South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1893-12-07

1
ny crossing our own room. and free O
! 'rS@! Ihb Pratsing OF Raphaels nnndredI
% Eears gone, when the greatG- Raphael. tn,
'ross, Will soon DO busy c. the entrances 4
| you- own home,
Next speak OF tho frost as a. physician
Htahdins at tho gates OF New York hnrbo,
h'Numn before last. the frost o-oye hscl
.h" 'hoieen, saying. Thus far shalt thou
,."n,r and no farther" From Memphis an,
| New Orleans and JacksonyiIIe he smot. th'
ever piasio till 1t reelcd back and depart ed
In" i.'st is 4 physician tnat doctors cities
N"tionS nhd continents. He E,eoicines the
W"rid Qninine for malaria. anti-febriIe for
'Fph"ids: suiphonal for sleeplessness. anti
spaSiiodn Tor disturbed nerves. but in NIL
therapeutics there IL no remedy like the
small pellets prepared by the cold. and no
pBys'-tan so skilfal or 50 somighty as the frost
hSco'ttid ms had great physicians. but her
greatest doctors have been the Abe-ncthies
aud Ab.rnrosnbies that have como down
over the highlands hor ed on the north wind
Enstalid has aad her 'reat physicians. but
her g-Sstest doctors have boen tho Andrew
CtarEes and the Macken.ies who appeared
the hrst night the fields ~ England were
Hmmed with white. Amcrica has had its
great physicians. but her grea, est doctors
nave been the Willard Parkcrs and valentine
Motts who landed fron bleak skies while
our fingers wero benumbed and our ears
tingied with the cold. Oh. il il high time
"a nay you add another line to yonr ,ituIat'
to your prayers. 1t Is high time thar Won
enlarge the catalogue OF your blessings.
Thank God for frost. 1t is tho best o. all
SermtcideR. 1t Is the only hope I'm hacteriol-
is the salvation OF our temperate zone II is
tno beet tontc that God ever gave the human
race. It Is the only strong stimulnnt which
mas no reaction. Tho best commentary on
~ had while walking near here one cool
morning with my brother John, who spent
the most OF his life as q missionary In Chm
ana In that part OF II where there are no
Ifosts. he said there WAS a tingifnp glad
ness In MS nerves tndescdbable, and IN almost
,ntoslcatfon OF delight from the fact that It
sensation OF frost. We complain OF II. we
scoid u. we frown upon 1t, when We o,cht
10 oe stirred by it to gratitude and hoist II on
doxology. - VII
F., But must so farther and speak OF tho
Irost as jeweler. As the snow IL frozen
rain' SO the frost is frozen dew God trans
iorms 1t from liquid into crystal. 1t is
the dew 8lorifed. In the thirty-eighth chan.
ter OF that inspired drama, the book Of Job.
Cod says to the inspired dramatIst with
heaven, who hath gendered it," God there
asks Job II he knows the parentage of
tno 1rost. He inquiries about its pedigree.
no suggests that Job study up the frost's
genealogical line. minute before God had
asked about the parentage OF raindrop in
words that years ago gave me a suggestive
text for u sermon. "HSth the rain a iatherp'
But now the Lord Almighty is catechising
lob about the frost. He practically says
do you know it's father? Do Won know it's
mother? In what cradle OF the leaves did
the wind rock It? The hoary frost of heaven.
who hath gendered ftT"
He Is a stupid Christian who thinks 40
much OF tho printed and bound Bible that
nor reads the wisdom and kindness and
beauty OF God written in blossoms on the
orchard, In sparkles on the lake, in stars on
the sky, In frost on the meadows. Tho
greatest jeweler Of all the earth Is the frost.
mere Is nothing more wonderful in all
GryStalioHrnphy. Some morning In Decem-
Der whole continent is found bespront with
this ieweier.
Do yoe make tbe depreciatory remark that
Iwo or three hours? WHAT OF tSaf2 we a..
into Lopdon tower and look at the crown
Jewels OF England. but we are In a procession
That tho guards keep moving on, and fly,
n.1nte'' OF lees are your only opportunity OF
looking at those crown jewels. but at the
crown Jewels bestarred OF the frost in parks
and fields you may stand to look deliberately
ana ior hours, and no oneto tell you to move
on.
Oh, these regalias and diadems OF beauty
hung our OF heayeni Kings md queens on
celebrative days have come riding throuch
tho streets throwing handfuls Of silver and
gold among tho people, but tho queen OF the
winter morning Is tho only queen rich enough
10 throw pearls, and the king OF frost the
only king rich enough to throw opals and
sapPhlre5 and diamonds. Homer describes
n necklace of amber given to Penelope, bnt
the frost necklaces continent. The carcanet
Oh precious stones given to Harmonic had
Pinions OF orange jasper and white moon
stone and Indian agate but 1t was a misfor-
tune to any one who owned or inherited II.
md Its history, generation after generation.
was q history OF disnster, but the regaIia of
irost Is tho good fortune Of every morning
that owns il.
The imperial household OF Louis XVI
could not afford the diamond necklace which
nad been ordered for Queen Marie Antoinette
ana II was stolen and taken apart and lost.
bat the necklace that the frost puts on the
w;ntry morning, though made Of rs many
orii,ans as the withered glass blades, is
easily afforded by divine opulence and Ia
never lost. but after its use in the coronation
OF the fields Is taken back TO heaven. Omen
and women, accustomed to go into ecstasy
when In foreign travel you come upon tho
historical gems OF Nations, whether the jewel
DO called tho Mountain Of Glory. or the Sea
OF Light, or tho Crown OF the Moon, or the
Eye OF Allah. or tho Star OF Sarawak, or the
hoh-i-noor, implead you study the juwols
strewn all round your wintry homo and rea-
lie that "by the breath OF God frost is
given"
But go step farther and speak OF the
frost ms an evangelist, and text OF Scripture
Is not OF much use to mo unless I can 1nd
the gospel In 1t. Tho Israelites in the will
derness breakfastcd on somsthinr that
looked ltko frozen dew, and tho dew evapor-
nted and left a pulverized material, white and
looking like frost, but 1t was mama. and OF
that they Rte. SO now this morning. mixed
With tho frozen dow Of my text, thero is
mamma On which We can break fast our souls
You say the frost kills. Yes, Il kills somo
things, but We have already seen that Il gives
health and life to others. This gospel IL tbe
savor OF life unto life or OF death unto death.
As the frost Is mighty, the gospel is mighty.
As tho frost descends from heaven. tho gospel
dessends from heaven. By tho breath OF
God frosti Is given. BY the breath OF Godtho
gospel is given. As the frost purifes, so tho
grace OF God purifies. As tho frost bestars
thc earth, 80 grace bejoweis tho soul. As tho
irost prepares for food many things that
otherwise would beinedible. so tho frost OF
trials ripons and prepares food for the soul. In
the tight grip OF the frost tho hard shells OF
walnut and chestnut and hickory open, and
tho IuSuries OF tho woods come into our Laps
or upon our tables so tho frost OF trial takes
many hard and prickly shcil and brushes
It until that which stuus tho soul now
fesds it.
There are passages of Scripture that once
were entgmas, puzzles. riddles unl iuposs-
bilties for you 10 unders!uu I, but tho frosts
oftroublo after awhile expose tho full mean.
ing to your soul. You said, "I do not SEQ
why David kesps rolling oypr in bis r,s,l,,