Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1892-02-12

cnV W Nitncoa. LOU HdNc your pen III uhnu.
There is ink in the pen. There is only one
thing for you to do, and that is to sign your
name. Suppose you stop now without
signing your name, what does it all amount
toy Nothing.
SO you have resolved to give yourself up
to God. You propose TO sign Off TO Him
your body. your mind, your soul. You have
all things necessary for the transfer. The
angels of God are here to witness the eter-
nal transfer. Why do you not now with
your will complete the works Halt where
you are aud all goes for nothing. Sign your
name to this spiritual transfer.
Professor Arago the mathematician, got
woefully discouraged in his work and was
about to give it up, when he saw some words
on the paper which had been usel to stiffen
the cover of his book and the words being
indistinct he dampened the cover until he
could take it off and see the words plainly
and be found they were words of advice
given by DAlembert to a student, and the
words were go on, sir; 90 onT DYE who
are convicted, "Go onw You must take one
more step or all the steps you have taken
will amount to nothing. Go on
Again learn from the misfortune of the
king of Babylon what a terrible thing is the
loss Of reason. There is no calamity that
can possibly befall us in this worli so great
body of a man and yet to fall even below
the instinct of brute. In this world Of sad
sights the saddest is the idiots stare. In
this world of awful sounds the most awful
is the lsaniacs laugh. vessel on the
rocks, when hundreds 60 down never to rise,
and other hundreds drag their mangled and
shivering bodies up the wintry beach, is
nothing compared to the laundering Of intel
lects full Of vast hopes aud attainments and
capacities. Christs heart went out to those
who were epileptic, falling into the fire, or
maniacs cutting themselves among the
tomhs,
We are accustomed to be more grateful
for physical health than for the proper
working of our mini. We are apt to take
it for granted that the intellect which has
served US SO well will always be faithful
We forget that an engine with such
tremendous power, when the wheels have
such vastness OF circle an1 such swiftness Of
motion and the least impediment might put
it out of gear, could only be kept in proper
balance by a divine hand. No human
power could engineer this train OF i'm mortal
faculties.
How strange it is that our memory, on
whose shoulders all the successes and mis-
fortunes and occurrences of a lifetime are
placed, should not oftener break down, and
that the scales of judgment, which have
been weighing 50 much and so long, should
not lose their adjustment, and that fancy,
which holds dangerous wand should not
sometimes maliclously wave it, bringing into
the heart forebo lings and hallucinations the
most appalling. It is not strange that the
expectations of this intellect should not DO
dashed to pieces on its disappointments?
Though so delicately attuned, this instru-
ment OF untold harmonies plays on, though
fear shocks it, Gni vexations rack it, and
sorrow and joy and loss and gain in quick
succession beat out Of it their dirge or draw
from it their anthem. At morning ard at
night, when in your prayer you rehearse the
objects of your thanksgiving, next to your
salvation by Jesus Christ, praise the Lord
for the preservation of your reason.
How many fine intellects are being de-
stroyed by anodynes and anmsthetics, which
were given by Providence for occasionalu use
in alienation of pain or insomnia, but by be-
ing employed continuously after awhile cap
ture AMI destroy. Choral cocaine, bro
mide Of potassium, opium aud whole shelves
of seductive etceteras that help turn
Nebuchadnezzars into imbeclity into mad
ness. Do not trile with opiat.s that benunb
the BRAIN. If you cannot live without the
perpetual aud enslaving use of them, you
had better die. Better die a sane man than
i've lOOl. " lidb Aithb haND 1oh ~ Aiii
YOUR brain and put in vii jangls your
nervous system? But rum is the cause of
more insanity than anything else. There is
nothing like rum 20 put man, ike
Nebuchadne ZZsr, down on all fOurs.
Again, learn how quickly turns the wheel
of fortune, from how high up 70 how far
down went Nebuchadnezzar. Those now in
places OF position AMI power, even though
they should live, will in few years be dis
regarded, while some, who this day are OBJ
scure and poverty stricxel will ride uD on
the shoulders OF the people to take their turn
at admiration AMI the spols Of Office. Oh,
how quc Sly the wheel turns Ballot boxes
are the steps on winch men come down as
often as they 90 up. OF those who were
few years ago successful in the accumulation
of property how few have not met with r.
verses OF fortune while many Of those WAC
then were straitenei il circumstances now
hold the bon Is ami the bank keys OF the ma
ton and win the most bows on tho ex-
change.
OF ell tickle people in the worll Fortune
is the most tickle. Every day she changes
her mind, and woe to that man VINO puts
any confidence in what she promises or
uroposcs, She cheers when yOu 20 up AMI
laughs when you come down. Oh, trust not
n moment your hearCS affections 10 tnls
changeabe world. Anchor your soul L.
God. From Chrisys love gather your JOY
Then come sorrow or gladness, success or
defent. riches or poverty honor or disgrace,
health OF sickness lie or death, time or
eternity, all are yours AMI we are Christs
and Christ is Gods.
Learn also from my subject the comfort
ing truth that Affections are arrested as soon
as they have accomplished their mission.
For seven years did Nebuchadnezzar dwell
b. ka fold n
expiration OF that time his reason returned,
and as soon as with proper humility he
ecknowle lged the Col OF heaven be was
brought back to his palace and reinstated IN
his former afiluence and power No" IL
does seem that when heavy trials come upon
Us it is as though they had no limit. we
exclaim. "All thy waves and thy pillows
have gone over me-" but forget that the
depth OF that sea and the power OF that
pillow are definitely determinei.
God sees how much our pride IS ana nc
sends lust enough adversely to humble Il.
He sees Just bow worldly minded we are aaI
pulls MS lust hard enough to detaca us IRON
our follies. He sees how hard our heart u
and smites just hard enough TO break 1t;
He sees how our eyes have been blinded ana
He cuts only just enough to remove the scales
from our spiritual vision. As soon az
Abraham's faith is sufficiently tried the
lamb is provided. As soon as Phsraoh con-
sents TO let the children of Israel depart the
plague pauses. AS soon as the Israelites have
been sufficiently disciplined by their wander
ings they find their way into Canaan. But
tosome the limit is not sot in this life. Their
whole pilgrimage is through the wilderness
and the world is TO them a valley OF tears.
But perhaps God has a special throne in
heaven that no ordinary saint can occupy,
and by extraordinary trials He has prepared
thst Christian soul for extraordinary glory
God will not keep you in the furnace one
moment too long. Just as soon as Paul had
met with enough Imprisonment and scourg-
ings he reached up and plucked his eternal
crown. God will keep US 70 longer under
the hammer and on the stocks than Is neces-
sary 10 fit us for entrance into the haven OF
eternal rest. Glory be to the divine grace
that. as soon as our Affections have accom-
pbshed their mission, they are arrested.
The defeats and sorrows Of life have some
times been the greatest advantage. 1t was
because Dante failed as a statesman that ho
gave up politics and wrote his immortal
"Divinia COnmeiia." 1t was violent
thunderstorm that first set Martin Luther
seriously thinking, and the thunder OF this
worlds disaster has started reformation.
James Y Simpson went from surgeons