Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1898-07-14

wear and tear and exhaustion OF this lone
linessl" The most frequent bereavement is
the loss Of children. Ifyourdeparted child
had lived as long US you have lived, do You
not suppose that he would have had about
the same amount Of trouble and. trial that
you have had? II you could make choice
for your child between forty years OF an
noyAnce. loss, vexatton, evaporation, and
bereavements, and forty years In heaven,
would you take the responsibility OF choos-
ing the former2 Would you snatch away
the cup Of eternal bliss and put into that
chiid's hands the cup of many be-
reavements? Instead .of the COM
plete safety into which that child has been
lifted. would you like to hold It down to
the risks OF this moral state? Would you
like to keep 1t out on sea in which there
have been more shipwrecks than safe vov-
ages? Is 1t not a comfort to you to know
that that child. instead of being besoiled
and flung into the mire OF sin. Is swung
clear into the skies? Are not those chill.
dren to be congratulated that the point OF
celestial bliss which you expect to reach
by pilgrimage of fifty or sixty or seventy
wears they reached at a flash? II the last
10000 children who had entered heaven
had gone through the average OF human
life on earth, are you sure all those 10, 600
children would have finally reached the
blissful terminus2 Besides that, my friends,
you are to look at this matter as a self-de-
nial on your part for their benefit. Hyour
children want to go OFF in a May day party;
If your children want to go on a nowery
and musical excursion, you consent. You
might prefer to have them with you, but
your departed children have only gone out
in May-day party, amid fowery 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
k6oh ,oA 80 III har to 1,of fnot 4 hat
you have SO many friends in heaven will
make your own departure very cheerful.
When you are going on a voyage, every
thing depends upon where your friends are
if they are on the wharf that you leave,
or on the wharf toward which you are 60
ing 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
glorious welcomes. Some of you have SO
many brothers, sisters, children, friends in
heaven, that l do not know hardly how
you are going to crowd through. When
brought Prince to New York harbor, the
ships were covered with bunting, 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
Duy Oh heavenly SuluLdLlOus 1Q6 more
friends you have there, the easier your own
transit. What is death to a mother whose
children are in heaven? Why, there Is no
more grief in it than there is in her going
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 irritated faces OF
your glorified kindredpl
So also, my friends, I would have you
make the best Of your sicknesses. When
you see one move off with elastic step and
in full physical vigor, sometimes you be-
come impatient with your lame foot. When
q man describes an object a mile off, and
you cannot see 1t at all, you become i'm
patient of your dim eye. When you hear
OF we'll man making great achievement
you become impatient with your depressed
nervous system or your dilapidated health.
wilt tell you how you can make the worst
OF 1t. Brood over it; brood over all these
twitchy, and your dyspepsia more aggra-
waited, and your weakness more appalling.
But that Is the DEVILS work to tell you how
to make the worst of it; 1t Is my work to
show you bright light in the clouds.
Which ofthe Bible men most attract your
attention. You say, Moses, Job, David
Jeremiah, Paul Why, what a strange thing
it is that you have chosen those who were
physically disordered! Moses-I know he
was nervous from the blow he gave the
Egyptian. Job---his blood was vitiated and
diseased, and his skin distressfully erup-
tive. David---he had q running sore, which
he speaks of when he says: "Iy sore ran
in the night and ceased not.'' jeremiah
had enlargement Of the spleen. Who can
doubt it who read Lamentations? Paul.
he had lifetime sickness which the COM
mentators have been guessing about for
years, not knowing exactly what the
apostle meant by ga thorn In the flesh" !
Il L. IA
sharp, something that stuck him. gather
from ali this that physical disorder may be
the means Of grace to the soul. You say
you have so many temptations from bodily
ailments, and il you were only we'll you
think you could be good Christian.
While your temptations may be different,
they are no more those OF the man who
has an appetite three times q dav, and
sleeps eight hours every night.
From what II have heard Judge that
invalids have more rapturous view of the
next world than we'll people, and will have
higher renown in heaven. The best view
OF the delectable mountains is through the
running every hour between pillow and
throne, between hospital and mansion,
between bandages and robes, between
crutch and palm branch. Oh, wish some
of you people who are compelled to cry,
"My head, my head! My foot, my footl
MY DHck, my Dack!' WOulQ Try some or
the Lords medicine! You are going to be
we'll anyhow before long. Heaven is an
old city, but has never yet reported one
case of sickness or one bill Of mortality.
No ophthalmia for the eye. No pneumonia
for the lungs. No pleurisy for the side.
No neuralgia for the nerves. No rheuma-
tism for the muscles. The inhabitants
shall never say, II am sick" 'There shall
be no more PAIN
Again, you ought to make the best of
lifes finalitv. Now, you think 1 have n
very tough subject. You do not see how
am to strike spark of light out Of the
flint Of the tombstone. There are many
people who have an idea that death is the
submergence OF everything pleasant by
everything doleful. II my subject could
close in the upsetting of all such precon-
ceived notions, 1t would close we'll. Who
can judge best Of the features OF man
those who are close by him, or those who
are afar Off? "Oh," 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 repulslve? You? You
are too far of. II want to get q judg-
ment as to what really the features OF
death are, / will not ask you; will ask
those who have been within month OF
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