Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1894-04-13

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| morning. will the world be rs bright to MIN
as to that young man who retired at night
| saving his players invoking GoFs blessing
| unon his own soul and the souls OF his COM
| rades and father and mother and brotherS
! and sisters far away2 No, no His laugh
| will ring out from the saloon so that you
| hear If as YOU pass by, but 1t Is hollow
laughter. In it is the swapping OF neau-
strings and the rattle Of prison gates. happy
| that young man happy
| Let him fill high the bowl; no cannon
| drown an upbraiding conscienc9. hs' luo
| balls roll through the bowling alley the deep
! rumble and the sharp crack canuot over
| bower the Voices Of condemnation. Let him
| whirl in the dance Of sin and temptation ana
death all the brilancy OF the scene cannot
make him forget the last look OF his mother
| when he left home, when she said to him
| "Now, my son, you will do right am sure
| you will do right. You will, won't your
| That young man happy? Why, across every
| night there fit shadows OF eternal darkness
| there are adders coied up in every cup there
are yultures Of despair striking their iron
beaks into his heart there are skeleton
fingers of grief pinching at tine throat.
come in amid the clicking of the glasses
andunder the flashing of toe chandeliers,
and cry; "Woel Woe The way OF the
PC'tNCt
saith my God, to the wicked. The way OF
transgressor is hard" Ol, my friends,
there Is more Joy in one drop of Christian
satisfaction than in whole rivers OF sinful de-
light. Other wings may be di9ndhed OF the
storm and splashed of the tempest, but the
dove that comes In through the window Of
this heavenly ark has wings like the dove
covered with silver and her feathers with
yellow gold.
Again, l remark, religion is an adornment
in the style of usefulness into which II ln-
ducts man. Here are two young men: Inc
one has fine culture, exquisite wardrobe,
nlentv OF friends. great worldly success, but
he lives for himself His chief care is Tor
his own comfort. He lives uselessy He dies
upregretted. Here is another young man.
His apparel may not he so good his educa-
tion NAV not be so thorough He lives Tor
others His happiness IL to make others
happy. He is as salt denying as that dying
soldier falling in the ranks; whsu ne sala
"Colone, there is no need OF those boys tir-
ing themselves by carrying me to the nos
ptal. Let me die just where L am. 80
this young man of whom / speak loves God,
wants all the world to love him, is not
ashamed to carry a bundle OF clothes up that
dark alIey to the poor. Which of those young
men do you admire the better? The one
sham, the other prince imperial.
Oh do you know of anything, my nearer,
that is more beautiful than TO see young
man start out for Christi Here is some one
falling he lifts him up Here is vagabond
boy he introduces himto a mission school.
Here is a family freezing TO death he carries
them scuttle of coal. There are 800 ,000,-
600 perishing in midnight heathen darkness.
By all possible means he tries TO send them
the gospel. He may be laughed at, and
l. L. In ha mi
catured, but he is not ashamed to go every
where saying II am not ashamed OF the
gospel of Christ. 1t is the power OF God
and the wis lom Of God unto salvation"
Such young man can so through every
thing. There is no force On earth or IN hell
that can resist him. / show you three spec
tacles:
Spectacle the First-Napoleon passed by
with the host that went down with him to
Egypt and up with him through Russia and
crossed the continent on the bleeding heart
of which he set his iron heel, and across the
quivering flesh of which he went grinding
the wheels OF his gun carriages-in his dying
moment asking his attendants 10 put on his
military boots for him. +
Spectacle the Second-Voltaire, bright
and learned and witty and eloquent. with
tongue and voice and strategem internal,
warning against God and poisoning whole
kingdoms with his inhdelity; yet applaude1
by the clapping hands OF thrones and en-
pires and continents--his last words, in
deIrium supposing Christ standing by the
bedside his last words, Crush that
wretch y
Spectacle the Third -Paul-Pau', insight
fcant in person, thrust cut from all refined
association. scodfged; spat on, hodnded like
a Wild beast from city to city, yet trying to
make the world good and heaven full ; an
nouncing resurrection to those who mourned
at the barred gates of the dead speaking
consultations which light up the eyes OF
widowhood and orphanage and want with
glow OF certain and eternal release; UNI
daunted before those who could take his
life, his cheek flushed with transport and
his eye on heaven with one hand shaking
defiance at all the foes OF earth and all the
municipalities of hell, and with the other
hand reckoning messenger angels to come
and bear him away as he says II am now
ready to be offered, and the time. OF my de-
parture is at hand. l have fought the good
fight have finished my courses | have
kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up
for me crown of righteousness which the
Lori, the righteous Judge, will give me.
Which Of the three spectacles do you most
admire? When the wind Of death struck the
condueror aul the inf1del. they were tossed
like sea gltlls in u tempest, drenched OF the
wave ana torn of the hurricane. their dismal
voices heard through the everlasting storm,
hut wnen the wave AMI th9 wind OF death
struck .ul like an aloltross, he made
throne Of the tempest and one day 1oated
away into the calm clear summer of-heaven,
brighter than the dove, its wings covered
vita silver, and its feathers with yellow
gold. Oh, are you not in love with such
religion religion that can do go much for
man waIe he lives and 50 much for mar
when he comes to die?
l suppose you may have noticed the con-
trast between the departure OF a Christian
and the departure OF an intidel. Dlodorus,
dying in chagrin because he could not COM
pose Joke equal to the joke uttered at the
other end of the table; Zeuxls, dying in lit
of laughter at the sketch Of an aged woman
"A sketch made by his own hand; Mazarin,
dying playing carIs, his friend holding his
hands because he was unable to hold them
himself.
All that on one side compared with the
departure OF the Scotch Minister, who said
to his friends Il have NO interest as 10
whether l live or die. If / die l shall be
with the Lord, and if [ live the Lord will be
with me-" Or the last words OF Washington,
at is WELL" Or the last word OF Mcintosh,
the learned and the great, "Happy" Or the
last words of Hannah More, the Christian
poetess. "Joyl" Or those thousands OF
Christians who have gone saying: lord
Jesus, receive my spirit Come, Lord Jesus.
come quickly" 30 death, where is thy
sting2 O grave, where is thy victoryY
Behold the contrast Behold the charm
of the one, behold the darkness of the other
Now, l know it is very popular in this day
for young men TO think there is something
more charming in skepticism than in religion.