The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1894-05-24

|
/ do not like saffron or brown or vloletp oh
MOI You say; "rhe world IL not 80 bright
to us as once II was" and there is story OF
| silent voices. and OF still feet and OF loved
ones gone. and when YOU look over the hills
! expecting only beauty and loveliness you
Ind only devastation and wo,. Ziklag In
| ashes
One day. in Ulster County, N. T., the viii
lage church was decorated until the fra
| grance ot the flowers was almost bewildsr-
| ing. The maidens OF the village had emp
| tied the place OF flowers upon one marriage
altar. One OF their number WAS affianced 20
a minister OF Christ who had come TO take
| her TO his own home. with hands Joined
amid congratulatory audience, the VOWS
were taken. In three days from that time
/ one OF those who stood at the altar ex-
changed earth for heaven. The wedding
march broke down into the funeral dirge.
There were not enough flowers now for the
coffin lid, because they had all been taken
! Tor The bri'ial hour. Ths deai minister OF
Christ IL brought TO another village.
! He had gone out from them less than n
/ week before in his strength now he comes
| home lifeless. The whole church bewailed
| him. The solemn procession moved around
to look upon the still face that once had
/ beamed the messages OF salvation. Little
children were lifted up 20 look at him. And
some ot those whom hs hal comtorted In
| days OF sorrow, when they passed that silent
form, made the place dreadful with their
| weeping. Another village emp,isd OF its
! flowers some Of them put in the shaps OF a
cross TO symbolic his hope. others put In the
shape OF n crown TO symbolic his trump.
hundred lights blown out in one strong
| gust from the open door OF a sepulchre.
Ztklag in ashes
| l Ipreached this sermon play because
| want to rally you, as David rallied his men
| for the recovery OF the loved and tho lost.
N n mob An1x 80 mil A,,N n
this congregation to go along with me. feel
that somehow have responsibility In your
| arriving Mt that great city. Do you really
want TO join the companlonship OF your loved
/ ones who have gone? Are you "a anxious
/ TO join them "a David and his men were TO
| join their famiies2 Then Am here. In tho
name oil God. TO say that you may and TO
tell you how.
| Iremark in the nrst place 10 you want TO
| join your loved ones In glorv, you must
travel the same way they went. No Sooner
had the half dead Egyptian been resuscltated
than he pointed the way tho captors and the
| captives had gone, and David and his mer
| followed after SO our Christian friends
have gone into another country and IL we
| want 10 reach their companionship we must
take tho same road. They reDentei. We
must repent. They prayed. We must pray
They trusted In Christ We must trust In
Christ. They lived religious life. Wemust
things like ourselves. know, now they are
gone, there is u halo around their names,
! but they had their faults. They said and
did things they ought nsvsr to have said or
done. They were sometimss :ebellious,
sometimes cast down. They were far from
being perfect. so suppose that when we
! nave gone some things in us that are now
only tolerabe may be almos. resplen lent.
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 IL
not been for Jesus they would have all
perlshed, but Christ confronted them and
said. ~ am the way" and they took 1t.
have also TO say 10 you that the path that
these captives troi was q troubled path. and
that David and his men had to go over the
same difficult way. While these captves
were being taken of they said, "Oh, wa are
so tired wo arc 80 SICK ; we are so hungry ~
But tho men who hal charge OF them said
stop this crying. Go on" David and his
men also found II n hard way. They had to
travel II. Our friends have gone into glory,
and II IL through much trbulation that we
are to enter into the kingdom. How our
loved ones usei TO have to struggle How
.sae..:: old hearts echst How sometimes
they had tussle for bread In our child
hood we wondered why there we're 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 OF
trouble. Did you ever hoar the old people,
seated BY the evening stand, talk over their
early trials their hariships, the ac:i-
dents. the burials, the dislpDointm snts, tne
empty -four barrel when there were so many
| hungry ones To feed, tho sickness almost
unto death, where the next dose Of morphine
! decided between CHASTITY bereavement and
an un5roken home circleP on. yes ! II was
trouble that whitenei their hair. IL was
trouble that shook the cup in their hands. II
was trouble that washed the luster from
their eyes with the rain OF tears Until they
needed spectacles. It was trouble that made
the cane necessity for their journey. Do
/ you never rem smber Seain your old mother
sitting on some rainy day looking out OF the
window, her elbow on the win low sill, her
hani TO her brow, looking out. not sesin (
the falling shower at all (you well knew she
was looking into the distant past) until tho
apron came up 10 her eyes because the men,
ory was too much for her?
| Oft the big uubiiden tear,
| Stealing down the furrowei checs.
| Toll In elOluencs siu:hre
Tales OF woe they could not speak-
But, this sceue OF weeoIng DER.
| Past this scene ot toll ani plIi,
| They shall feel distress no more.
| Never, never weep again.
"Who are those under the altar?" the
| question was asked, aud the response came
These are they which came out OF great
! tribulation and have washed their robes and
made them white In tho blooi OF the Lamb "
Our friends went by a path OF tears into
glory. Be not surprised II we have 10 travel
the same pathway.
l remark again, II we want TO win thes
ciety Of our friends In heaven, we will
only have 10 travel a path OF faith aud a patI,
OF tribulation. but we will also have 10 POSI-
lively battle for their comp1nionship. David
and his men never wanted sharp swords. and
] i'm N a ahtalla hraa ff.la
so much as they wanted them on the day
when they came down upon the Amelikites
II they had lost that battle. they never would
have got their families back. suppose that
one glance AT their loved ones In captivity
hurlel them into the battle with tenfold
courage and energy. They said I'VE must
win it. Everything depends upon IT, Let
each one take man on point OF spear or
sword. We must win IT," And have 10
tell you that between US and GO ming into the
companionship OF our loved ones who are
departed there is an Austerlitz, there is a