Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1896-07-15
NO. 81.

Timothy in the Scriptures
When see "a woman going about her dai y
duty, with cheerful dignity presiding at the
table, with kind and gentle but firm disci-
ptine presiding in the nursery, going out into
The world without any blast OF trumpnts, fol-
lowing in the footsteps of Him who went
about doing good. saw, This is yashti with a
veil on But when 1 SEQ n woman of I'M
blushing Dol iness, iou3-yoiced, with "a
tongue of infinite ciitier clati"r. with arro-
CANT look, passing through tine streets with
the step of walking beam. rnyly arrayei in
u very hurricane of mil innrv, 1 cry out
t'Vashii has lost her veIr' When 1 a
woman OF comeiy feature ca, AMI of airoitnrsS
~ intelert. and endowed will all that III:
jchOolS can do for ene. and of high social
position. yet moving in society with super
liliousnes5 and hau'enr. as though she, Soul
have people know tneir place. ani an un,!e-
fir ed comomatioz OF giggie and strut and
fhodomontade, endowed with allOpathic
quantities OF talk. but only homeopathic in
fintesimais Of sense. the terror OF dry goods
clerks and railroad conductors. discoverers
| of significant meanings in plain CONVERSE
| ton, prodigies Of ba aiinage and innuendo.
say: "Look. look! Vashti has lost her veii!'
| Again. want you to consider Vashti tho
sacrifice Who is this | see coming out OF
that palace gate of Shushan? 1t seems to mo
| that have seen her before. She comes
homeless. houseess. friendiess, truhcinis
along with a broken heart. Who Is she? 1t
| is Vashti the sacrifice. Oh, what a change il
was from regal position to a wayfarer'5
crust! A little while ago approved and
| sought for: now none SD poor as to acknOwl-
edge her acquaintanceship. Vashti the sac
riflce! All, you and have seen it many n
time,
Here is home empaaced with beauty.
| ALI that refinement and books and wealth
| can do for that home has been done, but
Ahasuerus, tho husband and father, is taking
hold on paths of sin. He is gradually going
down. After awhile he will fl ,undrr and
| struggle like wild beast in the hunters net
| farther away from God, farther away from
tho right. Soon the bright apparel of the
children will turn to rags; soon the house
hold song will become the so5binG OF IL
broken heart. The old story over again.
Brutal centaurs breaking up the mar
riage least of Lapithae. The house full
Of outrage AMI cruelty and abomipa-
tion, while trudging forth from tho
palace gate are Vashii ami her children.
There are homes that are in danger of
such a breaking up. Oh, Ahisua.us. that
you should staud in II homc by a dissipaied
life destroy the peace aid comfort of that
home. God forbid that your children should
ever have to wiring their hands AMI have peo-
pie point their finger at them as they pass
down the street and say, "Thcte goes IL
drunkari's child" God forbid that the little
feet should ever have to trudge the path of
poverty and wretchednrss. God forbid that
any evil spirit born of the wine cup or the
brandy glass should come forth and uproot
tilat garden, ana Win u IdStlnp
consuming curse shut forever the palace cato
against Vashti and the children.
During the war went to HagerstOwn to
look ut the army. and l stood in the night on
a hilltop and looked down upon them. 1
saw the campfires all through the valleys
and all over the hills. 1t was weird spec
tacie, those camphres and l stood and
watched them. and the soldiers who were
gathering around them were, no doubt. talk
ing of their homes and OF the long match
to fight. But after awhile 1 saw these camp
Hires begin to lower, and they continued to
| lower until they were all gone out and the
hrmy slept 1t was imposing when l saw
| the camplires; it was imposing in the dark
hess when L thought of that great host
uSieep.
Well God looks down from heaven, and
He sees the flresdts of Christeniom and the
loved ones gathered around these frsSijeS.
These are the campiirs whore we warm our
selves at the close of the day and talk over
the battles of life we have fought and the
battles that are yet to come. God grant that
whom mt last these fires begin to 90 out and
continue to lower until finally they are OK
tinguished and the ashes of consumed hopes
strew the hearth of the old homestead, it
may he because we have
Gone to sleep that last long sleep
From which none ever waka to weep.
Now we are an army on the march of life.
Then we will bs an army bvoutnked in the
tent OF the grave.
Once more / want you to look at Vashti
the silent. You do not hear any outcry from
this woman she goes forth from the palace
gate. From the very dignity of her nature,
you know there will he no v,,ciferation.
sometimes in life 1t is necessary TO make a
retort; sometimes in life ii is necessary TO
resist, but there cries when the most
triumphant thing to do is to keep silence.
The philosopher, confident in his newly dis
covered principle, waiting for the coming Of
more Intelligent generations, willing that
men should laugh at the lightning rod and
cotton gin and dSteamboat-waitingf for long
years through the scoffing of philosophical
schools. in grand and magnificent silence.
Galiiei, condemned by mathematicians and
scientists, carIcatured everywhere. yet wait
ing and watching with his telescope to sec
the coming up OF stellar re-eniorcements,
when the stars in their courses would nght
for the Copernican system, then sitting down
in complete blindness and deafness to wait
for the coming on of the generations who
would build his monument and bOw 1T his
grave
The reformer, execrated by his ,ontem-
poraries, fastened in piilory. the SLOW fire
Of public contempt burning under him,
ground under the cylinders OF the printing
press, yet calmly waiting for the day when
purity of soul and heroism OF character Will
get the sanction OF earth and the plaudits of
heaven. Affiiction. enduring without any
complaint the sharpness OF the pane ana the
violence OF the storm, and the heft OF the
3hain and 0f the darkness OF night. Wait
ing until divine hand shall be put forth to
soothe the pang and hush the storm and re-
lease the captive. A wife, abused. prosecuted
and u perpetual exile from every earthly
,omfOrt-waiting, waiting, until the Lord
shall gather all His dear children in a heaven
iy home and no poor vashti will ever be
thrust out from the palace gate. Jesus, in
silence and answering not a word, drinking
tho gall, bearing the cross, In prospect OF tho
eaptuous consummatiOn when
Angels thronged His chariot wheel
And bore Him To His throne,
Then swept their golden harps and sung
The glorious work Is done.
Oh, woman! Does not this story Of Vashti
the queen, Vashti tho vciled, Vashti the sac
rifice, Vashti the silent, move your soul2 My
sermon converges into the one absorbing
hope that none of you may be shut out OF
the palace gate Of heaven. You can endure
the hardshtps. and the privafions, and the
cruelties, and the misfortunes Of this life IL
you can only gain admission there. Through
the blood of the everlasting covenant you go
through these gates or never go Mt all. God
forbid that you should at last bs banished
from the society of angels and hanished from
the oompaniOnship OF yOur gloriiled kindred
and banished forever Through the rich
grace of our Lord. Jesus Christ, may You be
and Hannah. and Abigail, and Deborah. and
Mary, and Esther, and Vashti- Amen.
How hard the man who paints tries
TO bring the conversation around to
artists.