Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1893-09-01
Your troubles

uIO EOHO hOWs LOAA haONDAN'
will follow you to the seashore,
and will keep up with the lightning ex-
press in which you speed away. Or, tar
rying at home, they will sit beside you
by day, and whisper over your pillow
night after night | want to assure you
that you are not left alone; and that
your weeping is heard in heaven. You
will wander among the hills and
Say, Cup this hill, last year, our boy
climbed with great glee, and waved
his cap from the tops" or, This is the
place where our little girl put flowers
in her hair, and looked up in her
mothers face" until every drop of
blood in your heart tingled with glad
ness, and you thanked God with a
thrill of rapture; and you look around
as much as to say: "Who dashed ont
that light? Who filled this cup with
gall? What blast froze up these
fountains of the heart?" Some of
you have lost your parents
within the last twelve months, Their
prayers for you are ended. You
take up their picture, and try
TO call back the kindness that once
looked ont from those old, wrink ed
faces, and spoke in such tremu GUS
voice and you say it IS a good pict-
ure, but all the while you feel that,
after all, it does not do justice; and
you would g We almost anything-you
would cross the sea, you would walk
the earth over-to hear just one word
from those lips that few months ago
used to call you by your first name,
though so long you yourself have been
n parent Now, you have done your
best 10 hide your grief. You smile
when you do not feel like it. But
though you may deceive the world,
God knows. lie looks down upon the
empty cradle, upon the desolated nur-
sery, upon the stricken home, and
upon the broken heart, and says;
This i, the way l thresh the wheat;
this is the way / scour my jewels
Cast thy burden on my arm aud | will
sustain you. All those tears l have
gathered into my bottle"
But what is the use of having so
many tears in Gods lachrymatory? In
that great casket or vase, why does
God preserve all your troubles?
Through all the ages OF eternity, " hat
use of great collection Of tears? / do
not know that they will be kept there
| forever. do not know but that in
some dis ant age of heaven an angel
of God may look into the bottle and
4 find it as empty of tears as the lachry-
/ mails of earthenware dug up from the
ancient city. Where have the tears
/ gone to? What sprite of hill hath
/ been invading God palace, and hath
/ robbed the lachrymatories? None.
/ These were sanctified sorrows, and
! those tear were changed into pearls
/ that are now set in the crowns and
/ robes of the ransomed. | walk up to
examine this heavenly coronet,
cleaning brighter than the sun,
and cry, From what river
depths of heaven were those gems
gathered?' and thousand voices re-
! ply. These are transmitted tears from
Gods bottle l see sceptres of light
stretched down from the throne of
those who on earth were trod on of
men; and in every sceptre point, and
inlad in every stair of golden throne,
| behold an indescriba BILE richness and
lustre, and cry, From whence this
streaming light - these flashing
pearls?" and the voices of the elders
before the throne, and OF the martyrs
under the altar, and of the hundred
and forty and four thousand radiant
on the CLASSY sea, eXclaim, TRAITS
muted tears from Gods bottle"
Let the ages of heaven roll on the
story of earth pomp and pride long
ago ended; the Koh-inoor diamonds
that make kings proud, the precious
stones that adorned Persian tiara and
fam d in the robes of Babylonian
professions, forgotten; the Golconda
mines charred in the last contlagra-
ton; but firm as the everlasting hills,
and pure as the light that streams
from the throne. and bright as the
river that flows from the eternal rock,
shall CLEAN, shall sparkle, shall flame
for ever these transmitted tears OF
Gods bottle.
Meanwhile, let the empty lachryma-
tory of heaven stand for ever. Let no
hand touch it. Let no collision crack
it. Purer than beryl or chrysoprasus.
Let it stand on the step of Jehovah s
throne AMI under the arch of the un.
fading rainbow. Passing down the
corridors of the palace, the redeemed
of earth shall glance at it, and think
OF all the earthly troubles from which
they were delivered and say, each To
each, THAT was what he heard of on
earth. "rhat is what the psalmist
spoke Of" There once We're put our
tears. THAT is Gods bottle" And
while standing there inspecting this
richest inlaid vase of heaven, the tow.
ers of the palace dome strike up this
silvery chime: "God hath wiped away
all tears from all faces Wherefore
comfort one another with these
words"