The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1894-08-23
THE FUNERAL AT MAIN.
AN ONLY SON.
Lessons from the Beautiful Story of the
Raising from the Dead.


gate OF the city. behold there was dead
man carried out. the only son Of his mother,
and she was widow. and much people OF
the CITY was with her. Aud when the Lori
saw her He had compassion on her aud said
unto her, Weep not. and He came and
touched the bier and they that bore him
stood still. And He said, Young man, 1 say
unto thee arise And he that was dead sat
up and began to speak. and He delivered
him TO his mother. Luke vii, 1915.
The text calls us TO stand nj the gate OF
the city OF Main. The streets are a-rush with
business and gayety. and the enr IL deafened
with the hammers Of mechanism and the
wheels OF traffic. Work, with its thousand
nrms and thousand eyes and thousand feet.
fills all the street. when suddenly the crowd
parts, and funeral passes. Between tho
wheels OF work and pleasure there comes n
long procession OF mourning people. Who
IL IL? tr;ler says "Oh. It's nothing but
funeral. II may have come up from the
hospital OF the city, or the almshouse, or
some low place OF tho town." but not so, says
the serious observer.
There are 80 many evidences OF dire be-
reavement that we know at the first glance
some one has been taken away greatly be-
loved, and to our inquiry. who is this that
is carried out with so many Offices OF kind
ness and afIection2" the reply comes, "The
only son OF his mother, and she n widow"
Stand back and let tho procession pass out
Hush all the voices OF mirth and pleasure!
Let every head be uncovered Weep with
this passing procession AMI let II be told
through all ;he market places and bazaars
OF Main that In Galilee to-day tho sepulcher
hath gathered to itself ''the only son OF his
mother, and she n widow"
There are two or three things that, In my
mind, give especial pathos to this scene.
The first is, he was n young man that was
being carried out. To the aged death be-
comes beautiful. The old man halts and
pants along the road, where once he bound
ed like the roe. From the midst OF immedi-
cable ailments and sorrows he cries out.
"How long, Lord. how long," Footsore
and hardly Destead on the hot journey, he
wants TO get home. He sits In the church
and sings, with n tremulous voice. some tune
he sang forty years ago and longs to join tho
better assemplage OF the one hundred and
forty and tour thousand who have passed
the Hood. How sweetly he sleeps the last
sleep Push back the white locks from tho
wrinkled tomples They will never ache
again. Fold the hands over the still heart.
They will never toll again. Close gently the
eyes. They will never weep again.
But this man that AN speaking OF was
young man. He was just putting on the
armor OF life, and he was cxulting to think
how his sturdy blows would rirg out above
the clangor OF the battle. suppose ho had
ayoung mans hopes. young mans ambi-
tions and young mans courage. He said (:
'If live many years, will feed the hungry
and clothe the naked. In this city OF Main,
where there are 80 many bad young mon, /
will be sober and honest and pure and mag-
unanimous, and my mother shall never be
ashamed OF me-" But all these prospects
are blasted in ono hour There he passes
liieless in the procession. Behold nll that Ia
left on earth of the high hearted young man
OF the city OF Main.
la f.aN IL.
| much TO this scene. and that Ia ho was an
only son. However large tho family flock
may be, we never could think OF sparing ono
| OF the lambs. Though they may all havo
their faults, they all have their excellences
that commend them to tho parental heart,
and n II were peremptorIly demanded OF you
/ to-day that you should yield up one OF your
! children out OF very larga- family >you.
would be confounded and you could not
make selection. But this vas an only sou,
around whom gathered oil tho parental ex-
pectntions. How much care In his educa-
tion How much caution In watching his
habits He would carry down the name TO
other times. He would have entire control
OF the family property long after the parents
had gone TO their last reward. He would
stand in society thinker, worker, phil.
anthroplst. q Christian. No, no. II is all
ended. Behold him there. Breath Is gone.
Life is extinct. The only son Of his mother.
There was one thing that added TO the
pathos ofthis scene, and that was his mother
was a widow. The main hope OF that home
had been broken. and now he was come up
to be the stafr. The chief light OF the house
hold has been extinguished, and this was
the only light left. | suppose she often said.
looking at him, "There Rre only two OF US. "
Oh, It ia a grand thing to see n young man
step out In life and say to his mother
Don't be down hearted. will, as far as
npsaihla en- l.a fnthar'a nlnaa unh N q lnnp M
live you shall never want anything" IL Ia
not always that way. Sometimes the young
people get tired OF the old people. They
say they are queer 4 that thoy have so many
ailments, and they sometimes wish them out
OF the way. young man and his wife sal
at the table. their little son ON the fioor play
ing beneath the table. Tho old father was
very old, and his hand shook. so they said
"You shall no more sit with us at the table.
And so they gave him place in the corner
where day BY day, he ate out OF an earther
bowl--everything put into that bowl. On
day his hand sremhled so much he dropped
1t, and 1t broke, and the son. seated nt III,
elegant table in midnoor. said to his wife
"Now we'll get father wooden bowl, anc
that he can't break" SO a wooden bow
was obtained, aud every day old grand
father ate out OF that, sitting In tho corner
One day, while the elegant young man anC
his wife were seated at their table, with
chased silver AMI all the luXurics, nnd thei
little son sat upon tho floor, they saw tn
lad whiting, and they said "SIy son, wha
ara YOU dong there with that kniie?'
"Oh." said he, "I-Im making n trough fo
my iather and mother to eat out of whel
they get old "
But this young man OF the text was no
OF that character. He did not belong to tina
school. | can tell I. from the way the
mourned over him. He was to be the com
panion OF his mother. He was to be hi
mothers protector. He would return nov
some Of the kindness he had received In III
days OF childhood and boyhood. Aye, h
would with his strong hand uphold tina
form already enfeebled with age. Will
do Il? No. In one hour that promise G
help and companionship is gone. There
world OF anguish in that one short phrase
"The only son OF his mother, and she
widow"
Now, my friends, 1t was upon this seen
that Christ broke. He came In without an
Introduction. He stopped the procession
He had only two utterances TO make-th
one TO the mourning mother, the other
the dead. He cried out TO the mournin
one, ''Weep not" and then. touching tf
bier on which the son lay, He cried ou