The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1893-08-31

| we come TO the nlghtfall we are tire
and we are apt TO go TO bed early, au
before retiring we are always in the haS
1t Of reading a chapter from the word G
God ond making a prayer. Ifyou dom
like such things, if you will just step on
side the door until wo get through III
be greatly obliged to you." Or Gours
the stranger tarried in the room, AM
the old hunter took hold @
tho horns of the altar and brought dowl
the blessing Of God upon his household
an lupon The stranger within their gates
Rude but glorious Christian hospitality
Again, this woman in my text wa
great in her kindness toward Gods mes
scnger. Elisha may have been stran
ger in that household, but as she fOunt
out he had come on a divine mission ne
was cordially welcomed. We have a
great many books in our day about the
hardships of ministers aud the tliais OF
Christian ministers. | wish somebody
would write book about the joys ol
the Christian minister, about the sym
pathcs all around him about the kind
nesscs, about the genial consider atoms
of him. Does sorrow come to our home
and is there a shadow on the cradle,
| there arc hundreds of hands to help and
many who weary not through the long
night watching, and dhuutreds Of prayers
going up that God would restore the
sick. Is there burning, brimm:ng cup
of calamity placed on the PASTORS table
are there not many to help linn drink Of
that cup and who will not be cOmforted
because he Is stricken? On, for some
body to write book about the rewards
ni OF al hi
surroundings of Christian sympathy.
This woman of the text was only a
type OF thousands Of men and women
who come down from the mansion and
from the cot TO d. kindness to the Lords
servants. l suppose the men Of Shunem
had TO pay the bills, but it was the largo
hearted Christian sympathies of the wo-
men Of Shunem that looked alter the
LORDS messenger.
Again, this woman in the text was
great in her behaviour under trouble.
Her only son had died on her lap. A
very bright light went out in that house.
hold. The sacred writer puts it very
tcrscly when he says, "He sat on her
knees until noon, aud then he died."
Yet the writer goes on to say that she
cNclplmcd, 1T is well!" Great in pros
perIty, this woman was great in trouble
Where are the teet that have not been
bllstcred on the hot sands of this great
Nchara? Where are the shoulders that
have not been bent under the burden Of
5rlc!? Where is the ship sailing over
classy sea that has not after awhile been
caught in q cyclone? Where is the gar
den OF earthly comfort but trouble hath
up It's fiery and painting team
and gone through it with burning plow-
shares OF disaster? Under the pelting
OF ages of suffering the great heart Of
The world has burst with woe.
Navigators tell us about the rivers,
and the Amazon and the Danube and
the Mississippi have been explored, but
who can tell the depth or length of the
great river Of sorrow made up Of tears
and blood rolling through all lands and
all ages bearing the wreck of families
and Of communities and of empires
ioamlng, wrlLhing, boiling with the ago
nlcs of G,0O0 years? ELna and Cotapax
end Vcsuvius have been described, but
who has ever skctchcd the volcano Of
suffering reaching up from its depths
the lava and the scoria and pouring
them down the sides to whelm the ma
tlons? Oh, il could gather all The
hcartstrings, the broken heartstrings in.
to harp would play on it dirGc such
as was never sounded.
Mythologists tell us of Gorgon and
Ctntaur and Titan, and geOlOgists tell
rs OF extinct species of monsters, but
greater than Gorgon or megatherium,
and not belonging to the realm of fable
ana not OF an extinct species, is a mon
Ster with iron jaw and iron hOOfs walk
ing across the nations, and history and
poetry and sculpture in their attempt
to sketch it AMI describe it have seem.
ed to sweat great drops of blood.
But, thank God, there are those who
can Conquer as this woman of the text
conquered and say: at is well! Though
my property be gone, though my child
rem be gone, though my home be brok-
IN up, though my health be sacrificed
I IS well, it is WE'LL" There Is no
storm on the sea but Christ Is ready to
Use IN the hinder part Of the ship and
luSh 1t. There is no darkness but the
Of Gods eternal love can
it, and though the winter
comes ont of the northern sky you
nave sometimes seen the northern sky
AL aOlaze with auroras that seem to
say: come up this way. Up this way
are Thrones of light, and seas of sap
phire, and the splendor of an eternal
heaNen. Come up this way"
"" may, like the ships by temptcst be
tossed
IN prrilouS dccpS, but cannot be lost.
houEh satan cnrage tho wind and tho
tide,
The promise assures us the Lord Will pro-
vide.
heard an echo of my text in a very
lark hour, when my father lay dying,
ma the old country minister said to
llm: "Mr. Talmage, how do you feel
low as you are about to pass the Jor-
an of death ?" He replied-and 1T was
he last thing he ever sald-"l feel
veil; | feel very well; all Is WELL" lift
ng up his hand In a benoGction, a
peechless benediction, which | pray
iod may go down through all the gen
'rations. 1t was well! OF course it
vas well.
Again, this woman of my text was
!reat in her application to domestic
iuties. Every picture Is home pict-
Ire, whether she is entertaining an
s. elisha or Whothpr aha ia criyino pprafu