Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1894-01-11

most talented. Why It is because that
kind Of nature suffers the most when II
does suffer, and is most liable to tenn.
tati0n. God saw the tempest SWEEPING
up from the Caribbean, and he nut thu
delicate craft into tho first harbor
''Taken away from the evil to come"
We stick to the world rs though we
preferred cold drizzle to warm hablta.
ton, discord to cantata, sack cloth to
royal purple-as though we preferred
piano with four or five keys out Of
tune to an instrument fully attuned-as
though earth and heaven had exchang
ed apparel, and earth, had taken on
bridal array and heaven had gone into
deep mourning, all its waters stagnant,
all it's harps broken, all chalioes crack.
ed at the dry wells, all its lawns Sion
ing to the river plowed with graves
with dead angels under the furrow.
Oh, want to break up my own infat
uation and want to break up your in.
fatuatlon for this world tell you, If
we are ready, and if our work Is done,
the sooner We so the better, and If
there are blessings in longevity I want
you to know right well there are also
blessings in an abbreviated earthly eX
istence.
If the spirit of this sermon Is true,
how consoled you ought to feel about
members of your families that went
early. '"raken from the evil to come"
this book says. What a fortunate es-
cape they had! How glad we ought to
feel that they will never have to go.
through the struggles we have had to
go through. They had just time enough
to get out of the cradle and run up the
springtime hills of this world and see
how it looked, and then they started
for better stopping place. They We're
like ships that put in at St Helena,
staying there long enough to let pas
sengers go up and see the barracks Of
Napoleon's captivity, and then hoist
sail for the port Of their own native
land. They only took this world lin
transitu." 1t is hard for us, but it is
blessed for them.
And il the spirit Of this sermon is
true, then we ought not to 60 around
signing and grooming because another
year has gone; but we ought to go
down on one knee by the milestone
and see the letters and thank God that
we are 1855 miles nearer home. We
ought not to go around with morbid
feelings about our health or about an
ticipated demise. We ought to be liv-
ing not according to that old maxim
which used to hear In my boyhood,
that you must live as though every day
were the last; you must live as though
you were to live forever, for you will.
Do not be nervous lest you have to
move out of a shanty into an Alham-
bra.
One Christmas morning, one Of my
an old sea captain, died.
After life had departed his face was IL
Illuminated as though he were just going
into harbor. The fact was he had al
ready got through the "Narrows." In
the adjoining room were the Christmas
presents waiting for his distribution.
Long ago, one night when he had mar
rowly escaped with his ship from being
run down by a great ocean steamer,
he had made his peace with God, and a
kinder neighbor or better man you
would not find this side of heaven.
Without a moments worning, the pilot
Of the heavenly harbor had met him
just off the light ship. The captain Of
ten talked to me of the goodness Of God
and especially of time when he was
his ship from Liverpool, and he was
put back to sea. Under the protest OF
the crew, and under their very threat,
he put back to sea, fearing at the same
time he was losing his mind, for it did
seem SO unreasonable that, when they
could get into harbor that night, they
should put back to sea. But they did
put back to sea, and the captain said to
his mate, You call me at 10 o'clock at
night" At II O'clock at night the. cap
tain was aroused and said: What does
this mean? thought told you to call
me at 10 o'clock, and here It is L."
Why" said the mate, II did call you
at 10 o'clock, and you got up, looked
around and told me to keep right on
this same course for two hours and
then call you at II o'clock" Said the
captain: us it possible? I have no re-
membrane of that"
At II o'clock the captain went on
deck, and through the rift Of the cloud
the moonlight fell upon the sea and
showed him shipwreck with 100 strug-
Cling passengers. He helped them on.
Had he been any earlier or later at
that point of the sea he would have
been Of no service to those drowning
people. On board the captains vessel
they began to band together as to what
they should pay for the provisions.
All" says the captain, "my lads, you
can't pay me anything; all I have on
board is yours; I feel too greatly honor
ed of God in having saved you to take
any pay" Just like him. He never got
any pay except that of his own ap.
plauding conscience. Oh, that the 0lo
sea captains God might be my God ana
yours. Amid the stormy seas OF TINS
life may we have always some one as
tenderly to take care of us as the cap
tain took care of the drowning crew
and the passengers. And may we come
into the harbor with as little physical
pain and with as bright hope as ne
had, and If 1t should happen to be
Christmas morning when the presents
are being distributed and we are cele-
brating the birth of him who came 10
save our shipwrecked world, all the
better, for what grander, brighter
Christmas present could we have than