The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1897-04-15
before there can be the ring of the

before there can be the ring Of the
trowels.
Again. My subject gives me spec
linen OF busy and triumphant sadness:
If there was any man in the world
who had a right to NOPE and give up
everything as lost, it was Nehemiah.
You say, He was q cupbearer in the
palace of Shushan, and it was grand
place." Soft was. The hall of that
palace was 200 feet square, and the
roof hovered over SO marble pillars,
each pillar 80 feet high, snd the in.
tense 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 architecture will not put down
homesickness. Yet Nehemiah did not
Give ~ Then when you see him
going ii nong these desolated stree 5,
and by these dismantled towers, aud
by the torn up grave of his father, you
would suppose that he would have
been disheartened, and tat 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. / have 40 money
with which to rebuild, I wish I had
never been born. I wish I were
dead" Not so says Nehemiah. AL
though he had g:ief so intense that
it excited the commentary OF his king.
vet that penniless, expatriated Nehe-
miah rouses himself up to repuild the
city. He gets his permission OF ao'
sence. He gets his passports. He
hsstens away to Jerusalem. By night
on horseback he rides through the
ruins. He overcomes the most fero
cious opposition. He arouses the pie.
ty and patriotism OF the people. and
in less than two months-namely, 81
days-Jerusalem was rebuilt. That's
what I call busy and triumphant sad
ness.
My friends, the whole temptation is
with you when you have trouble to
do Just the opposite to the behaviour
of Nehemiah, and that is to give up.
You say, Il have lost my child and
can never smile again" You say, ~
have lost my property, and | never
can retain my fortunes" You say,
- have lost all in life and I never
can start again for a new life." If
satan can make you form that resolu'
ton and make you keep it, he has ru.
ined you. Trouble is not sent to crush
you, but to arouse you to animation,
to propel you. The locksmith does
not insert the iron into the forge and
then blow away with the bellows and
then bring the hot iron out on the
anvil and beat with stroke after stroke
to ruin the iron, but to prepare it for
q better use. Oh, that the Lord God
of Nehemiah would rouse up all bro
Ken hearted people to rebuild |
Whipped, betrayed, shipwrecked, i'm
prisoned, Paul went right on. The
Italian martyr Algerius sits in his
dungeon writing q letter, and he.dates
it, From the delectable orchard OF
the Lsonine prison." That is what /
call triumphant sadness. I knew a
mother who buried her babe on Fri.
day and on Sabbath appeared in the
house of God and said: "Give me
q class. Givs me q Sabbath school
class. I have no child now left me,
and I would like TO have a class of
little children. Give me class off
the back street." That. say, is beau
tifuL That is triumphant sadness.
At 8 o'clock every Sabbath afternoon
for years in beautiful parlor in Phil
adelphia-a psrlor pictured aud stat
uetted-there were from 10 to 20 des.
titute children of the street. Those
destitute children received religious
instruction, concluding with cakes
and sandwiches. How do I know
that that was going on for 16 years9
know it in this way: Thst was the
first home in Philadelphia where I
was called to comfort a great sorrow.
They had q splendid boy, and he had
been drowned at Long Branch. The
father and mother almost idolized the
boy, and the sob and shrek OF that
father and mother as they hung over
the coffin resound in my ears today.
There seemed to be no use of praying,
for when I knelt down to pray the
outcry in the room drowned out all
the prayer. But the Lord comforted
that sorrow. they did not forget
their trouble. If you should 60 any
afternoon into Laurel Hill, you would
find q monument with the word
walter" inscribed upon it and 8
wreath of fresh flowers around the
name. I think there was not an hour
in 20 year, winter or summer. when
there was not a wreath of fresh flow.
ers around Walters name.
But the Christian mother who sent
those flowers there, having no child
left, Sabbath afternoons n1othered 10
or 30 of the lost ones of the street.
That is beautiful. That is what I call
busy and triumphant sadness. Here
is man who has lost his property.
He does not 20 to hard drinking. lie
does not destroy his own life. He
comes and says: Harness me for
Christian work. My moneys gone.
l have no treasure on earth. l want
treasures in heaven. 1 have a voice
and heart to serve God" You say