Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1892-05-27


until he was expiring at st. Helena.
On the other hand, look at Satisfaction
amid ths worst earthly disadvantage. II
never saw until was blind" said CHRIS
tan man. II never knew what content
ment was while had my eyesight as know
what content is now that | have lost my
eyesight. / affirm, though few would credit
il. that [ would not exchange my present
position and circumstances foc my cireum-
stances before 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 Go1 as our ever
lasting portion.
David had found out the nothingness of
this world and the all-sufficiency OF Goi
Notice how he interjscts the Selans Trust
in the Lord at all times; ye people, pour ou1
YOUR heart before Him. God is refuge Tor
ms. Selah." BLESSED be- the Lord who
daily loads us with benefits, even the 1o1 oil
our salvation Selab." "Tne Lord snall
count, when He wrtsth uo the people. that
this man was born there. Selah." Let the
world have its honorS, AMI its riches, and It's
pomp. Let me have ths Lord for my llght
INV peace my fortress, my pardon, my hope,
my heaven.
What sinners value resigl;
Lord It's enough that Thou AIT mine.
snail behold Thy bssia lace,
And stand CON 1ets In righteousness
This world is all on empty show,
But the bright world to wnicn 20
Hath Joys substantial and sincere;
When shall [ wake aud find me there!
O Glorious hour! o blest abode.
shall be near snd ike my Goo,
And sin and sense no more colTo
The endless pleasures OF my soul
But when 1 speak Of the Selah of emphasis
I must notics it is startling, dramatic
emnhasis. 1t has in it tls Hirk, the Hist
of the drama That Weakening and arouslng
emphasis We who preach OF lnstrucS need
To use more frequently. The sleepiest
audiences in this world are religious
Won Sabbath-school teachers ought to
have more of the dramatic elemen IN your
instructions. BY graphic Scripture scene. by
auec1ote. by descriptive gesture. by Il
personation urge your classes to right acton.
I've want in all our schools AMI colleges an
PRAYER meetings and in all our attempts at
raform. and in all cur churches to have less
of ths STYLE didactic an1 mora of the style
dramatic. -
Fifty ESSAYS about the sorrows Of the poor
could not affect ms as a little drama OF acct
dent and suffering saw one slippery morn
inc in the streets Of Philadelphia. Just
ahead OF me was lad, wretchet III apparel,
his limb amputlted at tAe knee; from tae
pallor of the boys cheek the anOutation no1
long before. He had package OF orokeq
food under his arm-foo1 he had bsgge
supposed at the doors. As he pAs,e1 on
over the slippery pavement cautiously ana
carefully. | steadiei him until his crutcn
slinne1 and he fell helps1 him up as wsI
as could. gathered up tde fragments o. tns
nackage as well as could, put them under
ona arm and the crutcl under the other
arm. hut when | sawths bloo1 run down
his male cheek l was completely overcome
Fifty ESSAYS about the suffering OF the poor
could not touch one like that little drama Oh
accident and suffering.
%. we want in all our different depart
ments OF ussfulness-and | address hun treds
of people who are trying to do good-we
want more of the dramatic eiement an 1855
of the diiactic. The tendency IN this way
is to drone religion, to moan religion, to
croak religion, to sepulclrizs religion, wne1
waought to present it in animated and spec
tacular manner. =
Sabbath morning by Sabbath morning
! address many theological stu tents VINO ara
nreparing for the ministry. They come in
here from the different institutions. L say
/ to them this morning: If you will 60
home aud look over the history OF Cne
church YOU will find that thosa
]
Christ who have been dramatic Rowland
Hill, dramatic; Thomas Chalmers, dramatic;
Thomas Guthrie, dramatic; john Knox,
dramatic. Robert McCheyne, dramatic
Christmas Evans dramatic; George White
fed. dramatic: Robert Hall, dramatic,
Robert South, dramsEs. Fenelon, dramatic;
John Mason. dramatic. Dr. Mott, dramatic.
When you get into thu ministry, IL you al
tempt to culture that element and try TO
WELD it for God you will meet with mighty
rebuff and caricature and ecclesiastical
counsel will take your case in charge, and
they will try TO put you down, but the Zoo
who starts you will help you through, anc
GREAT will be the eternal rewards for the as
siduous and the plucky.
What we want ministers and laymen, is
to get our sermons, and our exhortatlons,
and our prayers out of the old rut. seq q
great deal of discussion in the religious pa
pers about why people do not come tc
Church. They do not come because they are
mot interested. The old hackneyed religious
phrases that come moving 90 wn through
the centuries will never arrest the masses.
What we want to-day, you in your sphere
and l in my sphere, is to freshen 'up. Peo-
pie do not want in their sermons the sham
flowers bought at the millinery shop, but
the japonicas wet with the morning dew;
nor the heavy bones o. extinct megatherium
Of past ages but the living reindeer caught
last August at the edge OF Schroon lake.
We want to drive out the drowsy, and the
prOsaic and the tedious. and the humdrum,
and Introduce the brightness and vivacity,
and the boy sarcasm, and the sanctifed
wit, aud the epigrammatic power, and the
blood red earnestness, and the fire Of relig-
ious zeal and do not know of any way
| of doing it as well as through the dramatic.
Attention, Behold Hark. Selahl
Next speak of the Selah OF perpetuity
The Targum, which is the Bible in Chaldee
renders this word of my text forever.
Many writers agree in believing and stating
that one meaning of this word is forever "
In this very verse from which l take my
text Selah means not only poetic significance
aud intermissIon and emphasis, but it means
eternal reverberation - forever God;
government forever. Gods goodness for
ever. OF course you and 1 have moi
surveyors chain with enough LINKS &c
measure that domain OF ulsaning. In this
world we must build everything on small
scale. A hundred years are q great while.
A tower five hundred feet is great height.
A journey OF four thousl mi miles is very
long. But eternity Ii ths arciangel has
not strength Of wing to fly across it. but
fntters and drops like a wounded seagul
| lucfc ID no uccu VI OuI III jue Sn1du
shallow Of human thought to voyage
across it.
A skeptic, desiring TO show his contempt
for the passing years and to show that he
could build enduringly, hal his owl
sepulcher made Of the finest and the hardest
marble, and then he had put on the door thu
words. "For time and for eternity" but i
50 happened that the seed OF tree somehow
got into an unseen crevice of the marble.
That seed grew ami enlarged until it became
a tree and split the marble to piecss. Their,
can be no Generalization of anything earthly
But forever Will you and live as long a
that? We are apt to think OF the grave a
ths terminus. We arc apt to think OF thu
hearss as our last vehicle. We are apt {
think of seventy or eighty or ninety years
AMI then a cessation.
Instead OF thai we find tle marble slab o.
the tomb is only a miestone, marking th'
first mile, and That the great journey Is be
You'd. We have only time enough in thi
world TO put on the sandals and to clasp oui
eirdle and TO pick up our staff. We take ou
first step from cradle to grave, AMI then W
ooen the door and start--great God whittier