The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1897-04-09

can De DullI. 1nere must DC Cilc CAACA-
ing of the hoofs before there can be
the ring of the trowels.
Again. My subject gives me speci-
men of busy and triumphant sadness.
If there was any man in the world who
had right to NOPE and give up every
thing as lost, it was Nehemiah. You
say, "He was cup-bearer in the palace
of Shushan. and it was grand place
So it was. The hall of that palace was
200 feet square. and the roof lowered
over So marble pillars. each pillar 60
feet high; and the intense blue of the
sky, and the deep green of the forest
foliage, and the white of the driven
snow, all hung trembling in the
upholstery. But, my friends, you
know very well that fine archi-
lecture will not put down home
sickness. Yet, Nehemiah did not give
up. Then, when you see him going
among these desOlated streets, and
by these dismantled towers, and by
the torn-up grave of his father, you
would suppose that he would have been
disheaftened. and that he would have
dismounted from his horse and gone to
his room and said: ''Woe is me! My
fathers grave is torn up. The temple
is dishonored. The walls are broken
down. l have no money with which
to rebuild. l wish L had never been
born. | wish l were dead" Not so
says Nehemiah. Although he had a
grief so intense that it excited the
commentary of his king, yet that PEN
niless, expatriated Nehemiah rOuses
himself up to rebuild the city. He
gets his passports. He hastens away
to Jerusalem. By night on horseback
he rides through the ruins. He over
comes the most ferocious opposition.
He arouse the piety and patriotism of
the people, and in less than two
months, namely, 50 days. Jerusalem
was rebuilt. That's what | call busy
and triumphant sadness
Oh, / wish l could persuade all the
people who have any kind of trouble
never to give up. | wish they would
look at the midnight rider of the text,
and that the four hoofs of that beast
on which Nehemiah rode might cut to
pieces all your discouragements, and
hardships, and trials. Give up! Who
is going to give up, when on the bosom
Of God he can have all his troubles
hushed? Give up! Never think of Civ
ing up. Are you borne down with
poverty? A little child was found hold
ing her dead mothers hand in the
darkness of a tenement house, and
some one coming in, the little girl
looked up. while holding her dead
mothers hand, and said, 'Oh, l do
wish that God had made more light
for poor folks" My dear, God will be
YOUR light. God will be your shelter,
God will be your home. Are you borne
down with the bereavements of life?
Is the house lonely now that the child
is gone? Do not give up. Think OF
what the old sexton said when the
minister asked him why he put so much
care on the little graves in the cemetery
so much more care than on the larger
graves-and the old sexton said, Sir,
you know that of such is the kingdom
of Heaven and | think the Saviour is
pleased when he sees so much white
clover growing around these little
graves" But when the minister
pressed the old sexton for more salts
factory answer, the old sexton said,
Sir. about these larger graves, don't
know who are the Lords saints and
who are not; but you know, sir. it is a
clean different with the BARNS"
Oh, if you have had that keen, tender,
indescribable sorrow that comes from
the loss of a child. do not give
up. The old sexton was right. 1t is
all well with the BARNS. Or. II you
have sinned, if you have sinned griev-
ously-sinned until you have been cast
out by the church, sinned until yOu
have been cast out by sOciety-do not
give up. Perhaps there may be in this
house one that could truthfully utter
the lamentation of another:
Once was pure as the snow. but fell
Fell like a snowflake. from Heaven to hell
Fell, to be trampled as filth in the street
Fell. to be scofed at spit on and beat;
Praying. cursing, wishing to die.
Selling my soul to whoever would buy,
Dealing in shame for a mOrSel of bread,
Hating the living and fearing the dead
Do not give up. One like unto the
Son of God comes to you to-day. say
ing, go and sin no more" while He
OuL W yOuI doodAAdAISs Leu A1ALl
that is without sin cast the first stone
at her" Oh, there is no reason why
any one in this house, by reason of any
trouble or sin, should give up. Are
you foreigner, and in a strange land?
Nehemiah was an exile. Are you pen
niless? Nehemiah was poor. Are you
homesick? Nehemiah was homesick
Are you broken-hearted? Nehemiah
was broken-hearted. But just see him
in the text, riding along the sacrileged
grave of his father, and by the dragon
well, and through the fish gate, and by
the Kings pool, in an out, in and out,
the moonlight falling on the broken
masonry, which throws long shadow
at which the horse SHES, and at the
same time that moonlight kindling up
the features of this man till you see
not only the mark of sad "reminiscences,
but the courage and hope, the enthusi-
asm of a man who knows that Jerusa-
lem will be rebuilded. pick you up