Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1896-01-10

household, and the carpets may 60, the
pictures may go, the piano may go, ev-
erything else may go-the last thing
that goes is that marriage ring, for it Is
considered sacred. In the burial hour it
is withdrawn from the hand and kept
in a casket, and sometimes the box is
opened on an anniversary day, and as
you look at that ring you see under its
arch long procession Of precious MEM
cries. Within the golden circle Of that
ring there is room for a thousand sweet
recollections to revolve, and you think
Of the great contrast between the hour
when, at the close Of the wedding march,
under the flashing lights and amid the
aroma of orange blossoms, you set that
ring on the round finger Of the plump
hand, and that hour when at the close
Of the exhaustive Watching, when you
knew that the soul had fed, you took
from the hand, which gave back no re-
sponsive clasp, from that emaciated fin
ger, the ring that she had worn so long
and worn so well.
On some anniversary day you take up
that ring, and you polish it until all
the old luster comes back, and you can
see in it the flash Of eyes that long ago
ceased to weep. Oh, it is not an un-
meaning thing when l tell you that
when Christ receives a soul into his
keeping he puts on it a marriage ring
He endows you from that moment with
all his wealth. You are one-Christ
and the soul-one in sympathy, one in
affection, one in hope.
There is no power on earth or hell to
effect q divorcement after Christ and
the soul are united. Other kings have
turned out their companions when they
got weary of them and sent them adrift
from the palace gate. Ahasuerus BAN
ished Yashti; Napoleon forsook jose
phine, but Christ is the husband that is
true forever. Having loved you once, he
loves you to the end. Did they not try
to divorce Margaret, the Scotch girl,
from Jesusi They said, "You must give
up your religion" She said, II can't
give up my religion. And so they took
her down to the beach Of the sea, and
they drove in a stake at low water
mark, and they fastened her to it, ex-
pecting that as the tide came up her
faith would fail. The tide began to rise,
and came up higher and higher, and to
the girdle, and to the lip, and in the
last moment, just as the wave was
washing her soul into glory, she shouted
the praises of Jesus.
Oh, no, you cannot separate a soul
from Christ 1t is an everlasting mar
riage. Battle and storm and darkness
cannot do it. Is it too much exultation
for a man, who is but dust and ashes
like myself, to cry out this moment, 81
am persuaded that neither height nor
depth nor principalities nor powers, nor
things present, nor things to come, nor
any other creature, shall separate me
from the love Of God, which is in Christ
Jesus. my Lordf" Glory be to God that
when Christ and the soul are married
they are bound by chain-a golden
chain-if I might say so-a chain with
one link, and that one link the golden
ring Of Gods everlasting love.
The Marriage.
90 step farther, and tell you that
when Christ receives a soul into his
love, he puts on him the ring Of festiyi-
ty. You know that it has been the Gus
tom in all ages to bestow rings on very
happy occasions. There is nothing more
appropriate for a birthday gift than a
ring. You delight to bestow such a gift
upon your children at such a time. 1t
means joy, hilarity, festiyity. Well,
when this old man Of the text wanted
to tell how glad he was that his boy
had got back, be expressed it in this
way. Actually, before he ordered san
dnls to be put on his bare feet; before
he ordered the fatted calf to be killed
to appease the boys hunger, he COM
manded, Put ring on his hand. "
Oh, it is merry time when Christ
and the soul are united Joy Of forgive
ness! What a splendid thing it is to
feel that all is right between my God
and myself. What glorious thing it is
to have God just take up all the sins Of
my life and put them in one bundle,
and then fling them into the depths Of
the sea, never to rise again, never to be
talked Of again. Pollution all gone
Darkness all illumined. God reconciled.
The prodigal home. "Put a ring on his
hand. A"
Every day find happy Christian peo-
pie. find some Of them with no second
coat, some Of them in huts and tene-
ment houses, not one earthly comfort
afforded them, and yet they are as hap
py as happy can be. They sing Rock
of Ages" as no other people in the world
sing it. They never wore any jewelry in
their life but one gold ring, and that
was the ring Of God S undying affection.
Oh, how happy religion makes usl Did
it make you gloomy and sad? Did you
90 with your head cast DOWN. l do not
think you got religion, my brother. That
is not the effect Of religion. True reli-
gion is a Joy. Her ways are ways OF
pleasantness, and all her paths ara
peace.
Why, religion lightens all our bur
dens 1t smooths all our way. 1t inter-
prets all our sorrows. 1t changes the jar
of earthly discord for the peal Of festal
bells. In front Of the flaming furnace
of trial it sets the forge on which scep-
ters are hammered out. Would you not
like this hour to come up from the
swine feeding and try this religionf All
the ioys of heaven would come out and
meet you, and God would cry from the
throne. "Put a ring on his hand. "
You are not happy. see it. There is
no peace, and sometimes yen laugh
when you feel q great deal more IKE
crying. The world is cheat. II hrst
wears You down with its follies, then IL
kicks you out into darkness. II comes
hack from the massacre Of a million
souls to attempt the destruction Oh your
soul today. No peace out of God but
here is the fountain that can slake the
thirst. Here is the harbor where you
can drop safe anchorage.
From Tears to Joy.
Would you not like, I ask you-no'
nerfunctorily, but as one brother might