The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1892-12-14

through great trl bulatlOn into the
kingdom of our God. Who would not
rather have the pains of this life, the
misfortunes of this life-who would not
rather be torn, and wounded, and
and at last go in amid the very
best grain of the granary, than TO be
pronounced not worth husking at all!
Nubbins. In other words, ! want TO
say toyou people who have distress OF
body, and distress in business, and dis
tress of all sorts the Lord has not any
grudge against you. 1t is not deroga-
tory. it is complimentary. 'Whom the
Lord loveth he chasteneth, and it is
proof positive that there is something
valuable in you, or the Lord would not
have husked you.
You remember also, that in the time
of husking it was neighborhood re-
union. By the great fireplace in the
winter, the fires roaring around the
glorited back logs on an old-fashioned
hearth, of which the modern stoves and
registers are only the degenerate de-
scendants, the farmers used to gather
and spend the evening, and there would
be much sociality; but it was not any
thing like the JOY of the husking time,
for then all the farmers came. and they
came in the very best humor, and they
came from beyond the meadow, and they
came from beyond the brook, and they
came from regions two and three miles
around Good spirits reigned supreme
and there were great, handshal1ings,
and there was carnival and there was
the recital of the brightest expert
ences in all their lives, and there was
neighborhood reunion the memory of
which makes all the nerves of my body
tremble with emotion as the strings OF
harp when the fingers of the player
have swept the chords The husking
time was the time of neighborhood re-
union, and so Heaven will be just that.
There they come! They slept in the old
village churchyard. There they come
up They reclined amid the fountains
and the sculpture and the parterres of
cit cemetery. There they come up!
dered off Cape Hatteras. They come up
from all sides-from Potter's field and
out OF the solid masonry of Westminster
abbey. They come up! They come up! All
the hindrances to their better nature
husked off. All their spiritual despond-
encies husked off. All their hindrances
to usefulness husled off The grain,
the golden, the God-fashioned grain,
visible and conspicuous. Some of them
on earth were such disagreeable Chris
tians you could hardly stand in their
presence. Now in Heaven they are so
radiant you hardly know them, The
fact is, all their imperfections have been
husked off. They did not mean on
earth to be disagreeable.g They meant
well enough, but they told you how sick
you looked, and they told you how
many hard things they had heard about
you, and they told you how often they
had to stand up for you in some
battles until you wished almost that
they had been slain in some Of
the battles Good, pious, consecrated,
well-meaning disagreeables. Now, in
Heaven, all their otfensiveness has been
husked off. Each one is as happy as he
can be- Everyone he meets rs happy as
he can be. Heaven one great neighbour
hood reunion. All kings and queens,
all songsters, all millionaires, all ban
queters God, the Father, with His
children all around Him. No good
bye" in all the air. No grave cut in all
the hills. Rivers of crystal rolling over
bed of pearl, under arch of chrysoprase,
into seas of glass mingled with fire.
Stand at the gate of the granary and
see the grain come in; out of the frosts
into the sunshine, out of the darkness
into the light, out of the tearing and
the ripping and the twisting and the
wrenching and decorating and the husl.
ing time of earth into the wide-open
door of the Kings granary, like as a
shock Of corn cometh in in his season.
Yes, Heaven is great sociable, with
JOY like the JOY of the husking time.
No one there feeling so big he declines
to speak to some one that is not Sc
|
smallest cherub. No boiling of the
door of caste at one heavenly mansion
to keep out the children of smaller
mansion. No clique in one corner whis-
pering about clique in another corner,
David taking none of the airs of a
giant-killer. Joshua making no one
halt until he passes, because he made
the sun and moon halt Paul making
no assumption over the most ordi
nary preacher of righteouness. Naa
man, captain of the Syrian host, nc
more honored than the captive maid
who told him where he could get good
doctor. o, my soul, what country
The humblest man king. The poor,
est woman queen. The meanest
,,aousc palace. The shortest lifetime
eternity. And what is more strangs
about it all is, we may all get there
"Not l." says some one standing bach
under the galleries. Yes, you; Not I,
says some one who has not been il
church in fifteen years before Yes
you. Not l." says some one whc
hes been for fifty years filling
up his life with all kinds o
wickedness. Yes, you. There are mo
nopolies on earth, monopolistic rail
roads, and monopolistic telegraph com
panies, and monopolistic grain dealers
but no monopolies in religion. All whc
want to be saved may be saved, with
out money and without price" Saliva