The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-03-14
the light"
Stephen Asleep.

moro picture, and that Is Stephen asleep.
With pathos and simplicity peculiar to
the Scriptures the text says of Stephen,
"He fell asleep" "Oh," you say, what
place that was to sleep! A hard rock
under him, stones falling down upon
him, the blood streaming, tho mob howl
ing. What place it was to sleep!" And
yet my text takes that symbol of slumber
to describe his departure, so sweet was it,
go contented vas it, SO peaceful was it,
Stephen had lived a very laborious life
His chief work had been to care for the
poor. How many lonyes Of bread he dis
tributed, how many bare fest he had SAN
daled how many cots Of sickness and dis
tress he blessed with ministries of kind
ness and love do not know, but from tho
way he lived and tho way he preached and
the way he died know be was u laborious
Christian. But that is all over now. He
has pressed the cup to the last fainting
lip. Ho has taken the last insult from his
enemies. The last stdl3c to whose crush
ing weight he is susceptible has been hurl-
ed. Stephen is dead The disciples come.
They take him up. They wash away the
blood from the wounds They straighten
out the bruised limbs. They brush back
the tangled hair from the brow, and then
they pass around to look upon the calm
oountenance Of him who had lived for the
poor and died for the truth. Stephen
asleep!
have seen the seq driven with the hur-
rioane until the tangled foam caught in
the rigging, and wave rising above wave
seemed as II about to storm the heavens,
and then have seen tho tempest di ,p and
the waves crouch and everything become
smooth and FURNISHED as though camp
ing place for the glorios Of heayen. So I
have seen man whose life has been toss
ed and driven coming down at last to an
p infinite calm, in which there was the hush
Of heavens lullaby.
Stephen asleep! I saw such one. He
fought all bis days against poverty and
against abuse. They traduced his name
They ratified at tho doorknob while he was
dying with duns for debts ho could not
pay, yet the peace of God brooded over his
pillow, and while tho world faded heaven
dawned, and the deepening twilight Of
earth's night was only the opening twi-
light Of heavens morn. Not sigh; not
tear; not struggle. Hush! Stephen
asleep!
have not tho faculty to tell the weather.
can never tell by the setting sun whether
there will he drought or not. cannot
tell by the blowing of the wind whether 1t
will be fair weather or foul on the NOR
row, but can prophesy, and will proph-
esy what weather it will be when you,
tho Christian, como to die. You may
havo it very rough now 1t may be this
week one annoyance, the next another an
noyance. 1t may be this year one bereave-
ment, tho next another bereavement. Be-
fore this year has passed you may have to
beg for bread or ask for a scuttlo of coal or
pair of shoes, but ut the last Christ will
como in, and darkness will go out, and,
though there may bo no hand to close your
eyes and no breast on which to rest your
dying head and no candle to lift the night,
tho odors Of Gods hanging garden will
regale your soul, and at your bedside will
halt tho chariots Of tho King. No more
rents to pay, no more agony because flour
has gono up, no moro struggle with "the
world the flesh and the devil" but peace
--long, deep, everlasting peace. Stephen
asleep!
Asleep in Jesus Blessed sleep,
From winch none ever we've 10 WecpI
calm and undisturbed repoBo,
Unnjured by the last of foes.
d.
Asleep in Jesus! Far from thee
Thy kindred and their graves may be.
But there Is still n blessed sleep
From which mono ever wake to weep.
You have seen enough for one morning.
, No one can successfully examine more
than five pictures in a day. Therefore we
stop, having seen this cluster Of divine
Raphaels-Stephen gazing into heaven,
Stephen looking az Uhrist, Stephen stoned,
Stephen in his dying prayer, Stephen
asleep.