The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1898-04-27

Again, remark, you ought to make
the very best of your bereavements.
The whole tendency is to brood over
these separations, and to give much
time to the handling of mementoes of
the departed, and to make long vista
tions to the cemetery, and to say, "Oh,
can never look up again; my hope is
gone; my courage is gone; my religion
is gone; my faith in God is gone! Oh,
the wear and tear and exhaustion of
this lonelinessw Ihe most frequent
bereavement is the loss of children.
If your departed child had lived as
long as you have lived, do you
not suppose that he would have had
about the same amount of trouble
and trial that you have had? If you
! could make choice for your child be-
tween 40 years of annoyance, loss, vex-
| alton, evaporation, and bereavements,
and 40 years in Heaven, would you
take the responsibility of choosing the
former? Would you snatch away the
cup of eternal bliss and put into that
child's hands the cup of many bereave-
ments? Instead of the complete safety
into which that child has been lifted,
would you like to hold it down to the
risks of this mortal state? Would you
like to keep it out on sea in which
there have been more shipwrecks than
safe voyages? Is it not comfort
to you to know that that child, in
stead of being besoiled and flung
into the mire of sin, is swung clear
into the skies? Are not those
children to be congratulated that the
point of celestial bliss which you ex-
pect to reach by pilgrimage of so or
so or 70 years, they reached at a flash?
If the last 10000 children who had en-
tered Heaven had gone through the
average of human life on earth, are
you sure all those TO-, 900 children would
have finally reached the blissful ter
minus? Besides that, my friends, you
are to look at this matter as self-de-
nial on your part for their benefit. If
your children want to go off in May
day party; if your children want to go
on fowery and musical excursion,
you consent. You might prefer to
have them with you, but their jubilant
absence satisfies you. Well, your de-
parted children have only gone out in
a May day party, amid fiowery and
musical entertainment, amid joys and
hilarities forever. That ought to quell
some of your grief, the thought of
their glee.
So it ought to be that you could make
the best of all bereavements. The fact
that you have so many friends in Heav-
en- will make your own departure very
cheerful. When you are going on a
voyage everything depends upon where
your friends are-if they are on the
wharf that you leave or on the wharf
toward which you are going to sail. In
other words, the more friends you have
in Heaven the easier it will be to get
away from this world. The more
friends here the more bitter good-byes,
the more friends there the more glori-
Gus welcomes. Some of you have so
many brothers, sisters, children, friends
in Heaven that do not known hardly
how you are going to crowd through.
When the vessel came from foreign
lands and brought a prince to our har-
Dor, the ships were covered with bunt-
ing, and you remember how the men
of-war thundered broadsides, but there
was no joy there compared with the
Joy which shall be demonstrated when
you sail up the broad bay of Heavenly
salutation. The more friends you have
there the easier your own transit.
What is death to mother whose chill
dren are in Heaven? Why, there is no
more grief in it than there is in her go.
ing into nursery amid the romp and
laughter of her household. Though all
around may be dark, see you not the
bright light in the clouds-that light
the irradiated faces of your glorified
kindred?
From my observation, l judge that
invalids have a more rapturous view of
the next world than well people, and
will have higher renown in Heaven. The
best view of the delectable mountains
is through the lattice of the sick room.
There are trains running every hour
between pillow and throne, between
hospital and mansion, between band
ages and robes, between crutch and
palm branch. Oh, | wish some of you peo-
pie who are compelled to cry, MY he ad!
my head! my foot, my foot! my back,
my back" would try some of the Lords
medicine. You are going to be well
anyhow before long. Heaven is an old
city, but has never yet reported one
case of sickness or one bill of mortality.
No opthalmia for the eye. No pneu-
monia for the lungs. No pleurisy for
the side. No neuralgia for the nerves.
No rheumatism for the muscles. THE
inhabitants shall never say, am sick
"There shall be no more pain"
Again, you ought to make the best of
life's fnality. Now, you think have
a very tough subject. You do no. see
hoW l am to strike a spark of light
out of the flint of the tombstone. There
are many people who have an idel that
death is the submergence of everything
pleasant by everything doleful. If my
subject could close in the upsetting of
all such preconceived notions, it would
close well. Who can judge best of the
features of a man-those who are close
by him, or those who are afar off?
"Gh," you say, 'those can judge best of
the features of man who are close by
him"
Now my friends, who shall judge of
the features of death-whether they
are lovely or whether they are repuls-