The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1892-06-24

lhe SWORD, l'HM Coluly SLyS, II am now
ready to BE- offered, and Tie time Of my
departure j. at hand" But put my
hand over my eyes, want not to see
that last struggle, Oae sharp, kcoa
stroke, and Paul does SO to The banquet.
and Paul does dine with the king.
\ GLORIOUS TRANSITION.
What n transition it was! From the
malaria of Rome to the finest climate in
all the universe-the zone of eternal
beauty and health. His ashes We're put
In the catacombs of Rome, but in one
moment the air of heaven bathed from
his soul the last ache. From shipwreck,
from dungeon, from the biting pain of
the clmwood rods, from the sharp sword
of the headsman, he goes into the most
brilliant assemblage of heaven, king
among kings, multitudes of the saint,
hood rushing out and stretching forth
hands of welcome, for do really think
that AS on the right hand of God Is
| Christ, SO on the right hand of Christ is
Paul, the second great in heaven.
He changed kings likewise. Before
the hour of death, and up to the last
moment, he was under Nero, the thick
necked the cruel eyed, the filthy Tipped,
the sculptured features of that man
bringing down to us this very day the
horrible possibilities of his nature
seated as he was amid pictured mar
bles of Egypt, under roof adorned
with mother-of-pearl, in a dining room
which by machinery was kept whirling
day and night with most bewitching
magnificence; his horses standing in
stalls of solid gold, and the grounds
around his palace lighted at night by
| its victims, who had been bedaubed
with tar and pitch and then set on fire
to illumine the darkness. That was
Paul's king.
But the next moment he goes into the
realm of him whose reign is love, and
whose courts are paved with love, and
whose throne is set on pillars of love,
and whose scepter is adorned with jew.
els of love, and whose palace is lighted
with love, and whose lifetime is an eter-
nifty of love. When Paul was leaving
so much on this side the pillar of mar
tyrdom to gain so much on the other
side, do you wonder at the cheerful vale
dictory of the text, "The time of my
departure is at hand?'
Now, why cannot all the old people
have the same holy glee as that aged
man had? Charles |, when he was comb
ing his head, found gray hair, and he
sent it to the queen as a great joke; but
old age is really no joke at all. For the
last forty years you have been dreading
that which ought to have been an ex-
hilaration. You say you most fear the
struggle at the moment the soul and
body part. But millions have endured |
that moment, and may not we as well? |
They got through with it and so can we.
Besides this, all medical men agree in
saying that there is probably no struggle
at the last moment-not so much pain |
as the prick of pin, the seeming signs
of distress being altogether involuntary.
But you say, sit is the uncertainty of
the future" Now, child of God. do not
play the infidel. After God has filled |
the Bible till it can hold no more with
stories of the good things ahead. better
not talk about uncertainties.
THE GLORIOUS COMPANY.
But you say, II cannot bear to think
of parting from friends here" If you
are old, you have more friends in heaven
than here, Just take the census Take
some large sheet of paper and begin to
record the names of those who have emf.
grated to the other shore; the compan-
ions of your school days, your early
business associates, the friends of mid
life, and those who more recently went
away. Can it be that they have been
gone so long you do not care any more
about them, AMI you do not want their
society? Oh, no. There have been DAYS
when You have felt that you could not
endure another moment away from their
blessed companionship. They have gone.
You say you would not like to bring
them back to this world of trouble, even
if you had the power. 1t would not do
to trust you. God would not give you
resurrection power.
Before tomorrow morning you would
be rafting at the gates of the cemetery
crying to the departed: Come back to
the cradle where you slept. Come back
to the hall where you used to play!
Come back to the table where you used
to str and there would be great bur-
glary in heaven. No, no. God will not
trust you with resurrection power; but
he compromises the matter and says,
"You Cannot bring them where you are,
but you can go where they are" They
are more lovely now than ever Were
they beautiful here, they are more beau
tiful there
Besides that. it is more healthy there
for you than here, aged man. better
climate there than these hot summers
and cold winters and late springs; bet
ter hearing, better eyesight, more tonic
in the air, NOR, perfume in the bloom,
more sweetness in the song. Do you
not feel, aged luan, sometimes as though
You would like to get your arm and foot
free! DO you not feel as though you
would like TO throw away spectacles
and canes ana cruIcnes. would YOU
not like to feel the spring and elasticity
and mirth of IN eternal boyhood? When
,he point at which you start f. ON tits
world is old age, and the point to which
you go is eternal juvenescence, aged
man, clap your hands at the anticipa-
lion and say, in perfect rapture of soul, i
The time of my departure is at hai /. :" j
THAT WONDERFUL WORLD
remark again, all those ought to !
sc' tbs JOY of the slt who have holy
curiosity to know what is beyond this ,
Earthly terminus. And who has not
ay curiosity about it. Paul, suppose, !
lad the I~oSt satisfactory view of
le;eSrn and he says, at doth not vet ,,
appear what we snail be-" 1t is like ,
looking through Il broken telescope, ,
Now we see through IA glass darby"
Can you tell lie anything about that .
lcavenly place! You ask me thou
'and questions al'out it that | cannot
answer | ask you thousand questions
ibout it that you cannot answer And ,
10 you wu!,,,gr that Paul was SO glad U
when martyriOm r1ve him a chance TO a