News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1893-08-10

You rejoiced and you trembled at the
responsibility that in your possession an
immortal treasure was placed You
prayed and rejoiced, and wept and Won
dered, and prayed and rejoiced, and
wept and wondered. You were earnest
in supplication that you might lead it
| through life into the kingdom of God.
There was tremor in your earnestness.
There was double interest about that
home There was an additional interest
why you should stay there and be faith
full, and when in few months your
house was filled 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 vow? Have you
neglected any of these duties? Is your
home as much to you as it used to be?
Have those anticipations been gratitied!
God help you today in your solemn rem
iniscence and let his mercy fall upon
your soul if your kindness has been Ill
requited! God have mercy on the par
ent on the wrinkles of whose face is writ
ten the story of childs sinl God have
mercy on the mother who in addition to
her other pangs has the pang of a child's
iniquity! Oh, there are many, many sad
sounds in this sad world, but the saddest
sound that is ever heard is the breaking
of a mothers hearth Are 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 Renaissance to-
day!
l find another point in your life his
tory. 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: 81 am not
ready for it. O God, have mercyW The
Lord heard. Peace came to your heart.
You remember how your hand trembled
as you took the cup of the holy COM
munion. You remember the old minis
ter who consecrated it, and you remem-
Der the church officials who carried it
through the aisle. You remember the
old people who at the close of the service
took your hand in theirs in congratulate
ing sympathy, as much as to say, "Wel-
come home, you lost prodigal," and
though those hands have all withered
away that communion Sabbath is resur-
rected today. 1t is resurrected with all
its prayers and songs and tears and SER
mons and TRANSPORTATION. Have you
kept those VOWS? Have you been back I,
slider? God help you! This day kneel |
at the foot of mercy and start again for
heaven. Start today as you started then.
l rouse your soul by that Renaissance.
But l must not spend any more of my
time in going over the advantages of |
your life l 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 earth! Praise
the Lord. We crowned spirits of heaveni
TRIBULATIONS.
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 We're. l must gather up the
sorrows of your past life, but how shall |
do it? You say that is impossible, as
you have had so many troubles and adj
versities. Then I 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 unconsciously find your
selves keeping step to the music, SO when
you started life your very life was mu-
steal 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 voice from heaven
said, "Halt" And you halted. You
grew pale. You confronted your first sor-
row. 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 :he 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. stous
hand, have wrenched the child from the
Destroyer
You went to your room, and you said;
"God, save my child! God, save my
child" The world seemed going out in
darkness. You said, 81 cannot bear it,
cannot bear itr' You felt as if you
could not put the lashes over the bright
eyes never to see them again sparkle. |
Oh, if you could have taken that little |
sne in your arms and with it leaped into
The grave, how gladly you would have
done It'll Oh, if you could let your prop |
lrty go, your houses, your land and your |
storehouse go, how gladly you would |
have allowed them to depart if you
could only have kept that one treasured
But one day there arose from the |
heavens a chill blast that swept over the |
bedroom, and instantly all the light |
went out, and there was darkness
thick, murky, impenetrable, shuddering
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. 1t was the cup of Gods
consolation. And as you have some
times lifted the head of wounded sol
der and poured wine into his lips, so
God puts his left arm under your head,
and with his right hand he pours into
your lips the wine of his comfort and
his consolation, and you looked at the
empty cradle and looked at your broken
heart, and you looked at the Lords chas-
tisement, and you said, "Even SO, Fa-
ther, 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 better man ever since. |
You have been a better woman ever |
since. In the jar of the closing gate of |
the sepulcher 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: "Good night, papa. |
Good night, mamma. Meet me in heav- |
en-"
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 dis |
turbs you. Through the long, weary days |
you counted the figures on the carpet or |
the flowers in the wall paper. Oh, the
WEAKNESS and exhaustion! Oh, the burn
ing pangsl Would God it were morn
ing, would God it were night, were your
frequent cry. But you are better-per
haps even well. Have you thanked God |
that today you can come out in the fresh |
air; that you are in this place to hear
Gods name, and to sing Gods praise, |
and to implore Gods help, and to ask |
Gods forgiveness? Bless the Lord who |
hpalpth all our dioeaSaG oDd radaamath |