The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1892-05-27

Will M " UP WIN niChucu, OF COlll-
mercial disaster, or grave, But, thank
God, il is not a breaking down II is
only pause. II helps Us to appreciate
the blessings that ARE gone, 1t gives us
higher appreciation Of the blessings that
are to come,
The Selah of Habakkuk and David Ia
a dividing line between two anthems.
David begins his book with the words,
BLESSED is the imam, and after seventy
four Selahs he closes his book with the
words, Praise ye the Lord, So there
are mercies behind us, and there are
going to be niercies before MS, Il isgood
| for us that God halts MS in our for
tunes, and halts us with physical dis
tress, and halts us at the graves of our
dead More than once you and have
wrung your hands and said, Il can't
see any sense in this Providence, can't
see why God gave me that child, if he is
so soon going to take it away, Oh, my
desolate home! Oh, my broken hearth
You could not understand it, But it
was not Selah of overthrow. 1t gave
you greater appreciation of the bless
ings that have gone; II will yet give You
greater appreciation of the blessings
that will come.
HISTORICAL CITATIONS.
When the Huguenots were being very
much prosecuted in France a father and
mother were obliged to fly from the
country, leaving their child In the pos
session of Il comparative stranger. They
did not know whether they would ever
return, or returning, if they would be
able to recognize their child, for by that
time she might be grown. The mother
was almost frehzied at the thought of
leaving the child, and then, even if COM
ing back again, not being able to know
her Before they left the father drew
his sword and he marked the wrist of
that child with deep cut. 1t must
have been great exigency to make a
father do that.
Years of absence passed on and after
awhile the parents returned, and their
first anxiety was to find their lost child.
They looked up and down the land, ex-
aiming the wrists of the young people,
when 10, after awhile the father found
maiden with scar upon her wrist.
She knew him not, but he knew her.
And oh, the joy of the reunionl So it is
now. Whom the Lord loveth he chas-
teneth. He cutteth, he marketh and
when he comes to claim his own the
Lord will know them that are his; know
them by the scar of their trouble, know
them by the stroke of their desolation
Oh. it is good that the Lord sometimes
halts us. David says, ut is good that
have been afflicted. Before | was
afflicted | went astray, but now have |
kept thy word" Indeed, we must all
soon stop. Scientists have improved
human longevity, but none of them
have proposed to make terrene life per-
petual But the Gospel makes death
only Selah between two beatitudes-
between dying triumph ON the one side
of the grave, and celestial escort on the
other side of the grave. Going out of
this life, to the unprepared. is a great
horror.
Give me more laudanum." said dying
Mira bean; give me more laudanum.
that | may not think of eternity ard
what is to come" And dying Hobbies
said, II leave my body to the grave and
my soul to the great perhaps" 1t was
the discord of an infdel's life breaking
down into the jargon of despair; but the
Gospel makes the death of the Christian
Seah between redemption and en-
thronement. Almost well" said dying
Richard Baxter "almnst well "Plav
those notes over again-those notes
which have been SO great delight and
solace to me, said the dying Christian
Mozart None but Christ, none but
Christ" exclaimed dying Lambert
Richard Cameron. the Scotch cove
nanter, went into the battle three times
praying Lord, spare the green and
take the ripe. This is the day | have
longed for. This is the day shall get
my crown. Come, let us fight it to the
last Forward" So you see there is
only a short pause, Selah of intermis-
sion, between dying consultations on the
one side and overlapping raptures on the
Dther.
My flesh shall slumber in the ground
Till the Last trumpet's joyful sound;
Then burt the chains with sweet surprise
And in my Savour's image rise.
AS AN EMPHATIC WORD.
next speak Of the Selah of emphasis
Ewald, the German Orientallst and theo
Logan, says that this word means to as
cend; and wherever you find it, he says
you must look after the modulation Of
| the voice and You must put more force
| into your utterance. 1t is a Selah o.
emphasis. All my friends, you and
need to correct our emphasis. We pu
too much emphasis on this world an(
not enough on God and the next world
People think these things around us ar
so important, the things of the next ar
not worthy Of our consideration
The first need for some of us is t,
change our emphasis. Look at wretch
edness on = throne Napoleon, Will
yet emperor OF france, sat down de
jected his han Is over his face. A Lac
came in with a tray of food and said
Eat, it will do you good" The EN-
peror looked up and said, You are from
the country" The lad replied, Yes.
Your father has cottage and a few
acres of grouud?" Yes" There i
happiness" said the detected emperor
All! Napoleon never put the emphasi
in the RICH. place until he was expirin
at St. Helena.
On the other hand. look at Satisfac
lon amid the worst earthly disalvar
age. II never saw until | was blind,
aid IL Christian man. Il never Ene'
what con;cE:M!cnt WIS while | had m
eye, light us know what content is no.
that have lost my eyC"lSht. affirm
though few would cret:it it, that woul
rot exchange my present position an
circumstances for my circumstances b.
fore lost my eyesignt. That man pr
the emphasis in the right place. W
want - put less stress upon tilis worl
and more stress upon our God as OF
everlasting lor,i"a
David had fonl,d ont TIE nothingne!
of this world aunl the all-sg.iciency {