Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1898-12-02

encouragement 1Or tn6 lutulo anu 6AN"'
disgust for the past. Oh, my friends,
this is "south land, and 1t slopes OIL
toward deserts Of sorrOws, and the
prayer which Achsah made to her IA
ther Caleb we make this day to our Fa'
ther God "Thou hast given me a south
land give me also springs OF water.
And ne gave her the upper springs and
the neither springs.
Blessed be God, we have more ad-
vantages given us than we can really
appreciated We have spiritual blessings
offered us in this world which l shall
call the neither springs and glories IN
the world to come which l shall call the
upper springs.
Where shall | find words enough
threaded with light to set forth the
pleasure of religion? David, unable to
describe it in words, played it on a
harp. Mrs. Hemans not finding enough
power in prose, sings that praise IN
| canto. Christopher Wren, unable to de-
scribe it in language, sprung 1t into the
arches Of st. Paul's. John Bunyan, Nh
able to present it in ordinary phrase
ology, takes all the fascination Of ale
CORY. Handel, with ordinary music un-
able to reach the height of the theme,
rou.ss it up in an oratOrio. Oh, there is
no life on earth so happy as a really
Christian lifel do not mean a sham
Christian life, but a real Christian life.
Al =. 81 fs xxh
garland Of roses. Where there Is one
groan there are three dOxologies. Where
there is one day Of cloud there is a
whole season Of sunshine. Take the
humblest Christian man that you know
angels of God canopy him with their
white wings; the lightnings of heaven
are his armed allies; the Lord is his
Shepherd, picking out for him green
pastures by still waters. If he walk
forth, heaven is his bodyguard. If he
lie down to sleep, ladders Of light, angel
blossoming, are let into his dreams. II
he be thirsty. the potentates Of heaven
are his cupbearers. If he sit down to
food his plain table blooms into the
hlDR 5 DuuIuCl. -hNn HNSfN -
that odd fellow with the wornout
coat" The angels of God cry, Lift up
your heads, ye everlasting gates, and
let him come in" FastidiOus people
cry, "Get off NY front steps," The
doorkeepers of heaven cry, "Come, ye
blessed of my Father, inherit the king
domr' When he comes TO die though
he may be carried out in pine box to
the potter's field, to that potter's field
the chariots of Christ will come down,
and the cavalcade will crowd all the
boulevards Of heaven.
| bless Christ for the present satisfac-
tion of religion. 1t makes a man all
right with reference to the past; 1t
makes a man all right with reference to
the future. Oh, these neither springs OF
comfortl They are perennial. The
foundation Of God standeth sure having
this seal, 1.-THE Lord knoweth them that
are his. " 1.-The mountains shall depart
and the hills be removed, but my kind
ness shall not depart from thee. neither
shall the covenant of my pence be re-
moved, saith the Lord, who hath mercy
upon thee" Oh, cluster Of diamonds
set in FURNISHED gold Oh, neither
springs Of comfort bursting through all
the valleys of trial and tribulation
When You see, you Of the world, what
satisfaction there is on earth in religion,
/ do you not thirst after II as the daugh-
/ ter of Caleb thirsted after the water
| springs? 1t is 10 stagnant pond, scum
med over with malaria, but springs OF
water leaping from the Rock Of Ages!
Take up one cup of that spring water
and across the top of the chalice Will
float the delicate shadows Of the heag-
enly wall, the yellow of jasper, the
green Of emerald, the blue of sardonyx,
the fire Of jaointh.
The source of Happiness.
wish could make you understand
the Joy religion is TO some of u.s. 1t
makes a man happy while he lives and
! glad when be dies. With two feet upon
a chair and bursting with dropses,
heard an old man in the poorhOuse cry
out, "Bless the Lord, oh, my soulP' i
looked around and said, "What has this
man got to thank God for?" 1t makes
the lame man leap as a bart, and the
dumb sing. They say that the old Puri-
tan religion is a juiceless and Joyless
religion, but / remember reading OF Dr.
Goodwin, the celebrated Puritan, VINO
in his last moment said: "Is this dy-
ing? Why, my bow abides in strength
| am swallowed up in Cod! HeI
ways are ways Of pleasantness, and all
her paths are peace Oh, you who
have been trying to satisfy yourselves
with the South land" Of this world,
do you not feel that you would, this
morning, like to have access to the
neither springs Of spiritual comfort
, Would you not like to have Jesus Chris
bend over your cradle and bless youl
table and heal your wounds and streN
flowers Of consolation all up and dowr
the graves Of your dead?
'Tis religion that can give
, Sweetest pleasures while we live
'Tis religion can supply
Sweetest comfort when we die.
But ! have something better to tel
you, suggested by this text. 1t seem
that old Father Caleb on the weddini
day Of his daughter wanted to make he
Just as happy as possible. Though Oth
mel was taking her away and his hear
was almost broken because she was go
ing, yet he gives her south land; ;
= not only that, but the neither springs
: not only that, but the upper springs
: o God. my Father, | thank thee tina
= thou hast given me "south land II
,. this world and the neither springs 0
s spiritual comfort in this world; but
= more than all, thank thee for the up
o per springs in heavenl
II The Gates Ajnr.
t 1t is very fortunate that we canot SC
u heaven until we get into it. 0 Chris
IS tian man, if you could see what plac
l. ! is we would never get you back agal
70 t. iae Office, or store, OF shop and 'h
1t duties y ought to perform would 8
u noola,folf lam Glad shall not see tha