Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1894-01-05

So l reason with myself, and so you will
find it helpful 10 reason with yourselves.
David lost his son. Though David was king,
he Law on the earth mourning and inconso-
liable for some time. At this distance oftime,
which do you really think was the one to be
congratulated. the short lived child or the
long lived father? Had Davied died as early
as that child he would in the first place have
that particular bereavement, then he would
have escaped the worst bereavement of Alb
salon, his recreant son and the pursuit OF
the Philistines, and the fatigues Of his mill
tary campaign, and the jealousy of Saul, and
the perlldy Of Ahithophel. and the curse of
Shimei, and the destruction OF his family at
Ziklag, and, above all, he would have es-
capped the two great calamities OF life, tine
great sins OF unceanness and murder. David
lived to be OF vast use to the church and the
world. but so far as his own happiness was
concerned. does it not seem TO you that 1t
would have been better for him 10 have gone
early?
Now. this. my friends, explains some
things that to you have been inexplicable.
This shows you why when God takes little
children from household he is very apt to
take the brightest, the most genial. the most
sympathetic. the most talented. Why? II is
because that kind of nature suffers the most
whenit does suffer and is most liable TO
temptation God saw the tempest sweeping
up from tho Caribbean, and He put the deli
cate craft into the first harbor. "Takenaway
from the evil to come"
Again, my friends, there is blessing an
abbreviated earthly existence in the fact that
it puts one sooner in the centre of things.
All astronomers, infidel as we'll as Christian,
agree in believing that the universe swings
around some great centre Any one who has
studied the earth and studied the heavens
knows that Gods favorite figure in geom-
etry is a circle. When God put forth His
hand to create the universe He did not
strike that hand at right angles, out He
waved it in a circle, and kept on waving it
in circle until systems and consultations
and galaxies and all worlds took that mo-
ton. Our planet swinging around the sun,
other planets swinging around other suns,
but somewhere great hub around which
the great wheel Of the universe turns. Now,
that centre is heaven. That is the capital OF
the universe. That is the great metropolis
OF immensely.
Now, does not our common sense teach US
that in matters of study it is better for us to
move out from the centre toward the circum-
ference where our world is? We are like
those who study the American continent
while standing on the Atlantic beach. The
way to study the continent is to cross it or
10 to the heart of it. Our standpoint in this
world is defective. We are at the wrong end
OF the telescope. The best way to study
piece of machinery is not to stand on the
doorstep and try to lOokiD, but TO 90 in with
the engineer and take our place right amid
the saws and cylinders. We wear our eyes
out and our brain out from the fact that we
are studying under such great disadvantage.
Millions of dollars for Observatories TO
study things about the moon, about the sun,
about the rings OF Saturn, about transits and
Occultations and eclipses, simply because our
studio, our observatory, is poorly situated.
We are down in the cellar trying to study the
palace of the universe, while our departed
Christian friends have gone up stairs amid
the skylights to study.
Now, when one can sooner get to the
centre of things is he not to be congratu-
lated? Who wants to be always in the fresh
man class? We study God in this world by
the Biblical photograph of Him, but we all
know we can in five minutes OF interview
with a friend get more accurate idea OF him
than we can by studying him fifty years
through pictures of words. The little child
that died last night to-day knows more OF
God than all Andover, and all Princeton, and
all New Brunswick, and all Edinburgh, and
all the theological institutions in Christen-
dom. Is it not better to 90 up to the very
Headquarters of knowledge?
Does not our common sense teach us that
il is better to be at the centre than to be
clear out on the rim of the wheel, holding
nervOusly fast to the tire lest we be sud
denly hurled into light and eternal felicity?
Through all kinds of optical instruments
trying to peer in through the cracks and the
kevholes of heayen-3fraid that both doors
OF the celestial mansion will be swung wide
open before our entranced vision-rushing
about the apothecary shops of this world,
wondering If this is good for rheumatism,
and that is good for neuralgia and some
thing else is good for a bad cough, lest we
be suddenly ushered into a land OF everlast-
ing health, where the inhabitant never says,
Il am sick"
What fools we all are to prefer the cir
cumference to the centre What a dreadful
thing it would be il We should be suddenly
ushered from this wintry world into the
Maytime orchards OF heaven. and if our
pauperism of sin and sorrow should be sud
denly broken up by a presentation OF an
emperor's castle. surrounded by parks with
sDrlnging fountains and paths up and down
which angels OF God walk two and two.
We stick TO the world as though we pre-
ferred cold drizzle to warm hGbitation, dis
cord to cantata sacEcloth 10 royal purple
as though we preferred piano with four or
five KEYS Odt of tune to an instrument fully
attuned-as though earth and heaven had
exchanged apparel and earth mad taken on
bridalarray and heaven had gone into deep
mourning. all its waters stagnant, all It's
harps broken. all chalices cracked at the dry
wells all the lawns sioping TO the river
plowed with graves. with dead angels under
the fllrroW. Oh. I want 10 break up ny own
infafuatiOn. aud | want 10 break up your in.
fatuation for this world. Itell you If we are
ready, and if our work is done, the sooner
we 90 the better. and if there are blessings
in longevity, l want you TO know right well
there are also blessings in an abbreviated
earthly existence.
1.-THE spirit Of this sermon is true. how
consoled you ought to feel about members OF
your families that went early. Taken from
the evil 10 come" this book says. What
fortunate escape they had How glad we
ought TO feel that they will never have TO 90
through the struggles which we have had 10
90 through They had just time enough 70
get out OF the cradle and run up the spring
time hills OF this world and see how Il looked,
and then they started for better stopping
place. They were like ships that put in at
st. Helena. staying there long enough 70 let
passengers 90 up and see the barracks OF
Eapoleons captivity and then hoist sail for
the port Of their own native land. They only
took this world Gin traDsitu il is hardfor
us. but il is blessed for them.
And if the spirit ofths sermon is true, men
we ought not 10 20 around signing and
grooming because another year has gone
But we ought 10 20 down on one knee blythe
milestone and see the letters ana thank God
that we are 365 miles nec.er home. We ought
not 10 go around with MOI bid feelings about
our health or about anticipated demise. We
ought to be living not according 20 that old
maxim which used so hear in my boyhoOi,
that yoa 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 nsr-
vous lest you have 70 move out Of a shanty
into an Alhambra.
One Christmas morning one Of my neigh
bors, an old sea captain, G.ed. After life had
departed. his face was illuminated as though
he were just going into harbor. The fact
was, he had already gone through the 'Nar-
rows" In the adjoining room were the
Christmas presents waiting for his distrlbu
tion. Long ago, one night. when he had
narrowly escaped with his ship from being
run down by great ocean steamer. he bad
made his peace with God. and kinder
neighbor or a better man you would not find
this side of heaven. Without a moments
warning the pilot OF the heavenly harbor had
met him just of the lightship.
The captain often talked 10 lne OF tho
/ goodness Of God and especially Of "A time