Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1893-12-08

the most of his life as missionary in China,
and in that part OF it where there are no
frosts He said there was n tingling glad
ness in his nerves indescribable, and an almost
intoxication ofdelight from the fact that 1t
was the first time for years he had felt the
sensation OF frost We complain Of IT, we
scold it. we frOwn upon IT, when we ought
to be stirred by it TO gratitude and hoist II on
a doxoogy.
But must 90 farther AMI speak OF the
frost as n jeweer. As the snow is frozen
rain, so the frost is frozen dew. God trans
forms it from a liquid into a crystal It is
the dew gorined. In the thirty-eighth chap
ter OF that inspired drama, the book OF Job,
God says to the inspired dramatist with
ecstatic interrogation. The hoary frost oil
heaven. who hath gendered it?' God there
asks job II he knows the parentage OF
the frost. He inquiries about its pedigree.
He suggests that job study up the frost's
genealogical line. minute before God had
asked about the parentage OF q raindrop IN
words that years ago gave me suggestive
text for sermon. "Hath the rain fatherY
But now the Lord Almighty is catechising
Job about the frost. He practically says
'Do you know its father2 Do you know its
mother2 In what cradle Of the leaves did
the wind rock it, THE hoary frost Of heaven,
who hath gendered it,"
He is n stupid Christian WHO thinks so
much Of the printed and bound Bible that
he negects the Old Testament of the fields,
nor reads the wisdom and kindness and
beauty Of God written in blossoms on the
orchard, in sparkles on the lake, in stars on
the sky, in frost on the meadows. The
greatest jeweler Of all the earth is the frost.
There is nothing more wonderful in all
crystalography Some morning in Deem
no a vuhola oonffpanf ic fOund bpeDrpnf with
diamonds the result OF one nights work by
this jewelcr.
Do you make the depreciatory re mark that
the frost is impermanent and will last only
two or three hours? What Of that? We &c
into London tower and look at the crown
Jewels Of England, but we are ina procession
that the guards keep moving on, and five
minutes or less are your only opportunity oil
looking at those crown jewels. but Mt the
crown Jewels bestarred OF the frost in parks
and fields You may stand to look deliberately
and for hours, and no oneto tell you to move
on.
Oh. these regaias and diadems Of beauty
flung out Of heaven! Kings and queens on
celebrative days have come riding through
the streets throwing handfuls Of silver and
gold among the people, but the queen of the
winter morning is the only queen rich enough
TO throw pearls and the king Of frost the
only king rich enough to throw opals and
sapphires and diamonds. Homer describes
a necklace Of amber given to Penelope, but
the frost necklaces a continent. The cdrcanet
Of precious stones given to Harmonic had
pinions of orange jasper and white moon
stone and Indian agate but 1t was misior-
tune rs any one who owned or inherited II.
and its history, generation after generation.
was n history Of disaster, but the regalia OF
1 81 al ~ .
that owns it.
The imperial household of Louis XVI
could not afford the diamond necklace which
had been ordered for Queen Marie Antoinette,
and 1t was stolen and taken apart and lost.
but the necklace that the frost puts on the
wintry morning. though made OF az many
brillants as the withered glass blades, Is
easily afforded by divine opulence and Is
never lost. but after its use in the coronation
Of the fields is taken back TO heaven. q men
and women. accustomed to 90 into ecstasy
when in foreign travel you come upon the
historical gems Of Nations. whether the jewel
be called the Mountain Of Glory. or the Sea
OF Light. or the Crown Of the Moon, or the
Eve Of Allah. or the Star Of Slrawak or tho
Koh-i-no0r implead you study the jewels
strewn all round your wintry home and rea-
lie that "by the breath OF God frost is
given.
But 90 a step farther aud speak Of the
frost as an evangelist. and text OF Scripture
is not of much use TO me- unless | can ind
he gospel in it, The Israeites in the will
derness breakfasted on something that
looked like frozen dew. and the dew evapor-
ated and left pulverized material, white and
looking like frost, but it was mama, and OF
that they ate So now this morning, mixed
with the frozen dew Of my text there is
mama on which we can breakfast our souls.
You say the frost kills. Yes, il kills some
things, but we have already seen that II gives
health and life 10 others. This gospel is the
SAVIOR OF life unto life or OF death unto death.
As the frost is mighty, the gospel is mighty.
As the frost des,ends from heaven. the gospel
desren1s from heaven. BY the breath Of
God frost is given. By the breath OF G01thc
gospel is given. As the frost puriies, so the
grace Of God purifcs. AZ the frost bcstars
the earth, so grace brjewels the soul. As the
frost prepares for fool many things that
otherwise would beincdible, SO tho frost oi
trials ripans and prepares food for the soul I'm
the tight grip OF the frost the hard shells %,
walnut and chestnut and hickory open. and
the luxurics OF the woods come into our laps
OF uoon ourtables so the frost %, trial takes
many q hard AMI prickly she'll and brushes
it until that which Sung the sOIl now
feeds if.
There are passqgss of Scripture that once
were cnigmas. puzzles. riddles AM imposs-
bilties for YOU 10 uaders;an !. but tha frOstS
Oftroublc after awhile expose ! the iuil mean.
in TO YOUR soul. You said. IL do not sea
why David keeps rolling over in his psalm
the story Of how ne was pursued and perse-
cuted.' He describes him5 II as surrounfc
by bees II s1ys, They compissad M
about like bees; yea. they cOmpissel me
about like bees You think wn1t an OK
aggeratiny thing for him 90 eX lain, "O1t
OF the depths " hell have / erie unto Thee.
o Lori
Aud there is So mu,i o. Tat style of Jam
eniation in his writings sou thnS he over.
does il, but after awhile efro,t comes upon
YOU i'm the shape OF persecution. andy arc
stuck with this ccnsure and stu's with that
defamation and stuck with some iasahoo J.,
AMI lies in sWarms are buzzn.. hulzinS
about your ears, and ut last you uuders'1n
what David meant when he slld. They
composed me about like bee, yea. they
compassed me about liSe bees, an you 20
Gown under nervous prostration and feel
tat YOU are as far down rs David when he
cried. "Out Of the depths Of HE'LL
What orene1 all those chapters that
hitherto rad 20 appropriateness? Frosts
For n long while the Bible seemed lopsided
and disproportionate amount of it given
up TO the consolatOry. Why page after page
and chapter after chapter AMI book after
book in the Bible taken mp with alevH-
tions. with pacilcations, with confidence
The book seems like an apothecary store
with Onc-half oL.thc shelves occupied with
basams. Why such superiiuty Of ba'-
sans? But after awhile the membraneous
Group carries or your child. or your health
gives way under the grip. or your property
is swept on by q bal investment. or perhaps
all three troubles cone at once-Jank-
ruptcy. sickness an Bereavement Now
the consolatory parts OF the Bible do not
seem to be disproportionatc. You want
something of almost all the shelves OF that
sacred dispensary. What has uncovered
and exposed TO you the usefulness OF 80
much OF the Bible that was before hidden
The frosts have been fulfilling their mission.
Put down all the promises OF the Bible on
table for study, and put on one SIDE the
table man who has never had any trouble
or very little Of it. but pile upon the table
beside him all encyclopedias and all dlction-
aries, and all acknowledges and all com
mentaries. and Oh the other side OF the table
put man who has had trial upon trial, as
aster upon disaster. and let him begin tho
study ofthe promises without lexicon. With
out commentary, without any hook 10 eN'
plain or help. and this latter man will under,
stand far more of the height and deptD, ana
length and breadth Of those promises man