Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1893-07-14

prisoner is reformed / want to see Florence
Nightingale when the last sabre wound has
stopped hurting. | want TO see William
Penn when the last Indian has been civil
lied. want to see John Huss when the last
fame of persecution has been extinguished.
I want to see John Bunyan aftSr the last
pilgrim has come to the gate of the Celestial
CITY. Above all, l want to see Jesus after
the last saint has his throne and begun to
sing halleluiah
You have watched the calmness and the
glory of the evening hour The laborers have
come from the field. The heavens are glow
ing with an indescribable effulgence, as
though the sun in departing had forgotten to
sAut the gate alter it. All the beauty OF cloud
and leaf swims in the lake. For a star in the
sky. a star in the water-heaven above and
heaven beneath. Not leaf rustling, or a
bee humming, or a grasshopper chipping.
/ Silence in the meadows, silence among the
| hills.
Thus bright and beautiful shall hsthe even.
| ing OF the world. The heats Of earthly con.
! Hict are cooled. The glory Of heaven fills all
/ the scene with love and Joy and peace At
eventime it is light-light
Finally. my text shall find fulhllment al
! the end OF the Christian life You know
how short a winters day is, and how little
work you can do. Now, my friends, life is a
short winters day. The sun rises at 8 and
sets at 4. The birth angel and death angel
fly only little way apart. Baptism and
burial are near together With one hand
the mother rocks the cradle, and with the
other she touches the grave.
l went into the house of one OF my
Pensioners on Thanksgiving day The lit
tie child OF the household was bright and
glad, and with it bounded up and dowDth
hall. Christmas day came and the light OF
that household had persisted. We stood,
with black book, reading over the grave.
"Ashes to ashes, dust TO dust"
But hurl away this darkness I cannot
have you weep. Thanks be unto God, VINO
giyeth us the victory at eventime ii shall ba
light l have seen many Christians die.
never saw any Of them die in darkness.
What if the pillows OF death do rise above
our girdle. who does not love to bathe3 What
though other lights do go out in the blast,
what do we want of them when all the gates
Of glory swing open before us, and from
myriad voices. myriad harps, a myriad
thrones, myriad palaces. there dash upon
us. "Hosanna Hosanna -
Throw back the shutters and let the sun
come in said dying Scoville McCollum, one
Of my Sabbath-school boys. You can see
Paul putting on robes and wings Of ascension
as he exelaims Il have fought the COOL
fight. | have finished my course l have
kept the faith Hugh McKail went TO one
side Of the scaffold Of martyrion and cried :
Farewell sun, moon and stars Farewell
all earthly delights ~ Then went to the other
side OF the scaffold and cried Welcome
God and Father! Welcome, sweet Jesus
Christ the Mediator of the covenant Wei
come death Welcome glory
A minister Of Christ in Philadelphia. dying,
said in his last moments Il move into the
light % They did not go down doubling and
fearing and shivering, but their battlecry
rang through all the caverDs OF the sepul
chre and was echoed back from all the
thrones ofheayen 20 death, where is thy
stingY grave. where is thy victory
Sing, my soul. OF joys 20 come.
I saw a beautiful being wandering up and
down the earth. She touched the aged. and
thew became Young. She touched the poor.
and thev became rich. | said "WhO is this
beautiful being, wandering up and down the
earth?" They told me that her name was
Death. What a strange thrill Of JOY when
the pasicd Christian begins to use his arm
again When the blind Christian begins to
see again When the deaf Christian begins
TO hear again When the poor pilgrim puts
his feet on such pavement and joins in such
company and has free seat IN such n great
temple
hungry
men no more to thirst weeping men no more
10 weep DIVING men no more to die Gather
40 all sweet words all iubilant expressions.
ell rapturous ordinations. Bring them to
me. and will pour them upon this stupen1-
Gus theme Of the souls dis snthrallment On,
the 10Y OF the spirit rs il shall mount NJ
toward IN, .hrone Of God shouting: Free
Free. Your eve naa gaze1 upon the garnl-
ture Of earth ana heaven. QUO 10 eve hath
not seen it, Your eye has caught harnonles
uncounted and ndescriDabis-cauSlt theA
from harp's trill and biri's carol and water
falls dash and oceans dOxolOgy, but the ear
hath not heard it.
How did those blessed ones get up into the
Light What hammer knocked of their
chains2 What loom wOye their robes OF
light? Who gave them Wings All, eternity
is not long enough 10 tell II serdphlm nave
not capacity enough To realize 1.-THE mar
wells ofredeemins love. Let the palms wave,
let the crowns glitter; let the anthems as
cend, let the trees Of Lebanon clap tDelr
hands-they cannot tell the half OF It.
Archangel before the throne, thou fullest
Sing on. praise on. We hosts OF the glOrihed.
And il with your scepters you cannot reacn
It and with your songs you cannot express
IT, then let all the myriads OF the saved unite
in the exclamation. Jesus Jesus Jesus.
Thore will be a password at the gate OF
heaven. 4 great multitude come up and
knock at the gate. The gatekeeper says.
"The password" They say Owe have no
password. We we're great on earth. and now
we come MP TO be great in heaven. voice
from within answers. Il never knew YOU
Another group come up to the cato Of
heaven and knock. The gatekeeper says
1.-THE password" They say 1--WE have no
password. We did great many noble things
on earth. We endowed colleges and took
care Of the poor. Avoice from within says
IL never knew you.
Another group come up TO the gate OF
heaven and knock. The gatekesper ssys
"The password" They answer. I've wcre
wanderers from God AMI deserved to die,
but we heard the voice Of Jesus. AYE,
eve" said the gatekeeper, "that is tho pass
word Lift up your heads. ye everlasting
gates. and let these people come in. They
20 in and surround the throne, iubilant for
ever
All! do you wonder that the last hours Of
the Christian on earth are Illuminated 10y
thoughts Of the coming glory? Light in the
evening. The medicines may be bitter. The
pain may be sharp. The parting may be
heartrending. Yet light in the evening. As
all the stars OF night sink their anchors Of
pearl in lake and river and sea, so the waves
OF Jordan shall be illuminated with tie down
flashing of the glory to come. The dying
soul looks up at the consultations. "Tho
Lord is my light and my salvation whom
shall fear?' The Lamb which is in the
midst of the throne shall lead them to living
fountains Of water, and God shall wipe away
all tears from their eyes.
Close the eyes Of the departed one earth
would seem tame TO its enchanted vision
Fold the hands life's WORK is ended. Veil
the face it has been TRANSPORTED. Mr.
Toplady in his dying hour said Light.
Coming nearer the expiring moment, he ex-
claimed, with illuminated countenance,
Light" In the last instance OF his breath
ing he lifted up his hanis AMI cried;
Light Light" Thank God for light II
the evening.
ITAUON DIV HAT