Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1893-08-11
Nave Won kern tNoae vows


harvest song. such as reapers sing. Praise
fine Lori. We blood bought mortals on earth
Praise the Lori, we crowned spirits OF heay-
EN-
But some Of you have not always had a
smooth life. Some OF you are now in the
shadow. Others had their troubles years ago
Won are q mere wreck OF what you once were.
must gather up the sorrows OF your past
life. but how shall do il? You say that Is
impossible as you have had 50 manylrouDies
and adversities. Then / will just take two,
the first trouble and the last trouble.
And when you are walking along the street
and there has been music in the distance
YOU unconsciously hn1 yourselves keeping
step to the music, 50 when you started life
your very life was n musical timebeat. The
air was lull Of joy and 'hilarity. With the
bright. clear oar. you made the boat SKIP.
You went on, and life grew brighter, until
after awhile suddenly a voice from heaven
said. "Haltr Aud you hal,el. You grew
male. You confronted your first sorrow
You had no idea that the flush on your
child's cheek was an unhealthy flush. You
said it cannot be anything serious Death
I'm slipperel feet walked rOun1 about the
cradle. You did not hear the tread, but
after awhile the truth flashed Oh you. You
walked the floor. Oh ii you could. with
child from the destroyer
You went to your room, and you said T:
"God. save my child God. save my child =
The world seemed going out in darkness,
You said. II cannot bear it. | cannot bear
it You felt as If you could not put the
lashes over the bright eyes never to see them
again sparkle. Oh, II you could have taken
that little one in your arms and with il
leapei into the grave, how gladly you would
have done il On. IL you could let your
property 90. your houses. your land and
your storehouse go. how gladly you would
have allowed them to depart II you could
only have kept that one treasure
But one day there arose from the heavens
chill blast that swept over the bedroom.
and instantly all the light went out, and
there was darkness thick, murky. impene-
trable, shuddering darkness. But God did
not leave you there. Mercy spoke. As you
were about to put that cup to your lips God
said, "Let it pass" and forthwith as by the
hand OF angels, another cup was put into
your hands. Il was the cup OF Gods conso.
ation. And as YOU have sometimes llited
the head of a wounded soldier and poured
wine into his lips, so God puts His LEFT arm
under your head. and with His right hand
He pours into your lips the wine OF His co n
fort and His consolation, and you looked az
the empty fTdult anu lOOhtA a. gSNA hAHNA~S
heart. and YOU looked at the Lords chas'
tisement. and YOU said, Even 80. Father,
for so it seemeth good in Thy sight
All, it is your first trouble. How did you
get over III God cOmforted you. You have
been a better man eyersince. You have been
q better woman ever since. In the jar OF the
closing gate Of the sepulcher you heard the
changing OF the opening gate Of heaven and
you felt an irresistible drawing heayenward.
You have been purer and hOlier OF heart ever
since that night when the lite one for the
last time put its arms around your neck and
said: Good night, papa Good night,
mamma. Meet me in heaven.
But must come on down to your later
sorrow. What was it? Perhaps It was sick
ness. The child's tread on the stair or tho
tick ofthe watch on the stand dlsturos YOU
Through the long, weary days you counted
the figures on the carpet or the MOWERS IN
the wall paper oh. the wIlriness and ex-
haustionl Oh, the burning panSs Would
God it were morning. would God 1t were
night. were your frequent cry. But you are
better perhaps even well. Have outhan ked
God that to-day you can come out in the iresh
air: that you are in this place to hear God
name. and TO sing Coils praise, and to I'M
More Gods help. and to ask Gods forgive
ness? Bless the Lord who healeth all our
diseases and redeemeth our lives from de-
structiOn.
Perhaps your last sorrow was financial
embarrassment. | congratulate some OF you
on your lucrative profession or occupation
on ornate apparel, on a commodious resi-
dence- everything you put your mana 10
seems TO turn 10 gold. But there are Others
of Won who are likethe ship on which PAU
sailed whore two seas met, and you ara
broken by the violence OF the waves. BY an
unadvised Endorsement, or by conjunction
OF unforeseen events. or by fire or Storm or
senseless panic. YOU have been flung head
long. and where you once dispensed great
charities now YOU have hard work to make
the two ends meet
Have you forgotten to thank Goi for yout
DAYS of prosperity, and that through your
trials some OF you have made investments
who viii continue after the last bank o
this world has exploded and the silver ant
gold are molten in fires OF a burning world
Have YOU. amid all your losses and discour.
acements. forgot that there was bread OF
your table this morning and that there shall
be a shelter Tor your head from the storm
and there is air for your lungs and blood tot
your heart and light for your eye AMI glat
and glorious AMI triumphant religion for
your soul?
Perhaps your last trouble was bereays
ment. That heart which in childhood wa
your refuge the parental heart, and whics
has been a source OF the quickest sympathy
ever since. has suddenly become silent for
ever. And now sometimes whenever in sud
den ANNOYANCE aud without deiberation you
say. Il will 90 and tell mother. the though
flashes on YOU. IL have no mother Or the
father. with voice less tender. but At heart a.
earnest and loving-Watchiu. OF all your
ways. exultant over your success without
saying much. although tho old people dc
talk it over by themselves Is taken away
forever.
Or there was your companion in life,
sharer OF your Joys and sorrows. taken, leay'
ing the heart an old ruin, where the Ill winds
blow over a wide wilderness OF desolation,
the sands OF tho desert driving across the
place which once bloOme1 like the garden o.
Col. And Abraham mOurns for Sarah az
the cave OF Machpelah. Going along your
path in life, suddenly, right before you was
an open grave.
People looked down, aal they saw It wa
only a few feet deep and few feet wide, buy
to YOU it was chasn down which went all
your hopes and all your expectations.
But cheer up in the name OF the Lord Jesus
Christ. the comforter. He il not going 70
forsake you. Did the Lord take that child
out OF your arms2 Why, He IS going to
shelter it better than you could. He is going
10 array it in a white robe and give It pain
branch and have It all ready to greet you ar
your coming home Blessed the broken
heart that Jesus heals Blessed the i'm
Fortunate cry that Jesus cOmpassionates.
Blessed the weeping eye from which the son
hand OF Jesus wipes away the tear
Some years ago / was sailing down the 81.
John river, which is the Rhine and the Hud.
son commingled in one scene OF beauty ana
grandeur, and while l was on the deck otths
steamer a gentleman pointed out to me the
places OF interest. and he said, "Ali this ~
interval land. and it is the richest land in all
the provinces OF New Brunswick and Now
Scotia.
"Whaf said I. "do you mean by interval
land?" well" he said. this land ia sub
merged for part Of the year. Spring
freshets come down, an0Au these plains are
Dyerfowed with the water, and the water
leaves a rich deposit and when the waters
are gone the harvest springs up, and there IS
the grandest harvest that was ever reaped.
And instantly thought, 1T IL not tho
heights Of the church and II is not the heights
If this world that are the scenes OF the great
st prosperity. but the soul over which the
Goods OF sorrow have gone, the soul over
which the freshets OF tribulatiOn have torn
their way. that Yields tho greatest fruits OF
Righteousness. and the largest harvest lOi
time. and the richest for eternity Bless
God that your soul is interval land.
But these "reminiscences reach only 10 tnis