The Penn's Grove record., 1894-05-04

leaves. But amid all the applause n en-
thusiasm Rossinl turned to a friend and said,
AZ would give all this brilliant scene for a
few days of youth and love-" Contrast the
melancholy feeling of Rossini, who had
everything this world could give him, to the
joyful experience Of Isaac Watts, whose mis-
fortunes were innumerable, when he SAYS
The hull of Zion yields
A Thousand sacred sweets
Before we reach the heavenly fields
Or a the golden streets.
Then let our songs abouni
And every tear be dry
We are marching through Tmmaniei's ground
To fairer worlds on hi o..
IT is prosperity that kills and trouble that
saves. While the Israelites were on tho
march, amid great privations and hariships,
they behaved well. After awhile they prayed
for meat, int the sky darkened with a great
flock Of quails, and these quails fell In large
multitudes all about them, and the Israelites
ate and ate and stuffed themselves until
they died. Oh, my friends, 1t is not hard
ship or trial or starvation that Injuries the
soul, but abundant supply. 1t is not the
yulture of trouble that eats up the christians
life it is the quails. 1t is the quails! You
will yet find out that your midnight wrestle
by the brook Jabbok is with the angel OF
God, como down to bless and save.
Learn again that while our wrestling
~ may bo tliuLlphthtll " lhuSl Ca
pect that It will leave its mark upon US.
Jacob prevailed, but tine angel touched him,
and his thigh bone sprang from its socket,
n the good man went limping on his way.
We must carry through this world the MARI
Of the combat. What plowet those prema
ture wrinkles in your face2 What whitened
your hair before it was time for frosts What
silenced forever so much of the hilarity of
your household? All, 1t is because tho angel
of frnnhiQ hath tnllphaJ xnt that .n
limping on your way. You need not be sur
prised that those who have passel thro ugh
the fire do not feel as gay as they once did.
DO not be out OF patience with those who
come not out of their despondenCy They
may triumph over their loss, and yet their
gait shall tell you that they have been trouble
touched. Are we stOlcs that we can, IN
moved, see our cradle ri1ied of the bright
eyes n the sweet lips2 Can we stand I'M
moved and see our gardens of earthly de-
light %uprooted2 Will Jesus, who wept Him
sell, be angry with us il we pour our tear
into the graves that open to swallow down
what we love best? Wa Lazarus more deaf
to Him than our beloved dead to us2 No
We have q right to weep. Our tears mus
come. You shall not drive them back to
scald the heart. They fall into Go Is bottle.
Afflicted ones have died because they could
not weep. Thank God for the sweet, tho
mysterious relief that comes to us in tears |
Under this gentle rain the flowers OF corn
put forth their bloom. God pity that dry,
withered, parched, all consuming grief that
wrings its hands and grinis its teeth and
bites its nails unto the quick, but canno.
weep We may have found the comfort of
the cross, and yet ever after show that in the
dark night and by the brook Jabbek we were
trouble touched.
Again, we may take the idea of the text
and announce the approach of the day dawn.
No one was ever more glad to sec the morn
ing than was Jacob after that night of strug-
gle. 1t is appropriate for phi!anthropists
and Christians to cry out with this angel o.
the text, ''The day breaketh.' The worlds
prospects are Frightening. The church OF
Christ is rising up in its strength to go forth
''fair as the moon, clear as the sun and terri
bic as an army with banners"
Clap your hands, all ye people, the day
breaketh. The bigotries OF the earth are
perishing. The time was when we were
told that II we wanted to get to heaven we
must be immersed or %sprinkled, or we must
believe in the perseverance of the saints, or
In falling away from grace, or q liturgy or
no liturgy, or they must be Calvinists or
Arminians in order to reach heaven. We
have all come to confess now that these are
nonessentials In religion.
During my vacation one summer I was In
q Presbyterian audience, and it was Sacra-
iibhht Np1t "hN VIZ 5hbtoie hNfti L 1T
ceived the Holy Communion. On the next
Sabbath I was In a Methodist church and sat
at a love feast. On the following Sabbath I
was In an Episcopal church and knelt ut the
alter and received the consecratei bread. 1
do not know which service / enjoyed the
most. az believe in the communion Of saints
and in the life everlasting" ''The day
breaieth."
|. AS / look upon this audience I sec many
who have passed through waves of tro able
that came up higher than their girdle In
Gods nam I proclaim cessation OF HOSTILE
ties. You shall not go away saddened and
broken-hearted. God will lift your burden.
God will bring your dead to life. God will
stanch the hearts bleeding. l know He will
Like as a father pities his children, so the
Lord pities you. The pains of earth will
end. The toni will burst. The dead will
rise. The morning star trembles on a bright
ening sky. The gates of the east begin to
swing open. The day breaketh.
Luther and Melanehthon were talking to-
gether gloomily about the prospects of the
church. They could see no hopes OF deliver
ance. After awhile Luther got up and said
to Melanchthon "Come, Philip, let us sin;
the forty-sixth psalm of David, God is our
refuge and strength, a very pleasant help In
trouble. Therefore will not VIC fear, though
the earth be removed and though the noun
tains be carried into the midst OF the sea
LuUuEu tub WdttTS kubECOl IOtt tII uo tIOu
bled though the mountains shake with
the swelling thereof. Selah.
Death to many, nay to all is a struggle
and a wrestle. We have many friends that
1t will be hard to leave. / care not how
bright our future hope is. 1t Is a bitter
thing to look upon this fair world and know
that we shall never again see its poisoning
spring, its falling fruits, Its sparkling
streams and to say farewell to those with
,-b~r, xva ,loyyad In ohiI1hnAI mr. a.,NnSalaI
In manhood. In that night, like Jacob, We
may have to wrestle, but God will not leave
us unblessed. 1t shall not betoid iD heaven
that q dying soul cried unto God for help,
but was not delivered. Tho lattice may DO
turned to keep out the sun, or a book set to
dim the light OF the midnight taper, or the
room may be filed with the cries OF orphan
age and widowhood, or the church OF Christ
may MOURN over our going, but Il Jesus calls
all is well. Tho strong wrestling by the
brook will cease the hour Of deaths night
will pass along--1 O'Clock in the morning q
o'clock in the morning; 4 o'clock in the
morning. The day breaketh.
So l would have it when 1 die. Fam in no
erudge against this world. The only fault
i have to find with the world is that it treats
me too well, but when the time comes to go
/ trust to be ready, my worldly affairs all
settled. III have wronged others, l want
then to be sure of their forgiveness. In
that last wrestling, my arm enieebled Win
sickness and my head faint, | want Jesus be
side me. II there be hands on this side o:
the Hood stretched out to hold me back, l
want the heavenly hands stretched out TO
draw me forward. Then, o Jesus, help me
on and help me up. ,Untcaring, undoub'
ing, may 1 step right out inio the light and
be able to look back 10. my kindred AMI
friends who would delain ms here, exciaim
ing, "Let mo go let ms 60 Tao day
breakethg'