Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1894-06-01

for the bridal hour. The dead minister OF
Christ is brought to another village.
He had gone out from them less than n
week before in his strength now no comes
home lifeless. The whole church beYailed
him The solemn procession moved around
n Iook mon the still face that once had
haamed the messages OF salvation. Little
children were lifted up to look at him. And
some of those whom he hal conforte1 In
DAYS of sorrow, when they passed that silent
form. made the place dreadful with tneir
weepin9. Another village emptied OF IT'S
howers-some OF them put in the shape OF
cross 10 symbolic his hope. others put I'M the
shane OF a crown to symbolic his triumph.
A hundred lights blown out IN one s1ronS
gust from the open door oil sepulcnre'
Ziklag in ashes r
nreached this sermon today because L
want to rally you, as DLylt ralllei MS men:
for the recovery OF the Lowell ana the IoS''
want not only to win heaven, but want IL,
this congregation to go along wtn me; 1leel
that somehow have q responsibility IN your
arriving at that great city. DO you L9n.y
want to Join the companionship OF your love
ones who have gone? Are you as anxious
to Join them as David and his men were 70
Join their families? Then am here, In the
name Of God, to say that you may am 10
tell you how.
remark. In the first place, II you want to
join your loved ones in glory, you must
travel the same way they went. No sooner
had the half dead Egyptian been resuscitatet
than he pointed the way tho captors aud th1
captives had gone, and David ani his men
followed after SO our Christian friends
have gone into another country. and IL we
want to reach their conpsnionshlp We must
take the same road. They repentei. We
must repent They prayed. We must pray.
They trusted In Christ. We must trust In
Christ. They lived religious life. Wemust
live religious life. They were In soma
things like ourselves. I know, now they ara
gone. there is u halo around their nam9s,
but they had their faults. They said an
did things they ought never to have said OF
done. They were sometimes :ebellious,
sometimes cast down. They were far fro n
being perfect. So I suppose that when we
have gone some things In US that are now
only tolerable may be almost Tesplen lent.
| But rs they were ike US In deficiencies va
ought to be like them In taking a supernal
| Christ to make up for the deficits. Had 1t
not been for Jesus they would hav0 all
persisted, but Christ confronted them AMI
said. ~ am the way" an they took it.
| have also to say to you that the p1th that
these captives tro1 was a trouble path, an
that David AMI his men hal to go over ths
same difficult way. While these cdptlvas
were being taken off they said, "Oh, We are
so tired wo are 50 sick we are so hungry"
But the men WHO had charge OF them sad
"Stop this crying. Go on!' David anl h s
men also fouu It harl way. They ha to
travel it. Oar friends have gone into glory,
an it Is through much trbulation that va
are to enter into the klngio n. How our
loved ones usei to have to struggle! How
their old hearts ached! How sometimes
they had a tussle for breal! In our ciild-
hoo We wondered why there were 50 many
wrinkles on their faces. We dill not know
that what were called Sorrows feet" on their
faces were the marks OF the black raven OF
trouble. Did you ever hear the old people,
seated by the evening stand, talk over their
early trials, their harlshps, the &C 81
dents, the burias, the disappointing nts, the
empty -four barrel when there were so many
hungry ones to feed, the sickness almost
unto death, where the next dose OF morphine
decided between CHASTITY bereavement AMI
IN unbrozen home circle? On, yes 1t WAS
trouble that whitened their hair. 1t WAS
trouble that shook the cup In their hanls. It
was trouble that washed the luster from
their eyes with the rain Of tears until they
needed spectacles. 1t was trouble that made
the cane a necessity for their journey. Do
you never remember seeing your old mother
sitting on some rainy day looking out OF the
hand to her brow, looking out, not seeing
the falling shower at all (you we'll knew sac
was looking into the distant past), until the
apron came up to her eyes because the mam'
DRY WAS too much for herr
Oft the big unbllden tear
Stealing down the furrowei check,
TOl IN eloquencs sincere
Tales Of woe they could not speak.
But this scene OF weeping DER,
Past this scene OF toll and pal =
They shall feel distress more.
Never, never weep again.
"Who are those under the altar?" the
question was asked, and the response came
"rhese are they which came out OF great
tribulation and have washed their ro0eS and
made them white in the bloc of the Lamb"
Our friends went by path of tears into
glory. Be not surprised if we have to travel
the same pathway.
remark again, if we want to win the So
ciety OF our friends in heaven, We will not
only have 10 travel path OF faith and path
OF trbulation, but we will also have to posi-
lively battle for their conpanionship. David
and his men never wanted sharp swords. and
invunerable shields, AMI thick breastplates
so much as they wanted them on the day
when they came down upon the Amelikltes.
II they had lost that battle, they never would
have got their families back. suppose that
one glance at their loved ones in captivity
hurled them into the battle with tenfold
courage and energy. They said "We must
win it. Everything depends upon it. Let
each one take man on point OF spear or
sword We must win it." And l have TO
tell you that between us AMI co ming into the
companionsaip of our loved ones who are
departed there is an Austerlitz, there is a
Gettysburg, there is Waterloo. War with
the world, war with the flesh, war with the
devil. We have either 10 conquer our trou-
bles, or our troubles will conquer US. David
will either Stay the Amalekites, or the Amae-
kites will STAY David. And yet is not the
fort TO be taken worth all the pain, all the
peril, all the besiegement?
Look Who are they on the bright hills
OF heaven Wonder? There they are, thoss
who sat at your own table, the chair now
vacant. There they are, those whom you
rocked in infancy in the cradle or hushei to
sleep in your arms. There they are, those
in whose life your life was bound up. There
they are, their brow more radiant than ever
before you saw it, their lips waiting for the
kiss OF heavenly greeting, their cheek roseate
with the health of eternal summer, their
hands reckoning you up the steep, the feet
bounding with the mirth of heaven. The
paIor of their last sickness gone out of their
face, nevermore to be sick, nevermore to
cough, neyermore to limp, nevermore TO be
DID, nevermore to weep. They are wat ching |
from those heights TO see If through Christ
you can take that fort, and whether you will
rush in upon them-victors. They know
that upon this battle depends whether you
will ever join their society. Up! Strike
harder Charge mc-c bravey! Remember
that every inch you gain puts you SO much
farther on toward that heavenly reunion.