Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1893-12-15


greatest doctors have been the Abernethies
and Abercrombies that have come down
over the highlands horsed on the north wind.
England has had her great physicians, but
her greatest doctors have been the Andrew
Clarkes and the Mackehzies who appeared
the first night the fields Of England were
trimmed With white; America has had its
great physicians but her great est doctors
have been the Willard Parkers and Valentine
Motifs who landed from bleak skies while
our fingers were benumbei and our ears
tihgled With tho cold. Ga. it is high time
that you add another line to your liturgy
1t is high time that you make an addendun
to your prayers. 1t is high time that you
enlarge the catalogue o. your blessin gs.
Thank God for frost. 1t is the best OF ali
germicides. 1t is the only hope in bacterio.'
ogy. 1t is the medicament OF continents. Ii
is the salvation OF our temperate zone. 1t is
the best tonic that God ever gave the human
race. 1t is the only strong stimulant which
has no reaction. The best commentary on
it hal While Walking near here one cool
morning with my brother John, who spent
, the most of his life as n missionary in China,
and in that part of it where there are no
frosts. He said there was tinginy glad
ness in his nerves indescribable. an IA almos.
intoxcation OF delight from the fact that it
was the first time for Yeats he hid felt the
ssnsation Of frost: We complain or it, we
scold it: we fro*h upon it; whsi We ought
10 be stirred BY it to gratitude and hoist il on
d do1ology.
But 1 must Cd farther All | speak Of the
frost as ieweler. As the SHOW IS frozen
rain. sd the frost is frozen dew. Col trans
/ forms 1t from liquid into crystal 1t is
the dew glorifed. 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 OF
heaven, who hath gendered it," Col there
asks JOB II he knows the parentage Of
the frost. He inquiries about its peligree.
He suggests that JOB study up the frost's
genealogical line. minute befefe God hal
asked about the parentage Of faindrop in
words that years ago gave me Suggestive
| text for a sermon; "Hath the rain father9'
But now the Lord Almighty is catechising
SOB about the frost. He practically Says
''Do you know its father2 Do you know its
mother In what cradle Of the leaves did
the wind rock it? The hoary frost Of heaven,
who hath gendere1 itY
He is q stupid Christian who thinks SO
much of the printed and bound Bible that
he neglects the Old Testament of the fields,
nor reads the wisdon and Kindness and
beauty Of God written in blossoms Oh the
Orchard, III sparkes 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 III all
crystallography Some morning i'll Decem
Der whele continent is found besprent with
diamonds. the result Of one nights work by
| this ieweler.
Do you make the depreciatory remark that
the frost is irhpermahent and will last only
two or three hours2 What Of that2 We go
into Lon Ion tower and look at the crown
jewels Of England; but we are in procession
that the guards keep moving on, and five
| minutes or less are your only opportunity OF
| looking at those crown Jewels. but at the
crown jewels bestarred OF the frost in parks
and fields you may stand tolook deliberately
and for hours; and no neto tell you to move
on.
oh, these regalias and diadems of beauty
flung out Of heaven Kings and queens Oh
celebrative days have come riding through
the streets throwing hahdfuls 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
sspphires and diamonds Homer describes
! a necklace of amber given to Penelope, but
the frost necklaces continent The carcanet
of precious stones given to Harmonic had
pinions of orange jasper and white moon
stone and In liam agate but it was misfor-
tune I'd any one who owned or inherited it,
and its history; generation after generation;
was history Of disaster, but the regalia OF
frost is the good fortune OF every morning
that owns it.
Tho imperial household of Louis XVI
could not afford the diamond necklace which
had been ordered for Queen Marie Antoinette,
and il was stolen and taken apart and lost
but the necklace that the frost puts on the
wintry morning, though made of rs many
briliants as the withered glass blades, is
easily afforded by divine opulence and is
hever lost; but after its use in the coronation
IF the fields is ttken back I'd heaven. men
and Women, accustomed to go into ecstasy
when id 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 Sarawak, or the
Koh-i-noor, implea1 you stu iy the jewels
strewn all round your wintry home and rea-
lie that "by the breath OF God frost is
given"
But go a step farther and speak of the
frost as an evangelist ami text OF Scripture
is not of much uss to me unless | can find
the gospel in it. The Israelites in the will
letness breakfasted on something that
looked like frozen dew, andthe dew eyapor-
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, it kills somo
things, but we have already seen that ii gives
health and life to 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 descends from heaven. the gospel
| l. bt,h -an al
God frostis given. BY the breath of Godthe
gospel is given. As the frost purifes so the
grace of God purifles. As the frost bestars
Che earth. SO grace beJewels the soul. As the
lrost prepares for food many things that
otherwise would be in edible SO the frost OF
trials ripens and prepares food for the sou. ln
The tight grip OF the frost the hard shells O.
walnut and chestnut AMI hickory open. and
the luxuries of the woods come into our laps
or upon our tables so the frost OF trial takes
many hard AMI prcky shell and brushes
it until that which stung tho soul now
feeds it,
There are passages Of Scripture that once
were cnigmas puzzles, riddles AMI impo5Si-
bilities for you 10 understand but the fro5ts
oftrouble after awhile expose the fu.l mean
ing to your soul. You said, 81 do not SEQ
why David keeps rolling over in his psalm
the story of how he was pursued and perse.
cutej." He describes hms slf as surrounded
by bees. Hs says, They composed NE
about like bees yea, they composed me
about like bees" You think what an ex-
aggerating thing for him to ex ,laim, "Out
OF the depths OF hell have criel unto Thee,
Lord p
Aud there is so much o; that style of lam
entation in his writings you think he over
does it, but after awhile the frost comes upon
you in the shape of persecution, andyou are
stuck with this censure and stuck with that