Democratic messenger., 1893-03-04
DANGER OF ICY roRMArIrY.

and that is what most folks want. The
fact is that this is a cold world whether
you take il literally or tiguratively. We
have Il big fireplace called the sun. and it
has a very hot fire. and the stokers keep
the Goals well stirred up. but much of
the year we cannot get near enough to
/ this fireplace to get warmed. The worlds
extremities are cold all the time. Forget
not that it is colder at the south pole
than ut the north pole. and that the Arc
tic is not So destructive as the Antarctic.
Once in awhile the Arctic will let cx-
plorers come back, but the Antarctic
hardly ever. When at the south pole a
ship sails in. the door of ice is almost sure
to he shut against its return.
So life 10 many millions of people at
the south and many millions of people at
the north is Il prolonged shiver, but
when ! say that this is cold world
chiefly mean figurativcly. If you want to
know what is the meaning of the ordi-
nary term of receiving the .'cold shoul-
der" get out of money and try to bor-
row. The conversation may have been
almost tropical for luxuriance of thought
and speech. but suggest your necessities
and see the thermometer drop to 80 de-
grees below zero. and i'll that which till
a moment before had been warm room.
Take what is an unpopular position on
some public question and see your
friends fly as chaff before windmill.
As far rs myself is concerned, have
no word of complaint. but look off day
by day and see communities freezing ont
men and women of whom the world is
not worthy Now it takes after one and
now after another. II becomes popular
to depreciate and defame and execrate
and lie about some people. This is the best
world ever got into. but it is the mean
est world that some people ever got into.
The worst thing that ever happened To
/ them was their cradle. and the best
thing that will ever happen to them will
| be their grave. What people want is
warmth.
| Many years ago u man was floating
| down on the ice of the Merrimac. and
great efforts were made to rescue him
Twice he got hold of plank thrown 10
him and twice he slipped away from it.
because that end of the plank was COW
cred with ice. and he cried out, For
| Gods sake. give me the wooden end of
| the plank this time" and this done he
was hauled to shore The troubleis that
! in our efforts To save the soul there is
| too much GOODNESS and icy formality
and so the impcriled one slips off and
plank-warmth of sympathy. warmth of
| kindly association. warmth of genial sur
roundings.
The world declines to give it, and in
many eases has no power to give it, and
| here is where Christ comes in, and. as ON
a cold day. the rain beating and the at
mosphere full of sleet. the hen clucks
her chickens under her wings. and the
warmth of her own breast puts warmth
into the wet feathers and the chilled feet
of the infant group of the barnyard, so
Christ SAYS to those sick and frosted and
disgusted and frozen of the world, Come
in out of the March winds of the worlds
criticisms: come in out of the sleet of the
worlds assault: come in out of world
that does not understand you and does
not want to understand you; | will com
fort and will soothe and will be your
warmth. las a hen gathereth her chick
ems under her wing" Oh. the warm
heart of God is ready for all those to
whom the world has given the cold
shoulder.
SACRIFICE UNTO DEATH.
But notice that some one must take
the storm for the chickens. All. the hen
takes the storm. | have watched her
nnder the pelting rain. ! have seen her
| in the pinching frosts almost frozen to
death or almost stranglcd in the waters.
and what fight she makes for the young
under wing if dog or a hawk or man
comes too near! And So the brooding
Christ takes the storm for us. What
| food of anguish and tears that did not
dash upon his holy soul. What bcak of
torture did not pierce his vitals. What
barking Cerbcrus of hell was not let out
upon him from the kennels.
What he endured. oh. who can tell.
To save our souls from death and hell.
Yes, the hen took the storm for the
chickens. and Christ takes the storm for
us. Once the tempest rose so suddenly
the hen could not get with her young
UdCh lIOIiL tut utM Suiitt W
and there she is under the fence half
dead. And now the rain turns to snow.
and IL is an awful night. and in the MORN
ing the whiteness about the gills and the
beak down in the mud show that the
mother is dead. and the young ones come
out and cannot understand why the
mother does not scratch for them some
f,t. H.
wings and call with their tiny voices.
but there is no answering cluck. She
took the storm for others and perished.
Poor thing! Self sacrificing even unto
Death.
And does il not make you think of him
who endured all for us: so the wings
under which we come for spiritual safety
are blood spattercd wings. are night shat
tered wings, are tempest torn wings.
In the Isle of Wight saw the grave of
Princess Elizabeth who died while Il
prisoner at Carisbrook castle. her finger
on an open Bible and poirsing to the
words. Come unto me all yc that labor
and are heavy laden. and will give you
rest" Oh. come under the wings.
But now the summer day is almost
passed, and the shadows of the house
and barn and wagon shed have length
encd The farmer. with scythe or hoe
on shoulder. is returning from the fields.
The oxen are unyoked. The horses are
crunching the oats at the full bin. The
air is bewitched of honeysuckle and wild
brier. The milkman, pail in hand. is
approaching the barnyard. The fowls,
keeping early hours. are collecting their
young. "Cluck" ''Cluck!' "Cluck.' and
soon all the eyes of that feathered nursery
are closed
The bachelors of the winged tribe have
asccndcd to their perch, but the hens, in
motherhood divinely appointed. take
all the risk of Il slumber on the ground.
and all night long the wings will stay
outspread. and the little ones will not
utter a sound. Thus at sundown. low
inulv Saf.lv ..omp1etplv tho hon bronIS