Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1893-07-08
REV. DR.. MAGE
THE BROOKLYN D1V1NES Sun.
DAY. SERMON.

TExT "ind hev came unto M brC1kof f.
eho( and ri dorm from hence n brGrCh 'cah
onD clushr II craps. and th~y bare a hf,r"ea
t'ro upon 2 s'1f. Numbers XIII %.
The long ,nudg9 II the Iaraelites across the
Wilderness was almost ended. They hal
come" n the torders ~ thu promised land.
OF the COO. 90 adults who started from Egypt
Tor Canaan. how many DO yor suppose got
thoref Five hundred thousnd? Oh. no.
Not 100 Gh. not 100 ,n0n. nor ~. nor 70. nor
10. nut only 2 men, oh. 1t was a ruinous
march that Gnda people made. but their
children We're living. and they w"r" IN III"
march. and now that they nal "Grne NJ 10
the forders = tn" promised land they were
very curious 70 know what kind Of a place il
was and whether II would be safe 10 90 over.
50 a scouting rarty il sent out tn recon
hotter. and they examine the land. and they
come back bringing specimens IF its growth.
Just a. You came back from California.
bringing - Your family a baske Of pears or
plurs or apples 10 show what monstrous
fruit they have thcr". So thisi scouting party
Int ~ the biggest bunch ~ grapes they could
Ind. II was 50 large that one man could not
carry il, and they thrust n pole through the
cluster. and there was one man at either end
= thg pole. and 70 the bunch Of grapes wls
fran4Sort"t.
was som" time ago in n lnxIrlant Nnc-
ward. III" vim" dresser had done his work.
IN" vinc lad cIambcrei up and spread it.
wealth all. over tn, artoE. The sun and
tn"wer Ind mixed n cup which tie vim"
drank until witt flushed cheek it lay slun-
herring IN the light. cluster against the check
~ cluster. The riuis ~ the grapes seemed
ain os' bursting with the Juice in the warm
bps II the nutn,nnal lay, and II seemed az II
AL yol had - DO was 70. lift a chaIice toward
The cluster ani its likelihood would begin t.
drip away. But, my friends, IN these rigor-
Gus dimes V" know nothing about large
erautA.
.,'arto states that in Bible times AMI III
ihiIr lahds thor" We're grapevlnea 60 Largo
that IT took two men with outatr"tched arms
II reach round thc,u. and he says there were
clusters twy "ubit4 in length or twinr the
length rom tn" elbow t. the III of IN" long
fh2"r. A"hhi"lis. dwelling in those lands.
tolls ~ that during tn" tim" he was smitten
WITT fever Oh" grape would slake his thirst
t"r tn" whole lay. No wonder then. IN
th9sc Bible times two m.n thought it worth
Their Will" to pat their streLctli together t.
carry down one cluster Of grapes from the
t.~usie"i lani.
Eut this inornin. bring Won u larger cIus-
ter rom the heavenly Eschol-a cluster OF
hopes, q cluster II prospects. a cluster Of
CHRISTIAN consultations, and | an expect nc
that On" taste 81 il viii rous" up Your apo
Ut" for tn" heavenly Canaan. During tn"
last winter som" Of this congregation have
Jon" away never 10 return. The aged have
Put down their staff and taken up the srepter.
don III midlif" cam" home from Office or
shop and did not 10 hack again and
never will go back again. And the dear
'hiiirrn. SOM" Of them have been gathered
In 'hrl-ts arms. He found this world too
rough "A place FOR them, and SO He has gath
cred them IN. And, Oh. how many wounded
+otlS there are wounds for which this world
oilers no medirament-and unless from the
gospel Of our Lord Jesus Christ there shall
come 4 consolation there will be no consola-
tInG. ~ III It tE,t tn - -
would help me while | prench and that the
Goa 81 all comfort would help you while you
hes
First, | console you with the divinely sane
lioped idea that your departed friends are as
much yours now rs they ever were. | know
you sometimes get the idea in your mind
when you have this kind OF trouble that your
friends are cut on from you and they are no
longer yours, but the desire to have all our
loved ones In the same lot In tho cemetery IS
q natural desire, n universal desire and there
Tore n God implanted desire and is mighty
suGgestivo Of the fact that death has no
power 10 break up the family relations.
III our loved ones go away from our posses
aion, why put Il fcnc" around our lot in the
cemetery Why the gathering OF four or Ave
names on one family monument? Why the
planting 81 one cypress vine so that it covers
all the cluster Of graves? Why put the hus-
band beside the wife andthe children at their
fectl Why tho bolt on the gate of our lot.
and the charge to tho keepers Of the ground
&" soc that the grass is cut and tho vine at
tended 10 and the flowers planted? Why not
put our departed friends in ono common
field and graycI Oh, 1t Is because they are
ours.
That child. @ stricken mother is as much
yours this morning as in the solemn hour
when God put II against your heart and said
a. IT old, Take this child and nurse 1t for
NJ. and | will give thee thy wages" 1t is
no mere whim. 1t Is a divinely planted
Urinripl" in tn" soul. and God certainly
wonii not plant a lie. and He would not
culture "a lie! Abraham would not allow
sarah 70 be buried IN u stranger s grounds,
although soma very beautiful ground was
offered him n fre. Gift. but he pays 400
-hck"ls for M~achpelah, tn" cave, and tn,
trees ovrrshadowinE II. The grave has baer
well kept and to-day the Christian traveller
stands In thoughtful and admirinG mood
gazing upon M~arhr"lah, whore Abraham
and sarah are taking their long sleeI o
4oN0 wears.
Your father may y" sluniering under tn.
,inSlms Of III" bell - the scotch kirk. Your
rrotner may nave gone Down N rne snip tina
fountcrct OF Cap" Hatteras Your it'll.
child may lc sleeping on the verge ~ tn,
Towering western prairie. Yet God Sil
gather them All up. however widely the dus
may be- scattered. Nevertheless. II L. pieasan
to think that We will IL buried together
When my father died and we took him ou
and put him downin the graveyard at Souler
Vile. IL did not seem So sad 10 leave hin
there, because night beside him was my d.ar
good, old, beautiful Christian mother. and
seemed a. II she said II was tired. and
came 10 ted n little early. am glad 80
have come II seems a. Of old"
Oh. II Is n consolation - feel that waeI
men come AMI with solemn tread carry 80
ont 10 Your resting plac. they will open tn
gate through which some Of your friend
have already gone and through which man
OF your friends Will follow. Sleeping and.
the SAN" roof. at last sleeping under III
same sod, The autumnai leaves that dri
across Your grave Will drift across theirs. III
bird songs that drop on their mound wi
drop on yours, AMI then IL stariess whit.
nights. when the wlni comes how lin
through the gorge, you Viii ~ company 4
each other. The child clos" W 10 the hoso'
OF lis mother. The husband and wife retla
rted on their ip> the sacrament Of the dus
Brothers and sisters who us,Ni In SPORT
ding themselves IN the .ras-. now again =
Ginning side by SID IN tn" grave. III ae,ls
sunlight sitting through the long. 1.-THE vi
lows. Then M the trumpet az tn. artlials.
10 rise side ty side. shaking themselves f1or
the dus; OF aGt>. H. faces tina, wer. shast
and fixed when va saw them last ali az Il.
with the licl, interruption. The fa.h.