by the name
of Misery. In front of her door was pear
tree, which was her only resource for liv-
/ ing. Christ, the Lord, in poor garb was
walking through the earth and no one
would entertain him. In vain he knocked
at the door Of palaces and Of humble dwell
1 lings. Cold and hungry and insuftieiently
clad, as he was, none received him. But
coming one day to the hut Of this woman,
whose name was Misery, she received him.
and offered him a few crusts and asked
him to warm himself at the handful Of
Goals and she sat up ali night that tno
wayfarer might have pillow to rest on.
| In the morning this divine being asked
her as he departed what she would have
him do in the way of reward, and told her
that he owned the universe and would give
her what she asked. All she asked was
that her pear tree might be protected, and
I l., bo ctr har fruft
climbing the tree, might not be able to get
down without her consent So it was
granted and all who climbed the tree
were compelled to stay there. After
awhile Death came along ard told the poor
woman she must go with him. But she
did not want to go, for, however poor ones
lot is, no one wants to go with Death.
Then she said to Death, II will go with
you II you will first climb up into my pear
tree and bring me down a few pears before
l start" This he consented to do, but
having climbed into the tree he could not
again come down.
Then the troubles of the world began,
for Death did not come. The physicians
had no patients, the undertakers no bnsi-
ness, lawyers no wills to make, the people
who waited for inheritances could not get
them, the old men staid in all the profes
sions and occupations so that there was no
room for the young who were coming on.
and the earth got OvercrOwded, and from
all the earth the cry went up; "Oh, for
Death! Where is Deathg" Then the pe0-
pie came to the poor woman and begged
her to let Death descend from the tree. in
sympathy for the world, she consented 10
let Death come down on one condition, anf
that was that he should never modest or
take her away, and on that condition Death
was allowed to come down, and he kept his
word and never removed her, and for that
reason we always have Misery with us.
THE RESURRECTION.
In that allegOry some one has set forth
the truth that / mean to present on this
Easter morning, which celebrates the res
direction Of Christ and our coming resur-
rection-that one of the grandest and
mightiest mCrcies Of the earth is our divine
permission to quit it. Sixty-fOur persons
every minute step off this planet, Thirty
million people every year board this planet,
AS a steamer must unload before it takes
another cargo, and as the passengers of
rail train must leave it in order to have an
other company Of passengers enter it, so
with this world.
What would happen to an ocean steam
err if a man, taking a staterOOm, should
stay in it forever? What would happen 10
a rail train if one who purchases ticket
should always occupy the seat assigned
him? And what would happen to this
world if all who came into it never depart
ed from it? The grave is as much bene-
diction as the cradle. What sunk that
ship in the Black sea few days ago2 Too
many passengers. What was the matter
with that steamer on the Thames which, a
few years ago, went down with 600 livesi
Too many passengers. Now this world Is
only a ship, which was launched some six
thousand years ago. 1t IS sailing at
the rate of many thousand miles an
hour. 1t is freighted with mountains and
cities, and has in its stateroOms and steer
age about sixteen hundred million passen-
gers. So many are coming aboard, it Is
necessary that a good many disembark.
Suppose that all the people that have
lived since the days Of Adam and Eve were
still alive. What a cluttered up place TINS
world would be-nO elbow rOom-no place
to walk-no privacy-nothing to eat or
wear, or if anything were lett the human
race would, like shipwrecked crew, have
to be put on small ratiOns, each Of us hav-
ing perhaps only a biscuit day. And
what chance would there be for the rising
generations2 The men and women who
started when the world started would keep
the modern people back and down, saying;
1--WE are six thousand years old. Bow
down. History Is nothing, for we are older
than history" What a mercy for the hui
man race was DEATH Within few years
you can get from this world all there Is
in it.
After you have had fifty or sixty or
seventy springtimes, you have seen enough
blossoms. After fifty or sixty or seventy
autumns you have seen enough Of gorgeous
foliage, After fifty or sixty OF seventy
winters, you have seen enough snOwstorms
and felt enough chills and wrapped your
self in enough blankets. In the ordinary
length Of human life you have carried
enough burdens, and shed enough tears,
and suffered enough injustices, and felt
enough pangs, and been clOuded by enough
doubts, and surrounded by enough mys-
teries. We talk about the shOrtness OF
life, but if we exercised good sense we
would realize that life is quite long enough.
II we are the children Of God we are at
banquet, and this world is only the first
course Of the food, and we ought to be
glad that there are other and better and
richer courses of food to be handed on
We are here in one room Of our Fathers
house, but there are rooms mp stairs. Ihey
are better pictured better upholstered,
better furnished. Why do we want to
stay in the anteroom forever, wien there
are palatial apartments waiting for our
occupancy? What n mercy that there is a
limitation to earthly environments!
PHYSICAL FRAILTIEs.
Death also makes room for improved
physical machinery. Our bodies have
wondrous powers, but they are very linn
tied. There are beasts that can Outrun US,
stlift us, outcarry us The birds have
s j the earth and air for travel, yet we
JUL . stick to the one. In this world,
-7' .-ss-v-'- race takes for its own,
-. = ne Tina. Z, :, issst caa far sur
pass us in some things Death ~ a,,,l
this slower and less adroit machinery ~.
makes room for something better a'hS,
eyes that can see hall mile will be L 4