The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-08-07


lead them; sem % fash Do heavens cor
onet, and YOU 10 polish IT,; eternal ages OF
HEht and darkness watching the starting
out OF a neWly-created being.
You reloiced and You trembied at the
responsibility that iu your possession an
immortal treasure was placed. You
prayed and reiOiced and wept and won
dered. and prayed and reiOiCed. and wept
and wondered; YOU were earnest in sup
plication that YOU might lead it through
life into the kingdom of God. There was
tremor In your earuestness. There was
double interest about that home.
mere was an additional interest why you
should stay there and be faithful, and
when in a few months your house was
filled with the music Of a child's laughter.
you We're struck through with the fact
that you had stupeudOus mission.
Have you kept that VOW Have you
neglected any Of these dutiesl Is your
home as much 10 you as ii used to be,
have those anticipaJiOns been grdtltied!
COD help Won to-day in your solemn
remlnlscence, and let His memory fall upon
your soul if your kindness has been i'll
requlted. God have mercy on the parent,
on the wrinkles 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 child s
lnlqulty. Oh, there are many, many sad
sounds in this sad world, put the saddest
sound that is ever heard is the breaking
of mothers heart. Are there any here
who remember that in that home they
We're unfaithful} Are there those who
wandered OFF from that early home, and
left the mother to die with a broken
heartl Oh, stir that Renaissance to-
day.
I find another point in your life history.
N
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, Il am not ready for it. o Cod have
mercy" The Lord heard Peace came
to your heart You remember how your
hand trembled as you took the cup of
Holy Communion. You remember the
old minister who consecrated it, and you
remember the church officials who car
rled 1t through the aisle; you remem-
Der the old people at the close
of the service 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 Sab
bath is resurrected to-day; it is resur-
rected with all its prayers, and songs,
and tears, and sermons, and transtigura-
ton. Have you kept those vOwsl Have
you been backslidert God help you.
This day kneel at the foot of mercy and
start again for heaven. Start to-day as
you started then. l rouse your soul by
that Renaissance.
But 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 bind them up in your mem
my no &c
reapers sing. Praise the Lord, We blood
bought mOrtals on earth Praise the
Lord, We crowned spirits of heaven!
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, you are a mere wreck Of what you
once were. | must gather up the sorrows
of your past life; but how shall / DO it,
You say that it is impossible, as you have
had so many troubles and universities
Then | 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 distance, you unCOn-
SciOusly find yourself keeping step to the
music, so when you started life your very
life was a musical timebeat. The air was
full 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: 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
unhealthy flush. You said it cannot
be anything serious. Death in slippered
feet walked round about the cradle. You
did not hear the tread, but after awhile
the truth flashed on you. You walked the
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
child! God, save my Child!n The world
seemed going out in darkness You said
II cannot bear it, | cannot bear it," You
felt as ifyou could not put the lashes
over the bright eyes, never to see them
again sparkle. Oh, if you could have
taken that little one in your arms. and
with it leaped into the grave, how gladly
you would have done it. Oh, if you
could only let your property go, your land
and your StOrehouse go, how gladly you
would have allowed them to depart if you
could only have kept that one treasure!
But one day there arose from the heav-
ems a chill blast that swept over the bed
room, and instantly all the light went out,
and there was darkneSs-thiCk, murky,
impenetrable, shuddcring 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: it
was the cup Of Gods consolation. And as
you have sometimes lifted the head of a
wounded soldier, and poured wine into
his lips, SO God put his left arm under
your head and with his right hand he
pours into your lips the wine of his COM
fort and his consolation, and you looked
at the empty cradle and looked at your
broken heart, and you looked ut the
Lords chastisement, and you said, Even
so, Father, for so it seemeth good in thy
sight,
All, it is your first trouble How did
you get over it, God comfOrted you.
You have been a better man ever since.
You have been a better woman ever
since. In the jar of the closing gate of
the sepulchre you heard the changing of
the opening gate of heaven, and YOU felt
an irresistible drawing heavenward.
You have been purer and holier of heart
ever since that night when the little one
for the last time put its arms around your
neck and said Goodnight, papa good
night mamma Meet me in heaven"
But | must come on down to your later
sorrow. What was it? Perhaps it was
sickness The child's tread on the stair
or the tick of the watch on the stand
disturb you. Through the long weary
days you counted the figures on the car
pet or the flowers in the wallpaper. Oh,
the WEAKNESS and exhaustion. Oh, the