Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-12-15

always lived in n mansion, and walked in
fine gardens, and RECALLED his appetite on
hest fruits, and had warmest furs for win
ter, coolest linens for August heat, and
brilliant earthly surroundings, heaven
will not be so much change OF scene.
He will be disposed to say: Why, am
used to this. Don't show me the gardens.
uhy, was brought up ut Chatsworth
Don't invite me into chariot. / alwayo
had splendid turnout. Don't invite me
20 the feast. I have been accustomed to
Belshazzarian banquets. 1t would be
relief to me II 1 could leave heaven little
while and rough it in some other world"
But what heaven IL will be for those
whose limbs were so rheumatic they could
| not take a step when they get wingsl
What a heaven it will be for those who
we're always sick when they arc always
veil, and after 20 years Of pain to havo
millions of years of health What a light
sill be the light Of heaven for those who
On earth could not sec their hand before
heir faces! And what will the music of
heaven he to those the tympanum OF whose
,ars for many years had ceased to vibrate
Denied on earth the pleasure of listening
% Handel and Haydn and Mcndelssohn's
symphonies, at last reaching world
where there never has been a discord, and
hearing singing where all are perfect
songsters, and oratorios in which all the
nations of heaven chant! Great heaven 1t
will be for all who get there, but a hun.
/ ired times more of a heaven for those
who were shut in.
The Test of Character.
/ Meanwhile you have all divine and an.
selic sympathy in your infirmities. That
satan thoroughly understood poor human
nature was evidenced when, in plotting to
make Job do wrong, the great master of
evil, after having failed in every other
way to overthrow the good man, proposed
physical distress, and then the boils camo
which made him swear right out. Tho
mightieSt test of character is physical suf
tering. Critics are impatient at the way
Thomas Carlyle scoldcd ut everything
His 30 years of dyspepsia were enough tC
make any man scold. When you SEQ peo-
pie out OF patience and irascibc and
lachrymose, inquire into the case, and be-
fore you get through with the exploration
your hypercriticism will turn to pity, and
to the divine and angelic sympathy will
he added your own. The clouds Of your
indignation, which were full of thunder.
bolts, will begin to rain tears of pity.
BY n strange Providence, for which
shall lie forever grateful, circumstances
with which think you are all familiar,
have admission through tho newspaper
press week by week TO tens of thousands
Of Gods dear children who cannot enter
church on the Sabbath and hear their ex-
cellcnt pastors because Of the age of the
sufferers, or their illness, or the lamencss
Of foot, or their incapacity to stay in one
position an hour and n half, or their pow
critics, or their troubles Of some sort will
not let them 60 out of doors, and to them
ms much as to those who hear me preach
this sermon, as l preach many Of my ser
mons the invisible audience always vaster
than the visible, some Of them tossed on
wilder seas than those that tossed the eight
mcmbcrs of Noah's family, and instead of
10 days Of storm and months of being
shut in, as they were, II has been with
these invalids 5 years OF "shut in" or 10
wears Of shut in" OF 90 years of shut
in" o comforting God Help me to
comfort them. Give me two hands full of
salve for their wounds! When we were 800
miles out at sea, hurricane struck us,
and the lifeboats were dashed from the
davits and all the lights In the cabin were
put out by the rolling Of the ship and the
had poured in. Captain Andrews entered
and said to the men on duty: "why don Z
YOU light up and make things brighter,
for We are going to outridc this storm?
Passengers, cheer up! Cheer upl" And
he struck match and began to light the
burners. He could not silence either the
wind or the waves, but by the striking OF
that match, accompanied by encouraging
words, we were all helped.
Angelic Companionahip.
And rs l now ind many In hurricanes
If trouble though l cannot quiet the
storm can strike a match to light up the
darkness, and / strike a match, whom
the Lord loveth he chastencth. strike
another match, Weeping may endure for
night, but joy cometh in the morning.
strike another match, "wc have great
High Priest who can DO touched with the
feeling of our infirmities, and he was IN
all points tempered like as we are" Ar,
Won olds One breath Of heaven will make
you evcrlastincly young again. Have yor
aches and pains: They insure Christ s
presence and sympathy through the dark
est December nights, which are the lon
rcst nights II the year. Are you bercft
Here is resurrcctcd Christ whose voice !,
full Of resurrect.onary power Are yor
lonely! All the angels Of heaven are read.
to swoon into your companionship Herr
Is the Christ Of Mary and Martha wheI
they had lost Lazarus, and of David wheI
he had lost his son, and of Abraham wheI
he had lost Sarah, and OF your father an,
mother when in time OF old age they part
ed AT the gates Of the tomb. When last
was in Savannah, at the close of the Sab
bath morning service was asked TO e.
and see Christian woman, for man!
years an invalid. went. l had not IL
all that beautiful city Of splendid men an,
gracious women seen face brighter thai
hers. Reaching her bedside, / put on
my hand, but she could not shake hands
for her hand was palsiod. / said to her
"How long have you been down on thi
beds' She smiled and made no answer
for her tongue had been palsied, but thos
standing around said, Fifteen years, "
said TO her, Have you been able to keel
your courage up all that timer" She CAV
! a very little motion of her head in afiirma
tion, for her whole body was paralytic
The sermon had preached that morninI
had no power on Others compared wit
! the power that silent sermon had ON me
What was the secret of her conquest owe
pain and priyation and incapacity 3
mover shall | tell you the scurety i viii
! tell you. The Lord shut her in.
There is good deal of fanatcisr
abroad about the recovery OF the sick, bu
II we had as much faith as Martin Luthe
We would have Luther's success Hi
friend Myconius was very Ill, and Luthe
Tell upon his knees and said so Lord, nc
q / s.l lv.nt hs,r L.