Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1896-10-23

school teacher, or city missionary. or
other Christian worker speaks for
Christ comes up. Yea. it comes up
with compound interest-you saving
one soul, that one saving ten, the ten
hundred, the hundred a thousand, the
thousand ten thousand, the ten thousand
one hundred thousand-on, on forever.
The Narrowing.
Again l remark, in grace, as in the
farm, there must be narrowing. ] re-
fer now not to harrow that goes over
the field in order to prepare the ground
for the seed, but harrow which goes
over after the seed is sown. lest the
birds pick up the seed. sinking it down
into the earth so that it can take root.
You know a harrow. 1t is made Of bars
Of wood nailed across each other. and
the underside Of each bar is furnished
with sharp teeth, and when the horses
are hitched to it it goes tearing and
leaping across the field, driving the seed
down into the earth until it springs up
in the harvest. Bereavement, sorrow,
persecution are the Lords harrows 10
sink the gospel truth into your heart.
These were truths that you heard 30
years ago. They have not affected you
until recently. Some great trouble came
over you, and the truth was narrowed
in, and it has come up. What did God
mean in this country in 1857? For
century there was the gospel preached,
but a great deal Of it produced no re-
suit. Then Cod harnessed wild panic
to harrow Of commercial disaster, and
that harrow went down Wall street and
up Wall street, down Third street and
up Third street, down State street and
up State street, down Pennsylvania ave-
nue. and up Pennsylvania avenue, until
the whole land was torn to pieces as 1t
had never been before What followed
the harrow? A great awakening, Ill
which there were 500, 600 souls brought
into the kingdom of our Lord No har-
row, no crop.
The Reaping.
Again remark, in grace, as III the
farm, there must be a reaping. Many
Christians speak of religion as though
il were a matter Of economics or insur-
ance They expect to reap in the next
world. Oh, mol Now is the time to
reap. Gather up the JOY Of the Chris
tian religion this morning, this after
noon, this night If you have not as
much grace as you would like to have,
thank God for what you have and pray
| for more. You are no worse enslaved
than Joseph, no worse troubled than
was David, no worse scourged than was
| Paul. Yet, amid the rafting OF fetters
and amid the gloom Of dungeons and
amid the horror Of shipwreck, they tn
umphed in the grace Of God. The weak
est man in the house today has 800
acres of spiritual JOY all ripe. Why do
you not 90 and reap il? You have been
groaning over your in6rmities for 30
years. Now give one round shout over
your emancipation. You say you have
it so hard. You might have it worse.
You wonder why this great cold trouble
keeps revolving through your soul,
turning and turning with black hand
ON the crank. Alb, that trouble is the
grindstone on which you are TO sharpen
your sickle. To the fields! Wake upl
Take of your green spectacles, your
blue spectacles, your black spectacles.
Pull up the corners Of your mouth as
far as you pull them down. To the
fieldsl Reap, reapl
The Thrsshing.
Again remark, III grace, as in farm
ing. there is time for thrashing. tell
you bluntly that is death. just az the
farmer with fail beats the wheat out
of the straw, so death beats the soul out
of the body. Every sickness is a stroke
Of the fail, and the sickbed is the
thrashing floor What, say you. is death
to a good man only taking the wheat
out of the straw? That is all. An aged
man has fallen asleep. Only yesterday
YOU saw him in the sunny porch playing
with his grandchildren. Calmly he re-
ceived the message TO leave this world.
He bade a pleasant goodby TO his old
friends. The telegraph carries the tid-
ings. and on swift rail trains the kim
dred come, wanting once more to look
ON the face Of dear old grandfather.
Brush back the gray hairs from his
brow. 1t will never ache again. Put
him away in the slumber Of the tomb.
He will not be afraid Of that night.
Grandfather was never afraid Of any
thing. He will rise in the morning OF
the resurrection. Grandfather was al
ways the first to rise. His voice has al
ready mingled in the doxology of heay-
en-. Grandfather always did sing IN
church. Anything ghastly in thatf No
The thrashing of the wheat out OF the
straw. That is all.
The Saviour folds lamb in his oos-
ON. The little child filed all the house
with her music, and her toys are scat
tered all up and down the stairs just as
she left them. What if the hand that
ulucked four-o' clocks out of the meadow
is still? 1t will wave in the eternal tn
} umph. What if the voice that made
music in the home is still? IL Will sing
the eternal hosanna Put white rose
in one hand, a red rose in the other
hand and a wreath of orange blossoms
ON tke brow; the white flower for the
- - ---
victory. the red flower for the Saviour
sacrifice, the orange blossoms for her
marriage day. Anything ghastly about
thatg Oh, mol The sun went down ana
the flower shut The wheat thrashed out
Of the straw. Dear Lord, give me
sleep." said dying boy. the son OF one
of nv elders; "dear Lord, give ms
sleep" And he closed his eyes anc
. awoke in glory. Henry W. Longfeliow
writing letter Of coincidence to tnos'
parents, said. Those last words wer'
beautifully poetic" And Mr., Longfei
low knew what is poetic. Dear Lord
o give me sleep"
n Twas not In cruelty, not in WRATH
!, That the reaper came that day
- Twas an angel that visited the ear'n
=, And took the flower away.
+ So it may be with us when our wor,
= is all done. Dear Lord, give me sleep
The Garnering.
- have one more thought to presen'
io - -, ~ tho nlowinQ. OF Tn