Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1894-01-06

.Suhlelilf uSHSAtu rum Tins Witty WOElul
into the Maytime orchards of heaven,
and if our pauperism of sin and sorrow
should be suddenly broken up by pres
entation of an emperor's castle, sur
rounded by parks with springing foun-
tains and paths up and down which an
gels of Gcd walk two and two!
We stick 10 the world as though we
preferred cold drizzle to warm habita-
ton, discord to cantata, sackcloth to
royal purple-as though we preferred a
piano with four or five keys out of tune
to an instrument fully attuned - as
though earth and heaven had exchanged
apparel and earth had taken on bridal
array and heaven had gone into deep
mourning, all its waters stagnant, all its
harps broken. all chalices cracked at the
dry wells, all the lawns sloping to the
river plowed with graves, with dead
angels under the furrow. Oh, want to
break up my own infatuation, and l
want to break up your infatuation for
this world. l tell you if we are ready,
and if our work is done, the sooner we
go the better, and if there are blessings
in longevity, want yoa 10 know right
well there arc also blessings in an abbre-
waited earthly existence.
A FORTUNATE ESCAPE.
If the spirit of this sermon is true, how
consoled you ought TO feel about mem
bers of your families that went early.
Taken from the evil to come, " this book
says What fortunate escape they hadl
How glad we ought to feel that they will
never have to go through the struggles
which 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 a better stopping
place. They were like ships that put in
at St. Helena, staying there long enough
to let passengers go up and see the bar
racks of Napoleon's captivity and then
hoist sail for the port of their own native
land. They only took this world in
transitu." 1t is hard for us, but it is
blessed for them.
And if the spirit of this sermon is true,
then we ought not to go 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 1856 miles
nearer home. We ought not to go around
with morbid feelings about our health
or about anticipated demise. We ought
to be living, not according to that old
maxim which l used to hear in my boy
hood, that you must live as though every
day were tine last; you must live as
though you We're to live forever. for You
will Do not be nervous lest you have
TO move out of shanty into an Alham-
bra.
One Christmas morning one of my
neighbors, All old sea captain, died. Aft
er life had departed, his face was illu-
minated as though he were just going in
to harbor. The fact was, he had already
got through the "Narrows." In the adj
Joining room were the Christmas pres
ents waiting for his distribution. Long
ago, one night, when he had narrowly
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 a better man you would not
find this side of heaven. Without mo
ment's warning the pilot of the heavenly
harbor had met him just off the lightship.
The captain often talked to me of the
goodness of God, and especially of a
time when he YES about to go. in New
York harbor with his ship from Liver.
pool and he was suddenly impressed
that he ought to put back to sea. Under
the protest of the crew and under thei1
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 put back to sea, and the captain
said to his mate, "You will call me at
10 o'clock at night"
At IL o'clock at night the captain was
aroused and said: "What does this mean?
/ thought | told you to call me at 10
o'clock, and here it is H." Why" said
the mate, Il 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 to call you at IL
O'clock Said the captain: lis it pos
sible? have no remembrance of that.
At 70 o'clock the captain went on deck,
and through the rift of the cloud the
moonlight fell upon the sea and showed
him a shipwreck with 100 struggling
passengers. He helped them off. Had
he been any earlier or any later at that
point of the sea he would have been of nc
service to those drowning people. On
board the captains vessel they began to
band together as to what they should pay
for the rescue and what they should pay
for the provisions. .'Ah, "saysthe captain,
my lads, you can't pay me anything.
All have on board is yours. feel too
greatly honored Of God in having saved
you to take any pay" Just like him.
He never got any pay except that of his
own applauding conscience.
Oh, that the old sea captains God
might be my God and yours. Amid the
stormy seas Of this life may we have al
ways some one as tenderly to take care
of us as the captain 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 a
hope as he had, and if it should happen
to be Christmas morning when the
presents are being distributed and we
are celebrating the birth of him who
came to save our shipwrecked world, all
the better, for what grander, brighter
Christmas present could we have than
heaven?