Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1896-10-03


Of the toughest put before us an immacm-
late chirography. Not our character hat
the copy plate set before MS in our school
boy day, decides the general style of our
handwriting. So also there Is u fashion in
pcnmanship, and for one decade the letters
are exaggerated and in the next miuilicd,
now erect and now aslant, now heavy and
now fine. An autograph album i always
n surprise and you find the pcuman>hip
contradicts the character Of the writer's.
But, while the chirography Of the carth Is
uncertain, our blessed Lord in our text
presents the photography celestial. Wien
addressing the 40 disciples st.nGin; h2,ero
him. he slid, Rejoice ccausc your names
are written in hcaA tn ~
The Book of Life.
OF course, the Bible, for the most TART,
when speaking of the heavenly world.
speaks figurativcly while talking about
book and about trumpcts and abuUt wings
and about gates and about golden pave
ments and about orchards with IL cr0l :
Of fruit-onc crop clclr mnnth-and about
the white horses Of heavens cavalry. bat
we do well to follow out these ins ircd
metaphors and reap from them courage
and sublime expectation and consolation
and victory. We are told that in the hcav-
emily library there is "a hook of life Per
haps there are many volumes in il. When
we say u book, wo mean all written by
the author on that subject. i cannot tell
how large those heavenly volumes are
nor the splcndor Of their binding, nor the
number of their pages, nor whether they
are pictorializcd with some exciting scenes
of this world. only know that the words
have not been impressed by type, but writ
ten out by some hand. and that all those
who, like the 20 disciples to whom the
text was spoken, repent and trust the Lord
for their eternal salvation, surely have
their names written in heaven. 1t may
not be the same name that We carried on
earth. We may, through the incOnsidcr-
atencss of parents, have a name that is I'M
couth, or that was aftcrward Gishonurcd
by ono after whom we Were called. do
not know that the 40 entrances Of the
names of the 20 disciples correspond with
the record in the genealogical table. IL
may not bc the name y which we were
called on earth. hut il will lpc the name by
which heaven will know Us, and we will
have 1t announced 70 Us rs We PASS In. ard
we Will know IL - certainly that we y i'll
not have to lie called twicc by il. IS in the
Bible times the Lord called some people
twice by name: "Saul. SAUL Samuel,
Samuel Martha, Martha
When you come up and look for your
name in the mighty tones II eternity and
you are So hnppy rs To find it there. YOU
will notice that the penmanship Is Christ's,
and that the letters were written with u
trembling hand-not trembling with old
age, for he lad only passed three decades
when he expired. II was soon after the
tnirticth anniversary Of lis birthday. Look
over all the business accounts you KEEP; or
the letters you wrote at 30 wears Of age.
and II you were ordinarily strong and well
then there was no trcmOr in the chirog-
raphy Why the tremor in the hand that
wrote your name in heaven. Oh, il was a
compression Of more troubles than ever
smote any one else, and all Of them trou-
bles assumed for others Christ was prcma-
turcly old. He had been exposed To all the
weathcrs ~ Palestine. He had slept ont OF
doors-now III the night dew. and now in
the tempest. He had been soaked in the
surf of Lake Galilec Pillows for Others
but he had not where to lay his head Hun
CRY. he could not even get liz on which
To breakfaSt-or have you missed the pathos
OF that verse, - In tn" morning as he return
ed unto the city he hungercd. and when he
saw iig tree In the way he came to it
and found nothing thcrcun:' oh, he was
Il hungry Christ. and nothing makes the
hand trcmhlc worse than hunger. for il
pulls upon the stomach, and the stomach
pulls upon the brain. and the brain pulls
upon the nerves, and the agitatcd nerves
make the hand quake. On the top ii all
this transportation came abuse. What sober
man ever wanted Ia b. called drunkard,
But Christ was called one What rcSpoctcr
of the Lords day wants To Ia called "a sab
bath breaker: But he WAS called one
What man, careful Of the company he
keeps, warts To bc called the associate Of
proiliagtcs: But he WAS 50 called What
loyal man wants u he charged with trca
son: But ne Was charged with II. What
man of dcyout speech wants 10 tc called u
blasphcmcr. But lac was 80 termed What
man Of self respect wants to hc struck in
the mouth: But that is where they struck
him. Or 10 be the victim 81 yilcst cxpcc-
toration? But under that he stopped OH
he was "a worn out Christ That Is the
reason he died so soon upon the cross.
Many victims OF crucifxion lived day
after day upon the cross, but Christ was
III the courtroom at II O'Clock Of noon,
and he had expired at 3 O'Clock in the NIT
ernoon Of the same day Subtracting from
three hours between II and 3 o'clock the
time taken tn travel from the courtroom
r. the place Of execution and the time that
must have been taken In getting ready for
the tragedy, there could not have been
much more than two hours left Why did
Christ live only two hours upon the cross
when others had lived * hourss All. he
was worn out before hc got there, and You
wonder oh, child Of God, that looking
into the volumes of heaven for your name
you find II was written with trembling
Notwithstanding with every letter
n your name, If it be your earthly name,
or trembling with every letter Of your
heavenly name, If TINT he different and
more cuphoniousl That will not bc the
first time You saw the mark 81 "A quivcring
pen. for did you not, oh, man. wears ago
see your name 81 written on the back Of n
letter, ana you opened il. saying, Why,
here is letter from mother or Here is
letter from father" and after you opened
II you found all the words because OF old
agc. were traced irrcgularly and uncertain.
SO that you could hardly read IL ut ally