Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1893-08-23

p<r<arbel After Awhile ne nlan q
thx konss c21le hozls with : gun en- rs
sA<mldsr snd - IL down IA . eorser
The stranger vas eth naors slarmcd
Arr awhile rbe man q the honss
whispers.s with his wife. and the strzn-
GER tAoasht hz dsstruckion was bsins
planned
Ihsn the ban q ths house cams for-
ward and szii h the stranger. ''Strsn-
zsr, ws ara = rough ana ru.is people cut
here. and ws work hard Tor living We
make orr living By hunting. and whsn
Ne eou1e 70 ths nighffall Ne are tirrd,
ansl ws are aps - 50 - BID early. and
before retiring We arr always In The hab-
it Of reading q chapter from the vcrt
" God and making . prayer. II yoa
don't like such things. Il yea VIII inst
step outside the door until nc set
thrpugh IN be greatly obliged % you"
of coarse the stranger tarried In the
Ioom. and the old hanter took hold u
the horns Of the altar aud hrOughtdewn
the blessing u God upon ms household
and upon the stranger within their sates-
Ra<ie bat glorioas Christian hospitality
wELcoxk ooDs xkssksoER-
Again. this woman In my text was
great In her kindness toward Gods NEE
sanger. Elisha may have been stran-
ger IN that household. bat as shs found
ouE he had come en divine mission he
was cordially welcome We have .
great many books In eur day abQut the
hartizhips II ministers and the trails Of
Christian ministers | wish somebody
would write book about the ioys q
thu Christian ninister--abont the sym
pathiss All around him. about the kind
nesser. about the genial considerations
Of him
Does sorrow come TO our home and u
there . shadow ON the cradle. there arc
hundreds Of hands to help. and many
who weary not through the long night
watching. and hundreds o. prayers go
ing up that God would restore the sick-
Il thsre burning. trimming cup Of ca
lAnaity placed on the pastors table. arc
there not many 10 help him 20 drink Of
that cup and who viii not Be comforted
because he il stricken? Oh. for some
body % write book about the rewards
Of the Christian minister-about bis sur
rousdings Of Christian sympathy
This woman Of the text was only a
type Of thousands Of men and women
who come down from the mansion ard
from the cot TO do kindness 20 the Lords
servants. suppose the men of Shunem
had 70 pay the bills, but IL was the largo
hearted Christian sympathies OF tho
women Of Shuncm that looked after tho
Lords messenger.
Again. this woman In the text was
great In her behavior under trouble
Her only son hsd died on her lap. A
very bright light went out in that house
hold The sacred writer puts it very
tsrsely when he says. HE sat ON her
the writer goes on 20 say that she ex-
knees until noon, and then hediedv Yet
claimed, 1T u vsllr' Great In prosper
ity, this woman wa great In trouble.
THE sAHARA or SORROW.
Where arc tbs feet that have not been
blistered on the hot sands Of this great
Sahara Where are the shoulders that
hsvs not been bent under the burden Of
grief Where u the ship sailing ovsr
glassy SEA that has not after awhile bssu
caught In . cyclones Where Il the gar
den Of earthly comfort but trouble hath
hitched upits fiery and painting team and
gone through IL with burning plowshars
Of disastsr7 Under the pelting Of ages
Of suffering the great heart Of the world
has burst with woe.
Navigstors tell Us about the rivers. and
the Amazon and the Danube and tho
Mississippi have been explored. but who
can tall the depth or length Of the great
river Of sorrow made mp Of tears and
blood rolling through all lands and all
ages. bearing the wreck Of families and
Of communities and Of empires-foam-
ing. writing. boiling with the agonies
Of 5000 years7 Etna and Cotopan and
vesuvius have been described. but who
has ever skctched the volcano Of suffer-
ing rsschins up from its depths the lava
and the scoria and pouring them down
the sides 70 whslm the pations1 Oh, fl
could gather al the heartstrings, the
broken hesrtstrings, into harp would
play on 10 . dirge such as was never
sounded
Mythologists tell MS Of Gorgon and
Csnssur and Titan. and geologists tell us
Of extinct species Of monsters. but great
or than Gordon or megatherium, and
not belonging 70 the rain OF fable. and
not Of an extirct species, Ia monster
with iron Jaw and iron hoofs walking
across the nations, and history and po-
etry and sculpture. In their attempt 10
sketch n and describe IL. have seemed 10
sweat great drops 81 blood.
CHRISTIAN rcRTTTUDE.
But. thank God. there are those who
can conquer a. this woman Of the text
conquered and say: tits Welt Though
nv property Be gone. though my chill
dren be gone. though my home be broken
Up. though my health b. sacrificed. n IL
well. IL IL weil- There a no storm on
the So hu. Christ Is ready 10 rise IN the
hinder part Of the ship and hush H.
There "a no darkness bat the constella-
tons Of gs<rs eternal love can iilumine
IL. and though tho winter comes out n
the northern shy you have sometimes
s.en the northern sky al ablaEe with
anrorss that se~tn 70 say: Come ~ this
way. Up THIS way are thrones q light.
and seas Of sapphire. and the splendor q
an essrnai heaven. Come up this way
We nay. uks he ssfp<> by tempest - te-s~d
On perifoas desg< bot cannot be lost
Ths.sh s.s.z sorass she wfnd ard she tie.
Tae Pronsf-- sssurss - tfse Lord will provide.
heard an echo of my tart Ia . very