Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1897-10-15

they came from regions two and three
miles around Good spirit reigned su.
preme, and there were great handshak
ings, and there was carnival, and there
was the recital OF the brightest expert
ences in all their lives, and there was a
neighborhOod reunion the memory OF
which makes all the nerves Of my body
tremble with emotion as the strings OF
harp when the fingers Of player have
swept the chords.
The husking time was the time OF
neighborhood reunion, and so heaven
will be Just that There they come up
They slept in the old village church
yard There they come upl They re-
clined amid the fountains and the
sculpture and the parterres Of city
cemetery There they come upl They
went down when the ship foundered OFF
Cape Hatteras They come up from all
sides-from potter's field and out Of
the solid masonry Of Westminster abb
hey They come upl They come upI
All the hindrances 10 their better ma
ture husked off All their physical all
ments husked off All their spiritual
dependencies husked of All their him
drances to usefulness husked of. The
grain, the golden grain, the God fash
ioned grain, visible and conspicuous
Some Of them on earth were such dis
agreeable Christians you could hardly
stand it in their presence Now IN
heaven they are so radiant you hardly
know them. The fact is, all their i'm
perfections have been husked of. They
did not mean on earth 10 be disagreea-
BILE. They meant well enough, but they
told you how sick you looked, and they
told you how many hard things they
had heard about you, and they told you
how often they had to stand up for you
in some battles until you wished almost
that they had been slain in some Of the
battles. Good, pious, consecrated, well
meaning disagreeables.
Husked on.
Now in heaven all their offensive
ness has been husked off Each one is as
happy as he can be. Every one he
meets as happy as he can be. Heaven
one great neighborhood reunion All
kings and queens. all songsters, all mil
lionaires, all banqueters God, the Fa-
ther, with his children all around him
No "goodby" in all the air No grave
cut in all the hills River Of crystal
rolling over bed Of pearl, under arch OF
chrysoprasus, into the sea Of glass min
gled with fire Stand at the gate OF the
granary and see the grain come in-out
Of the frosts into the sunshine, out OF
the darkness into the light, out OF the
tearing, and the ripping, and the twist
ing, and the wrenching, and the lacerat-
ing, and the husking time Of earth into
the wide open door Of the Kings gran
airy, like as a shock OF corn cometh IN
in his season.
Yes, heaven a great sociable, with
JOY like the JOY Of the husking time.
No one there feeling 50 big he declines
TO speak TO some one who Is not so
large. Archangel willing to listen to
smallest cherub. No bolting Of the door
of caste at one heavenly mansion TO
keep out the citizen Of a smaller man
sion. No clique in one corner whisper
ing about a clique in another corner.
David taking none Of the airs OF giant
killer. Joshua making no one halt un-
til he passes because he made the sun
and moon halt Paul making no assump-
tions over the most ordinary preacher
of righteousness. Naaman, captain OF
the Syrian host, no more honored than
the captive maid who told him where
he could get a good doctor. Oh, my
soul. what a country The humblest
man q king The poorest woman
queen The meanest house a palace.
The shortest lifetime eternity And
what is more strange about 1t all is, we
may all get there 'NOt |, " says some
one standing back under the galleries
Yes. YOU. mot |, " says some one who
has not been in church in 10 years be-
fore. Yes, you. mot l, " says some one
who has been for so years filling up his
life with all kinds of wickedness. Yes
you.
There are monopolies on earth, mo-
nonolistic railroads and monopolistlo
telegraph companies and monopohstic
Grain dealers, but no monopoly In reil'
zion All who want to be saved may
be saved "without money and without
price." Salvation by the Lord Jesus
Christ for all the people OF course use
common sense in this matter. You can
not expect to get to Charleston by tax
/ ing shin for Portland, and you cannot
expect to get to heaven by going IN an
opposite direction. Believe in the LORD
Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.
Through that one gate OF pardon and
peace all the race may go In.
But" says some one, do you real
ly think | would be at home IN that
suparnal society if could reach itf' l
think YOU would | know you would
I remember that in the husking time
there was a great equality Of feeling
among the neighbors There at one corn
shock farmer would be at work VINO
,.yned 200 acres Of ground The man
whom he was talking with at the next
,orn shock owned but 30 acres OF
ground, and perhaps all covered BY
mortgage That evening at the close OF
the husking day one man drove home q
roam span so frislxy, so full Of life, they
got their feet over the traces The oth'
er man walked home Great differences
In education, great difference in world
Iv means but noticed at the huskine
time they all seemed to enjoy each otn'
er's society They did not ask any man
how much property he owned or wha'
his education had been. They all seem.
ed to be happy together in those gooc
times
Picture of Heaven.
And so it will be in heaven Our ia
ther will gather his children around
him. and the neighbors will come In
and the past will be rehearsed An'
some one will tell Of victory, and w
will all celebrate it. And some one wil
tell of great struggle, and we Will a.
praise the grace that fetched him out o
il And some one will say; Here
my old father, that l put away wit