The Penn's Grove record., 1894-05-25
PENIS GROVE, N. J., FRIDAY. MAY 25. 1894.

amid a congratulatory audience, the VOWS
were taken. In three days from that time
one Of those who stood at tho altar ex-
changed earth for heaven. The wedding
march broke down into tho funeral dirge.
There were not enough flowers now for the
coffin lid, because they had all been taken
for the bridal hour. The dead minister Of
Christ is brought to another village.
He had gone out from them less than q
week before in his strength now no comes
home ~iifeless. Til whole church bewalled
him.. The solemn procession moved around
10 look upon the still face that once had
heamed the messages Of salvation. Little
children were lifted up to look at him. And
some of those whom he hal conforted In
days Of sorrow, when they passed that silent
form, made the place dreadful with their
weeping. Another village emptied of its
flowers some OF them put in tho shape Of a
cross TO symboliza his hope, others put in tho
shape OF n crown to symbolic his triumph.
A hundred lights blown out in one strong
gust from the open door OF a sepulchre.
Ziklag in ashes
l preached this sermon today because I
want to rally you, as David rallied his men,
for tho recovery Of the loved and the lost, l
want not only to win heaven, but l want all
this congregation to go along with me. feel
that somehow l have n responsibility in your
arriving ut that great city. Do you really
want to join tho companionship Of your Lowell
mes who have gone? ArG you as anxious
10 join them az David AMI his men were to
Join their families2 Then I am here, In the
name of God, to say that you may and to
tell you how.
Iremark. in tho first place, II you want to
Join your loved ones in glory, you must
travel the same way they went. No sooner
had the half dead Egyptian been resuscitated
than he pointed the way the captors and tho
captives had gone, ami David and his men
followed after So our Christian friends
have gone into another country. and II we
want to reach their companionship We must
take the same road. They repcntel. We
must repent. They prayed. We must pray.
They trusted in Christ. We must trust In
Christ. They lived a religious life. Wemust
live a religious life. They were in some
things like ourselves. l know, now they arc
gone, there is n halo around their names,
but they had their faults. They said and
did things they ought never to have said or
done. They were somstimes :ebellious,
sometimes cast down. They were far from
being perfect. So l suppose that when we
have zone some things in us that are now
only tolerablo may be almost respondent.
But as they were like us In deficiencies we
ought to be like them in taking a supernal
Christ to make up for the deficits. Had 1t
not been for Jesus they would have all
persisted, but Christ confronted them and
said. ~ am the way" and they took 1t.
l AVE also to say to you that the path that
these captives trod was a troubled path, and
that David and his men had tn go over the
same difficult way. While these captives
were being taken Off they said, "oh, we are
so tired we are so sick We are so hungry "
But the men who had charge of them said
"Stop this crying. Go ont" David and his
men also found # a hard way. They had to
travel 1t. Our friends have gone into glory,
and 1t Is through much trlbulation that we
are to enter into the kingdom. How our
loved ones used TO have TO struggle! How
their old hearts achedl How sometimes
they had a tussle for breadi In our child
hood we wondered why there were 80 many
wrinkles on their faces. We did not know
that what were called "crow's feet on their
faces were the marks OF the black raven oil
trouble. Did you ever hear the old people,
seated by the evening stand, talk over their
early trials, their hardshlps, the acct
dents, the burials, the disappointments, the
empty flour barrel when there were so many
hungry ones to feed, the sickness almo I
unto death, where the next dose OF morphia
decided between ghastly bereavement a.
an unbroken home circle? Oh, yesl 1t W IS
trouble that whitened their hair. 1t was
trouble that shook the cup in their hands 1t
was trouble that washed the luster from
their eyes with the rain of tears until they
needed spectacles. 1t was trouble that made
the cane q necessity for their journey. Do
you never remember seeing your old mother
sitting on some rainy day looking out OF the
window, her elbow on the window sill, her
hand to her brow, looking out, not seeing
the falling shower at all (you well knew she
was looking into the distant past), until the
apron came up to her eyes because the men,
ory was too much for her?
OFT the big, unhiddcn tear,
Stealing down the tutrowei cheek
Toll In eloqunn' - sincere
Tales of woe they could not SPEAK.
But this scene of weeping Ger,
Past this scene OF toll and pain,
They shall feel distress no more,
Never, never weep again.
"Who are those under the altar?'' the
question was asked, and the response came,
s'These are they which came out Of great
tribulation and have washed their robes and
made them white in the blood Of the Lamb"
Our friends went by q path Of tears into
glory. Be not surprised If We have to travel
the Same pathway.
I remark again, II we want to win tho so
ciety OF our friends in heaven, we will not
only have to travel a path OF faith and a path
OF tribulatl IN, but we will also have to posi-
lively battle for their companlonship. David
and his men never wanted sharp swords, and
inyulnerable shields, and thick breastplates
so much as they wanted them on the day
when they came down upon the Amelikites.
l IL lucy uhu lOSl luul ullllts lhcy uNNGl mOuiA
have got their families back. suppose that
one glance at their loved ones in captivity
hurled them into the battle with teniold
courage and energy. They said "Wo must
win it. Everything depends upon It. Let
each n take q man on point OF spear or
sword. We must win It," And / have to
tell YOU that between us and coming into the
companionship of our loved ones who are
departed there is an Austerlltz, there Is a
Gettysburg, there is a Waterloo. War with
the world, war with the flesh, war with the
devil. We have either to conquer our trou-
bles, or our troubles will conquer US. David
will either slay the Amalekites, orthe Amale-
kites will slay David. And yet is not the
fort to be taken worth all tho pain, all the
peril, all the besiegement?
Looki Who are they on the bright hills
of heaven yonder2 There they ore, those
who sat at your own table, the chair now
vacant, There they are, those whom you
rocked In infancy In the cradle or hushed 10
sleep in your arms. There they are, those
in whose life your life was bound up. There
they are, their brow more radiant b ever
before you saw 1t, their lips waiting for the
kiss Of heavenly reeting, their cheek roseate
with the health Of eternal summer, their
hands reckoning you up the steep, the feet
bounding with the mirth Of heaven. The
pallor of their last sickness gone out OF their
face, nevermore to be sick, nevermore to
old, nevermore to weep. 1'hey are watching
from those heights to SEQ II through Christ
you can AXE that fort, and whether you will
rush in upon them-victors. They know
that upon THO battle depends whether You
will ever join their C5clety. Upl Strike
harderI Charfe more hravely' Remember
that every inch you gaia puts yu so much
farther on toward that heavenly reunion.
- II this morning Wiki J. speak you could
hear the canAonade tf a foreign enomy
which was TO d,spoil ytuI city, and II the.
really should succeed IN carrying you
IumiiIes away from you, now long would "
take before we resolved 10 go after then
Every a whether fresh from tn
armory or old and rusty in tho garnet, woul
DO brought out, and we would urge on, an
coming in front OF the foe we would look 8
them and then look at our families, tn
cry would be, 'Victory or death !. and whe
tho ammunition was gone we would a k III
csptors on the point OF the bayonot or und(
the bresoh OF the gun
II you would make such n struggle fc
the getting back OF your earthly friends, wi
: You not make as much struggle for the gait
ing OF the eternal c~ompanionshlp OF YOU
d heavenly frienls2 oh, yes, we must 1oi
:, them We must sit in their holy society