Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1892-05-26

SICK bed, or q commerclal disaster, or
grave. Bat, thank God, 1t is NOT break
ing down; it is only pause. 1t helps us
to appreciate the blessings that are gone;
it gives us higher appreciation OF the Bless
ings that are to come.
The Selah of Habakkuk and David is a
dividing line between two anthems. David
begins his book with the words, blessed
Is the man. and after seventy-four Selahs,
he closes his book with the words, Praise
We the Lord" So there are mercies behind
us. It is good for us that God halts us in
our fortunes, and halts us with physical
distress, and halts us at the graves of our
dead More than once you and | have
been halted by such 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,
nv broken heart" You could not under
stand it. But it was not Selah of over
throw. 1t gave you greater appreciation
of the blessings that have gone; it will give
| you greater appreciation of the blessings
that will come. d,
When the Huguenots were being very
much prosecuted in France, father and
mother were obliged to fly from the coun-
try leaving their child in the possession of
| know whether they would ever return, or,
returning, if they would be able to recog-
| nize their child, for by that time she might
| be grown. The mother was almost fren-
zied at the thought of leaving the child,
and then, even if coming 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
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. examining
the wrists of the young people, when 10!
after awhile the father found maiden
with a scar upon her wrist. She knew him
not. but he knew her And oh, the Joy of
the reunion. So it is now. Whom the
Lord loveth he chasteneth.' He cutteth,
| he marketh, and when he comes to claim
| his own the Lord will know them that are
| his. know them bvtbescaro of their trouble.
know them bv the stroke of their desola-
tion.
TIE USES OF ADvERsITY.
Oh. it is good that the Lord sometimes
bnlts rs. David SAYS: 1T is good that |
| have heen afflicted BEFORE was afflicted
| went astrav. but now have | kept thy
word - Indeed we must all soon sion
Scientists have improved human lonpcv-
itv. but none of them have proposed to
| make trrrcue life ucruetual Knit the Cos
pel makes death only a Selah between two
| Northumberland dying triumph on
| one side of the grave and celestial escort
| ON +L, ot1 nr side If the crave Going ont
~ III. Tfe IN tho nnnrrnared i. a 5re,t
horror
Give me more laudanum," said diving
Mirabeau; give me more laudanum, that
| NAV not think of eternity and what is to
| come" And dying Hobbies said, Il leave
| nv body to the grave and NV soul to the
great perhaps" 1t was the dscord of an
infidel's life breaking down into the jargon
of despair; but the Gospel makes the death
of the Christian a Seah between redemp-
| tion and enforcement. almost well ~
said dying Richard Baxter; almost well {"
play those notes over again-those notes
| which have been so great a delight and
| solace to me-" said the dying Christian
| Mozart. None but Christ, none but
| Christ" exclaimed dying Lambert.
Richard Cameron, the Scotch covenant
er, went into the battle three times pray
ing: 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. For
ward" So you see there is only a short
pause, a Selah of intermission. between
dying consultations on the one side and
overlapping raptures on the other.
Nv flesh shall slumbcr in tbe ground
Till the last trumpet's joyful sound;
Then burst the chains with sweet surprise,
And in my Saviour's image rise.
THE sELAH OF EMPHASIS.