Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1895-08-10

die" he says, ''yet not ready. must
| push ont upon this awful sea, but have
nothing with which to pay my fare
{, The white caps! The darlulessl Tho
hurricane! How long have been sleep
| ing? Whole days and months and years.
! am quito awake now. see every
thing, but it is too late " Invisible
hands take him up. He struggles to get
loose. In vain. They bring his soul 10
the verge. They let 1t down over the
side. The winds howl. The sea opens
\ its frothing jaws to swallow. He has
| gone forever. And while the canvas
cracked, and the yards ratified, and tho
ropes thumped, the sea took up the flu
neral dirge, playing with open diapason
of midnight storm, Because l have
called, and We refused, have stretched.
out my hand, and no man regarded, but
| ye have set at naught all my counsel and
would none Of my reproof. also will
laugh at your calamity, l will mock
| when your fear cometh. "
Now, lest any Of you should make
this mistake,I address you in the words
Of the Mediterranean sea captain
What meanest thou, o sleeper? Arise,
call upon thy God, if so be that God
will think upon us, that we perish
not. If you have God, you had better
call upon him. Do yon say, II have no
God?" Then you had better call upon
your fathers God. When your father
was in trouble, whom did he fly to? You
heard him in his old days tell about
some terrible exposure III a snowstorln,
or at sea, or in battle, or among mid
night garrotcrs, and how he escaped.
Perhaps 20 years before you We're born
your father made sweet acquaintance
with God. There is something in the
worn pages of the Bible he used to read
which makes you think your father had
God. In the old religious books lying
around the house, here are passages
marked with lead pencil-passages
that make you think your father was
| not a goddess man, but that on that
dark day when he lay in the back room
dying he was readyzall ready. But
perhaps your father was a bad man
prayerless and blasphemer-and Won
never think of him now without a sbud-
der. He worshiped the world or his
own appetites. Do not then, beg of
You, call upon your fathers God, but
call on your mothers God. think she
was good You remember when your fa-
ther came homo drunk late on n cold
night, how patient your mother was.
You often heard her pray She used TO
sit by the hour meditating as though
she were thinking Of some good. warm
place, where it never gets cold. and
where the bread does not fail. and stag
gering steps never come You remem-
Der her now as she sat in can and snec-
tacles reading her Bible Sunday aftor-
noon. What good advice she nsed to
give you! How black and terrible. the
hole in the ground looked to Won when
with two ropes they let her down to rest
in the graveyard All. think from
your looks that [ am ON tho right track
Awake, o sleeper, and call upon thy
mothers God.
But perhaps both YOUR father and
mother were deprayed. Perhaps your
cradle was rocked by sin and shame.
and it is wonder that from sucb a
starting you have come to respectable
ity. Then don't call upon the God of
either of your parents, beg of Won.
The God of Thy Children.
But you have children. You know
God kindled those bright ewes and
rounded those healthy limbs and set
beating within their breast an ;nmor-
tality. Perhaps in the belief that some
how it would he for the hest Won have
taught them to saw an evening praver
and when tney kneel beside Won and
fold their little hands and look M.
their faces all innocence and love. Won
know that there is a God somewhere
about in the room.
I think l an ON tho right track mt
last Awake. O sleeper. and call nnon
the God of thv children Nav he set
these little ones TO milling M thv beort
until thew charm thee TO the same Cod
to whom tonight thew will saw their lit.
tie prayersi
But. alas. alas. some of these men
and women arc unmoyed by the fact |
that their father had n God that their |
mother had God and their children
have God, but they have no God. All |
the divine goodness for nothing. All |
warning for nothing. They are sonnd
asleep in the side Of the shin tbonob
the sea and skv are in mad wrestle
MANY years ago n man leaving his
family in Massachusetts. Sailed from
Boston to China tn trade there On tbe |
coast of China in the midst Of a NIGHT ~ |
storm he made shinwrecL Tho adven.
turer was washed up on the beach sense
less-all his money zone Ho had 70 hoa
in the stre,.s of Canton To keen From,
starving. For two wears there Ivac mo,
communication between himself and
family. They supposed him dead he
knew not but that his family were dead
He had gone ont nc n contain He ,y.s
too proud TO come hack ms q nrivate s,;l.
or. But after awhile he choled down
his pride and sailed for Boston ar,;v-
ing there. he took an evening train for
the center of the state. where be had
,zA -: me-. :,