News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1892-05-26


dead More than once you and | have
been halted by such a Selah. You
wrung your hands and said, 81 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 a Selah of overthrow. 1t gave
you greater appreciation of the bless
ings that have gone; it will yet give you
greater appreciation of the blessings
that will come.
HISTORICAL CITATIONS.
When the Huguenots were being very
much prosecuted in France father and
mother were obliged to fly from the
country, leaving their child in the pos
session of a 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 frenzied 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 a 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-
amining the wrists of the young people,
when lol after awhile the father found
a maiden with scar upon her wrist.
She knew him not, but he knew her.
And oh, the JOY of the reunioni So it is
now :. Whom Whom thss 1esa l2seth hs a q.
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, 1T 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
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
Mirabeau: give me more laudanum,
that | may not think of eternity ard
what is to come And dying Hobbies
said, 81 leave my body to the grave and
my soul to the great perhaps" 1t was
the discord of an infidel's life breaking
down into the jargon of despair; but the
Gospel makes the death of the Christian
a Selah between redemption and en-
thronement. Almost well, " said dying
Richard Baxter. almost WELL" "Play
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
Lord, spare the green and
take the ripe This is the day | have
Ionged for. This is the day shall get
my crown. Come. let US fight it to the
last. Forward So you see there is
only short pause, Selah of intermis-
sion, between dying consultations on the
one side and overlapping raptures on the
other.
My flesh shall slumber in the ground
Till the last trumpet's joyful sound;
Then burst the chains with sweet surprise,
And in my Saviour's image rise.
AS AN EMPHATIC WORD.
| next speak of the Selah of emphasis.
Ewald, the German orientalist and theo-
N0gian, says that this word means to as
send; and wherever you find it, he says,
Tou must look after the meditation of
the voice and you must put more force
into your utterance. 1t is Selah of
emphasis. All! my friends, you and |
need to correct our emphasis. We put
too much emphasis on this world and
not enough on God and the next world.
People think these things around us are
so important, the things of the next are
not worthy of our consideration
The first need for some of us is to
change our emphasis. Look at wretch
edness on throne. Napoleon, while
yet emperor of France, sat down de-
jected, his hands over his face. A lat.
came in with 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, eyes"
- Your father has cottage and a few
acres of ground?' yes" "There is
said the detected emperor.
All! Napoleon never put the emphasis
in the RICH. place until he was expiring
at st. Helena.
On the other hand, look at Satisfac-
ton amid the worst earthly disadvan-
tage. Il never saw until | was blind"
said a Christian man. 81 never knew
what contentment was while | had my
eyesight as know what content is now
that l have lost my eyesight. | affirm,
though few would credit it, that would
not exchange my present position and
circumstances for my circumstances be-
fore l lost my eyesight." That man put
the emphasis in the right place. We
want to put less stress upon this world
and more stress upon our God as our
everlasting portion.
David had found out the nothingness
of this world and the all-sufficiency of
God. Notice how he interjects the
Selahs. Trust in the Lord at all times;
We, people, pour out your heart before
him. God is a refuge for us. Selah."
BLESSED be the Lord who daily loads
us with benefits, even the God of our
salvation. Selah." THE Lord shall
count, when he writeth up the people,
that this man was born there. Selah."
Let the world have its honors, and its
riches, and its pomp. Let ,@e have the
Lord for my light, my peace, my
fortress, my pardon, my hope, my
heaven. ~
What sinners value resign;
Lord! tits enough that thou art mine.
shall behold thy blissful face,
And stand complete IN righteousness.
This world is all an empty show,
But the bright world to which ! go
Hath joys substantial and sincere;
When shall wake and find me there2
glorious hour! o blest abode!
shall be near and like my God
And sin and sense no more control
The endless pleasures of my soul.
But when | speak of the Selah of en-
phasis must notice it is a startling,
dramatic emphasis 1t has in it the
Hank, the Hist of the drama That
Weakening and arousing emphasis we
who preach or instruct need to use more
frequently. The sleepiest audiences in
the world are religious audiences.
NECESSITY OF DRAMATIC FORCE.
You Sabbath school teachers ought to
have more of the dramatic element in
your instructions. By graphic Scripture
scene, by anecdote, by descriptive ges-
ture, by impersonation urge your classes
to right action We want in all ON.