The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1895-09-19

him. and men who pretend to be actuated by
right motives conspire to cripple him, TO cast
him out, to destroy him, I say, "Stephen
| stoned"
When I see man in some great moral or
religious reform battling against grogshops.
exposing wickedness In high places, by
active means trying to purify the church and
better the worlds estate. and I find that the
newspapers mathematics hin, and men,
even good meG. oppose him and denounce
| him because, though he does good, he does
not do 1t in their way, I say. ''Stephen
stoned But you notice. my friends. that
| while they assaulted Stephen they did not
| succeed reallyin killing him. You may as
| sault good man, but You cannot kill him.
On the day OF his death Stephen spoke be-
| lore few people in the sanhedrin. This
Sabbath morning he addresses Christen-
dom. Paul, the apostle, stood on Murs
| hill addressing n handful OF philosophers
who knew not so much about science as u
modern schoolgirl. To-day he talks to all
the millions OF Christendom about the won
| ders OF justification aud tho glories Of the
resurrection. John Wesley was howled
| down by tho mob TO whom he Preached, and
| they threw bricks at him, and they de-
/ nounced him. and they jostled him, and
they spat upon him, and vet to-day. In all
lands. he is admitted TO he the great father
/ Of Methodism. Booths bullet vacated the
Presidential chair, but from that spot OF
coagulated blood on the floor in tho box of
| Ford's Theatre there spranL up the new life
| OF Nation. stephen stoned, but Stephen
| alive.
! Pass on now and see Stephen in his dyins
prayer. His first thought was not how tho
| stones hurt his head. nor what would be-
come OF his body His first thought was
about his spirit. "Lord Jesus receive my
| spirit The murderer standing on the trap
| door, the black cap being drawn over his
mead before the execution, may grimaco
about the future. but YOU and / have no
shame In conieS,ing some anxiety about
where we are going TO come out. You are
| not all body. There Is within you a soul.
see II CLEAN from your eyes to-day and I
see II irradiattng your countenauce. Some-
| times l am abashed before an audience,
not because l come under your physical
| eyesight, but because | realize the truth
! that l stand before so many immortal
! spirits. The probability Is that your body
| will at last find n sepulcher in some OF the
| cemeteries that surround this city. There is
| no doubt that your ohsequies will be decent
and respectful. and you will be- able to pillow
/ your head under the maple. or the Norway
| spruce. or the cypress, or the blossoming fir
but this spirit about which stephen prayed,
! what direction will that take? What guide
| will escort itl What gate will open 10 re-
/ ceiveir What cloud will be cleft for its
| pathway After It has got beyond She light
| OF our sun will there be torches lighted for
/ II the rest OF the way?
| Will the soul have 10 travel through long
deserts before it reaches the good land2 II
| we should lose our pathway will there be
| castle at whose gate we may ask the way to
| the citN Oh, this mysterious spirit within
! Us! II has two wings but II is In IA cage now.
| IL Is locked fast to Keep IL, but let the door
! OF this cage open the least, and that soul Is
! on. Eagles wing could not catch il. The
! lightnings are not swift enough 10 come up
! with II. When the soul leaves the body II
| takes fifty worlds at a bound. And have 1
no anxiety about III Have you no anxiety
/ about III
! do not care what you do with my body
| when my soul is gone. or whether you be-
| lieve in cremation or inhumation. | shall
| sleep Just rs well In u wrapping OF sackcloth
rs in satin lined with eagles down. But my
soul before close this discourse will find
out where 1t will land. Thank God for the
intimation of my text that when we die
Jesus takes us. That answers all questions
for me. What though there were massive
bars between here and the City Of Light
Jesus could remove them. What
| though There were great Saharas Of
darkness, Jesus could illume them.
| What though get weary on the way, Christ
could lift me on His omnipotent shoulder
What though there were chasms to cross,
His hand could transport me- Then let
| stephens prayer be my dying litany. Lord
jesus. receive my spirit. 1t may be in that
hour we will be too feeble TO say a long
prayer. 1t may be in that hour we will not
be able to say the Lords Prayer for Il has
seven petitions Perhaps we may be too fee
Bile even to say the infant prayer our mothers
taught US, which John Quincy Adams, sew
enty years Of age. said every night when he
put his head upon his pillow:
Now I lay me down to sleep,
pray the Lord my soul 10 keep.
We may he too feeble to employ either Of
these familiar forms. but this prayer Of
stephen Is so short, Is so concise, Is so earn
est, Is so comprehensive, we surely will be-
able TO say that Lord Jesus receive my
, spirit Oh, II that prayer Is answered, how
! sweet 1t will be TO die! This world Is clever
enough 10 US. Perhaps it has treated Us a
great deal better than we deserved to bo
treated, but II on the dying pillowthere shall
break the light Of that better world We shall
| nave no more regret than about leaving a
small, dark damp house for one large, beau
tful and capacious. That dying minister in
| Philadelphia, some years ago, beautifully
depicted 1t when, in the last moment, he
threw up his hands and cried out, II move
into the light"
have seen the sea driven with the hurri
cane until the tangled foam caught in the
! rigging, and wave rising above wave seemed
as II about to storm the heavens and then
have seen the tempest drop, and the waves
! crouch, and everything become smooth and
FURNISHED as though a camping place for the
glories OF heaven. So 1 have seen man
whose life has been tossed and driven COM
Ing down at last to an infinite calm in which
there was u hush OF heavens lullaby.
stephen asleep!
saw such a one. He fought all his DAYS
against poverty and against abuse. They
| traduced his name. They ratified at ths
doorknob while he was dying with duns for
dents he could not pay. Yet the peace of
God trooded over his pillow, and while the
world faded heaven dawned. and the deep
ening twilight Of earth's night was only tho
/ opening twilight of heavens morn. Not "A
sigh, Not n tear. Not "a struggle. Hush!
| Stephen asleep.
have not the faculty rs many have 10 tell
| the weather. | can never tell by the setting
sun whether there will be drought or not
| cannot tell by the blowing OF the wind
whether 1t Will be fair weather or foul on the
morrow. But | can prophesy and will
| prophesy what weather II will be when YOU,
the Christian. come TO die. You may have
1t very rough now ltmay be this week one
| uuuOVnugp tna 4.