The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1898-01-20

world hangs In admiration over the
sketch Of Gainsborough. yet that very
sketch hung for years In the shop win
dow because there was not any pur-
chaser. Oliver Goldsmith sold his "vic-
ar of Wakefield" for few pounds, In
order to keep the bailiff out of his
door; and the vast majority Of men in
all occupations and professions are not
fully paid for their work.
You may say nothing, but life to you
is hard push and when you sit down
with your wife and talk over the ex.
penses, you both rise up discouraged.
You abridge here. and you abridge
there, and you get things snug for
smooth sailing. and 10! suddenly there
is n large doctors bill to pay, or you
have lost your pocketbook, or some
creditor has failed, and you are thrown
abeam end.
There also Is the sourness Of bereave-
ment. There were years that passed
along before your family circle was in.
vaded by death; but the moment the
charmed circle was broken everything
seemed to dissolve. Hardly have you
put the black apparel in the wardrobe
before you have again to take 1t out.
Great and rapid changes in your fam
lily record. You got the house and re-
jOiced in 1t, but the charm was gone
as soon as the Grape hung on the door
bel. The one upon whom you most de-
pended was taken away from you. A
cold marble slab lies on your heart to-
day. Once, as the children rOmped
through the house, you put your hand
over your aching head and said
"Oh, II could only have it stillw
oh, is ii too still now! You lost your
patience when the tops and the strings
and the shells were left around the
floor, but oh! you would be willing to
have the trinkets scattered all over the
floor again, II they were scattered by
the same hands. With what a ruthless
plOwshare bereavement rips up the
heart! But Jesus knows all about that.
You cannot tell Hin anything In re-
gard to bereavement. He had only a
few friends, and when He lost one II
brought tears to His eyes. Lazarus
had often entertained Him at his
house. Now Lazarus Is dead and bur.
led, and Christ breaks down with emo.
tion-the convulsion of grief shudder.
Ing through all the ages Of bereave.
ment. Christ knows what It is to 70
through the house missing a familiar
inmate. Christ knows what II IL to see
an unoccupied place at the table. Were
there not four of them-Mary. and
Martha, and Christ and Lazarus!
Four of them. But where is Lazarus!
Lonely and afflicted Christ, His great
loving eyes filled with tears, which
drop from eye to cheek. and from
cheek to beard, and from beard to
robe, and from robe to floor. Oh. yes,
yes, He knows all about the loneliness
and the heartbreak!
Then there is the sourness Of the
death hour. Whatever else we may
escape, that acid sponge will be
pressed to our lips. I sometimes have
q curiosity to know how shall behave
when come to die-whether shall be
calm or excited. whether l shall be
filed with "reminiscences or with antic.
ipation. I cannot say. But come to
the point must, and you must. In the
six thousand years that have passed
only two persons have got into the
eternal world without death. and dc
not suppose that God Is going to send
a carriage for us with herses of fame
to draw us up the steps Of heaven: but
| suppose We shall have to 60 like the
preceding generations. An officer OF
the future world will knock at the door
of our heart and serve on us the writ
Of ejectment. and we will have to sur.
render. And we shall wake up after
these Autumnal, and Wintry, and YER
nal and Summery glories have van
ished from our visiOn-we shall wake
up into realm which has only one
season. and that the season of ever,
lasting love.
But you say: II don't want to break
out from my present associations. II
is so chilly and SO damp to go down
the stairs OF that vault. l don't wan,
anything drawn SO tightly over my
eyes. II there were only some way
of breaking through the partition be
tween worlds without tearing this
body all to shreds. I wonder II the
surgeons and the doctors cannot com
pound mixture by which this body
and soul can all the time be kept to
gether? Is there no escape from the
separation"
A great many men tumble through
the gates Of the future, as 1t were, and
we do not know where they have gone
and they only add gloom and mystery
to the passage: but Jesus Christ sc
nightly stormed the gates OF tina,
future world that they have never
since been closely shut. Christ knows
what it is to leave this world. of the
beauty of which He was more appreci
ative than we ever could be. He knows
the exquisiteness Of the phosphOres
cence of the sea; He trod 1t. He know,
the glories OF the midnight heavens
for they were the spangled canopy OF
His wilderness pillow. He knows
about the lilies; He twisted them int
His sermon, He knows about thu