Milford chronicle., 1893-08-11
MILFORD, DEL, FRIDAY. AUGUST II. 1898

| You rejoiced and you trembled at the re-
/ sponsibility that in your possession an i'm
mortal treasure was placed You prayed
and reioiced and wept and wondered and
prayed and rejoiced and wept and wondered;
gou were earnest in supplication that you
might lead it through life into the king
dom of God. There was a bemor in your
earnestness; there was a double interest
about that home there was an additional
interest why you should stay there and he
faithful, and when in a few months your
house was filed with the music Of the
child's laughter you were struck through
with the fact that you had a stupendous
mission.
Have you kept that vowG Have you
neglected any Of these dutiess Is your
home as much to you as it used to be2
Have those anticipations been gratiiied?
God help you today in your solemn REM
inescence and let his mercy fall upon your
soul if your kindness bas been i'll requited.
God have mercy on the parent, on the wrin-
kles of whose face is written the story Of a
child's sin. God have mercy on the mother
who in addition to her other pangs has the
pang of a chld's iniquity. Oh, there are
many, many sad sounds in this sad world
but the saddest sound that is ever heard is
there any here who remember that in that
home they were unfaithful? Are there
those who wandered 'off from that early
home and left the mother to die with a
broken heart? Oh, stir that reminiscence
today
REPENTANCE.
1 find another point in your life history.
You found one day you were in the wrong
road; you could not sleep at night. There
was just one word that seemed to sob
through your banking house, or through
your office, or your shop, or your bedroom,
and that word was eternity" You said:
u am notready for it, OGod, have mercyr'
The Lord heard Peace came to your heart.
You remember how your hand trembled as
you took the cup Of the holy communion.
You remember the old minister who con-
secrated it, and you remember the church
officials who carried it through the aisle.
You remember the old people who at the
close of the services took your hand in theirs
in congratulating sympathy, as much as to
say, Welcome home, you lost prOdigal,"
and though those hands have all withered
away that communion Sabbath is resur-
rected today; it is resurrected with all its
prayers and songs and tears and sermons
and TRANSPORTATION. Have you kept those
VOWS? Have you been q backslider2 God
help you. This day kneel at the foot of
mercy and start again for heaven. Start
today as you started then. / rouse your
soul by that reminiscence.
But I must not spend any more Of my
time in going over the advantages Of your
life just put them all in one great sheaf,
and 1 bind them up in your memory with
one loud harvest song, such as reapers sing.
Praise the Lord, We blood bought mortals
on earthl Praise the Lord, ye crowned
spirits of heaven
But some of you have not always had
smooth life. Some of you are now in the
shadow. Others had their troubles years
RgO-you are mere wreck of what you
once were. I must gather up the sorrows
of your past life, but how shall l do it?
You say that is impossible as you have
had so many troubles and adversities.
Then l will just take two, the first trouble
and the last trouble.
As when you are walking along the
street and there has been music in the dis
tance you unconsciOusly find yourselves
keeping step to the music, so when you
started life your very life was a musical
timebeat The air was full of joy and hi
larity. 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, "Halt!' and you
halted. You grew pale. You confronted
your first sorrow. You had no idea that
the flush ON your child's cheek was an un-
healthy flush. You said it cannot be any
thing serious Death in slippered feet I
walked round about the cradle. You did .
not hear the tread, but after awhile the .
truth flashed on you. You walked the I
floor Oh, if you could, with your strong,
stout hand, have wrenched the child from .
the destroyer.
You went to your room, and You said;
God, save my childl God, save my childr'
The world seemed going out in darkness.
You said, i cannot bear it, / cannot bear
It," You felt as if you could not put the
ashes over the bright eyes, never to see
hem again sparkle. Oh, if you could have
aiken that little one in your arms and with
It leaped into the grave, how gladly you
would have done It'll Oh, if you could let
7cur property go, your houses go, your land
md your storehOuse go, how gladly You
would have allowed them to depart il you
,ould only have kept that one treasured
LIGHT IL DARKNESS.
But one day there arose from the heavens
chill blast that swept over the bedroom,
md instantly all the light went ---,----75, r
here was darlness-thick, murk -, i,.,ls ''-l.'
,trable, shuddering darkness. Brf. eli ~ M
lot leave you there, Mercy spoke ~ e..s
we're about to put that cup to -. IT,
iOd said, Let 1t pass, and for -..s4,. =
ly the hand of angels another CT ,'l - -
ntO your hands. 1t was the - ,e ,s,
oRsoation. And as you lsss,,e so,,,ot;,,as ~ -
) iOi -s,sI ,,f a wouyfaaNe SOMETIMES
fitted the nead y, = - tnded soldier and
,oured wine into his lips, so God puts his
eft arm under your head, and with his
light hand he pours into your lips the wine
# his comfort and his consolation, and
on looked into the empty cradle and looked
t your broken heart, and you looked at the
Iord's chastisement, and you said, Even
o, Father, for so it seemeth good in thy
light"
All, it is your first trouble How did you
ct over itf God comforted you. You have
cen better man ever since. You have /
cen better woman ever since. IN the jar /
f the closing gate Of the sepulcher you
card the changing of the opening gate of j
eaven, and you felt an irresistible draw /
lg heavenward You have been purer and /
olier Of heart ever since that night when I
be little one for the last time put its arms ,
round your neck and said: Good night, Z
apa; good night. mamma Meet me in i
Caven." II
But / must come down to your later sor- {
1w. What was it? Perhaps it was sick S
ess. The child's tread on the stair or the T
elk of the watch on the stand disturbs you.
trough the long weary days you counted u
lie figures in the carpet or the flowers in
ie wall paper. Oh, the weariness and ex-
lustionl Oh the burning pangsl Would
Oh it were morning, would God it were 9