The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1896-07-10

OF S0cQ q breaking up ", AHdSueTuSS
that you should stand in home, by
dissipated life destroying the peace
and comfort of that home. God forbid
that your children should ever have to
wiring their hands, and have people
point their finger at them as they go
down the street, and say: There goes
drunkard's child" God forbid that
the little feet should ever have to
trudge the path of poverty and wretch
ednessl God forbid that any evil spirit
born of the winecup or the brandy
glass should come forth and uproot
that garden, and with lasting, blister
ing, all-consuming curse, shut out for
ever the palace gate against Vashn
and the childrenl
During the war l went to Hagers-
town to look at the army. and / stood
| in the night on a hilltop and looked
down upon them. saw the campfres
all through the valleys and all over
the hills 1t was a weird spectacle,
those campfres, and l stood and
watched them; and the soldiers who
were gathered around them were, no
doubt, talking of their homes and OF
the long march they had taken and OK
the battles they were to fight; but after
awhile saw those campires begin to
lower; and they continued to lower,
until they were all gone out, and the
army slept. 1t was imposing when I
saw the camp6res; it was imposing
in the darkness when thought of that
great host asleep. Well, God looks
down from Heaven and He sees the
firesides of ChristendOm and the loved
ones gathered around these iresides.
These are the campfres where we
warm ourselves 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 when at
last these fires begin to go out and
continue to lower until finally they
are extinguished, and the ashes OF con-
sumed hopes strew the hearth of the
old homestead, it may be because we
have
leone to sleep that last long sleep,
From which none ever wake to weep"
Now, we are an army on the march
of life Then, we will be an army
bivouacked in the tent of the grave.
Once more: 1 want you to look at
Vashti the silent You do not hear
any outcry from this woman as she
goes forth from the palace gate. From
the very dignity of the nature, you
know there will be no vociferatlon-
Sometimes in life it is necessary to
make a retort; sometimes in life it is
necessary to resist; but there are crisis
when the most triumphant thing to do.
is to keep silence. The philosopher,
confident of his newly discovered prin-
ciple, waiting for the coming
of more intelligent generations,
willing that men should laugh at
the lightning rod and cotton gin
and Misunderstanding for long years
through the scoffing of philosophical
schools, in grand and magnificent
; silence. Calico, condemned by the
mathematician and scientists, carica-
: tured everywhere, yet waiting and
} watching with its telescope to see the
coming up of stellar reinforcements,
when the stars in their courses would
fight for the Copernican system; then
sitting down in complete blindness
and deafness to wait for the coming on
of the generations who would build
The Reformer, execrated by his con-
temporaries, fastened in a pillory, the
slow fires of public contempt burning
under him, ground under the cylinders
of the printing press, yet calmly wait
ing for the day when purity of soul
and heroism of character will get the
sanction of earth and the plaudits of
Heaven. Affection, enduring without
any complaint the sharpness of the
pang and the violence of the storm,
and the heft of the chain and of
the darkness of night. Waiting,
until a Divine hand shall be put
forth to sooth the pang and hush the
storm and release the captive. A wife
abused. prosecuted, and perpetual ex-
lie from every earthly comfort-wait-
ing, waiting, until the Lord shall
gather all his dear children in a
heavenly home, and no poor Vashti
will ever be thrust out from the palace
gate. Jesus, in silence and answering
not word, drinking the gall bearing
the cross, in prospect of the rapturous
contamination when
Angels thronged his chariot wheel,
And bore him to his throne:
Then swept their golden harps and sung
The glorious work is done.
o, woman! does not this story of
Vashti the queen, Vashti the yelled,
Vashti the sacrifice, Vashti the silent,
move your soul? My sermon converges
into one absorbing hope that none of
you may be shut out of the palace
gate of Heaven. You can endure the
hardships and the privations and the
cruelties and misfortunes of this life,
if you can only gain admission there.
Through the blood of the everlasting
covenant you go through these gates
or never go at all. God forbid that
you should at last be banished from
the society of angels, and banished
from the companionship of your glori-
fed kindred, and banished forever.
Though the rich grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ, may you be enabled to
initiate the example of Rachel and
Hannah and Abigail and Deborah and
Mary and E,fh4r and Va ,hti Amen.