Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1895-02-08

or IN the Institutions OF mercy and grandeur
81 10 ~ Il e rTus1m Il people. niscouragei
work will md EiIh de.eaf. ETpeciani and
lunyaut gors Wall gain the victory. sian
out with the IDEA that all men are liars and
scOunireis. AMI that everybody Is as bad As
he cln be-, an that socieiy, and the ehurch'
and the world are on the way TO demolition.
nnE tba onIv uss YOU will ever be TO the
worlI viii ia 10 Increase the value OF
los In a cemetery. We need more
cbaarfnl front in all our religious work.
p.ople have enough trouble already aud
40 not want 10 ship another cargo oItroubie
M the shape OF religi0sliy. II religion has
been 10 YOU a peacr, a defense, an inspira-
tion and u joy, say 30. Say IL by word OF
mouth, by pen IN your hnnl, Oy lace llia-
mlnel with divine satisfaction. III this
world Is ever 10 be taken for Col, II will not
be by groans, but by halleluiahs. II We
could present the Christian religion as il
really i, in its true attractlveness, all the
people would accept il, and accept IL Right
away. The cities, the nations would cry
out; solve US that, give II TO US IN all IT'S
holy magnetism and gracious powerl Put
that salye on our wounds! Throw back tho
shutters for that morning light. Knock OF
these chains with that silver hammer Give
US Christ-Hs pardon, His peace. His COM
fort, His heaven! Give US Christ In song,
Clrist in sermon, Christ in book, Christ in
living examplew
As a system OF didactics religion has never
gained one inch OF progress. As n tech
nlcaily It befogs m re than Ii irradiates. As
a dogmatism IL is an awful failure. But as
fact, as a reinforcement, as transtgura-
ton. it is the mighilest thing that ever
descended from the heavens or touched the
earth. Exempliiy it in the life OF good
man or a good woman, and no one can help
but like il. A city missionary visited house
in London and found a sick and dying boy.
There was an orange lying on his bed, and
the missionary said, "Where did you get
that Granger He said: "a man brought It
10 me. He comes here often and reads the
Bible to me and prays with me and brings
me nics things TO eat. what is his
name?' said the city missionary. 81
forget his name" said the sick boy,
"but he makes great speeches over in
that great building" pointing to the
Parliament House OF London. The mis-
sionary asked. ''Was his name Mr.. Glad
stoneY" "0h, yes" said the boy, "that is
his name-Mr. Gladstone Do you tell me
a man can see religion like that and not like
III There is an old fashioned mother in u
farm house. Perhaps she Is somewhere In
the seventies, perhaps seventy-hvs or sew
enty-six. II is the early evening hour.
Through spectaces No. s she is reading 0
newspaper until toward he itime, wnen she
takes up a well-worn book called the Bible.
/ know from the illumination in her face
she is reading one OF the thanks giving
psalms, or In Revelation the story OF the
twelve pearly gates. After awhile she closes
the book and folds her hands and thinks over
the past and seems whispering the names OF
! her children, some OF them on earth and
some of them in heaven. Now n smile is on
her face, and now n tear, and sometimes the
smile catches the tear. The scenes of long
life come back to her. One minute she
sees all the children smiling around her,
with their toys and sports and strange qucs.
toninGs. Then she remembers several Of
them down sick with infantle disorders.
Then she sees short grave, but over II cut
in MARBLE "Sutfer them TO come to Me-"
Then there is the wedding hour, and the
neighbors IN, and the promise OF az will, +"
and the departure from the old homestead,
then scene Of hard times, and scant bread
and struggle. Then she thinks OF few
years with gush OF sunshine and fittings Of
dark shadows and vicissltuies.
Then she kneels down slowly, for many
years have stiffened the joints, and the liz
nesses of a lifetime have made her less sup
/ pie Her prayer Is n mixture OF thanks for
sustaining grace during all those years, and
thanks for children good and Christian
and kind, and n prayer for the wandering
/ boy, whom she hopes TO see come home be-
/ fore her departure. And then her trembling
/ lips speak OF the land OF reunion, where she
expects 10 meet her loved ones already
translated, and after telling the Lord In very
simple language how much she loves Him,
and trusts Him, and hopes to see Him soon,
hear her pronounce the quiet amen, " and
she rises up--a little more difficult effort
than kneeling down. And then she puts her
head on the pillow for the night, and the
angels OF safety and peace stand SEN
tinel about that couch in the farm
anon shows signs OF dreams about
the heaven she read OF before retiring. In
the morning the day work has begun down
stairs, and seated at the table the remark IL
made, Mother must have oversight her
self" And the grandchildren also notice
that grandmother Is absent from her usual
place at the table, One OF the grandchildren
goes TO the foot OF the stairs and cries,
GRANDMOTHER ~ But there is no answer.
Fearing something is the matter, they go up
TO see, and all seems right. The spectacles
and Bible on the stand, and the covers oil
the bed are smooth, and the face is calm
her white hair on the white pillow case like
snow on snow already fallen. But her soul
Is gone up to look upon the things that the
night before she had been reading OF IN the
Scriptures. What transporting look on her
dear old wrlnkled face She has seen the
"King IN His beauty" She has been wei
coined by the Lamb who was slain" And
her two oldest sons, having hurried VI
stairs look and whisper, Henry to George
THAT is religion" George to Henry, eyes
that is religionn
There is a New York merchant who hal
been in bus ness l should say forty or Atty
years. During an old-fashioned revival o
religion in boyhood he gave his heart tC
God. He did not make the CHASTITY and in
finite and everlasting mistake of sowing
"wild oats" with the expectation OF sowin1
good wheat later on. He realized the fact
that the most OF those who SOW wild oats
never reap any other crop. He started right
AMI has kept right. He went down IN 1857
when the banks failed, but he tailed honestly
and never lost his faith in God. Ups anC
downs-he sometimes laughs over them
but whether losing or gaining he was grow
ing better all the time He has been in many
business ventures, but he never ventured tn,
experiment OF gaining the world and los
ing his soul. His name was power
both in the church and In the business
world. He has drawn more checks for contri
buttons to asylums and churches and schools
than any one. except God, knows. He has
kept many a business man from failing By
lending his name on the back of note til
the crisis was past. All heaven knows abou
him, for the poor woman whose rent he paiC
In her last days, and the man with consump
ton in the hospital to whom he sent flower!
and the cortials just before ascention, anC
.lzI a