Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1898-03-18

Eagles wing could not catch 1t. The
lightnings are not swift enough to take
up with il. When the soul leaves the
body, it takes 90 worlds at a bound.
And baye | no anxiety about it? Have
you no anxiety about it?
Stephens Prayer.
/ do not care what you do with my
body when my soul is gone, or whether
you believe in cremation or inhuma-
tion. shall sleep just as well in
wrapping Of sackcloth as in satin lined
with eagle s down. But my soul-before
this day passes | will find out where it
will land. Thank God for the intima-
tion Of my text, that when we die Jesus
takes Us. That answers all questions for
me. What though there were massive
bars between here and the city Of light,
Jesus could remove them. What though
there were great Saharas Of darkness,
Jesus could illume them. What
though | get weary on the way, Christ
could lift me on his omnipOtent shoul-
der. What though there were chasms to
cross, his hand could transport me.
Then let Stephens prayer be my dying
litany, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
1t may be in that hour we will be too
feeble to say long prayer. 1t may be
in that hour we will not be able to say
the Lords Prayer, for it has seven Pc
titions. Perhaps we may be too feeble
even to say the infant prayer our moth
ers taught US, which John Quincy Ad-
ans, 20 years Of age, said every night
when he put his head upon his pillow:
Now lay me down to sleep.
pray the Lord my soul to keep.
We may be too feeble to employ Ell
ther of these familiar forms, but this
prayer of Stephen is SO short, is so con-
else, is so earnest, is so mprehensiye,
we surely will be able to say that
Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. Oh,
if that prayer is answered, how sweet
it will lie to die This world is clever
enough to US. Perhaps it has treated US
a great deal better than we deserve to
be treated, but if on the dying pillow
there should break the light Of that bet
ter world we shall have no more regret
about leaving a small, dark, damp
house for one large, beautiful and capa
cious. That dying minister in Philadel'
phia, some years ago, beautifully de-
picted it when in the last moment be
threw up bis hands and cried out, 81
move into the light.
A Working Christian.
Pass on now, and will show you one
more 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,
the mob bowling What place It was
to sleep" And yet my text takes that
symbol of slumber to describe his de-
parture, so sweet was it, so contentod
was it. so peaceful was it, Stephen had
lived a very laborious life. His chief
work had been to care fer the poor
How many loaves Of bread be distribut'
ed, how many bare feet he had sandal
ed, how many cots Of sickness and dis
tress he blessed with ministries Of kind
ness and love, do not know, but from
the way he lived, and the way he
preached, and the way he died know
be was laborious Christian. But that
is all over now. He has pressed the cup
to the last fainting lip. He has taken
the last insult from his enemies. The
last stone to whose crushing weight he
is susceptible has been hurled. 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
countenance of him who had lived fer
the poor ana died for the truth. Stepnen
asleepl
1 have seen the sea driven with the
hurricane until the tangled foam caught
in the rigging, and wave rising above
wave seemed as if about to storm the
heavens, and then have seen the tempest
/ drop, and the waves crouch, and every
thing become smooth and FURNISHED
as though camping place for the glories
of heaven. So have seen man whose
life has been tossed and driven coming
down at last to an infinite calm in
which there was the hush Of heaven s
lullaby.
Stephen asleepl saw such a one.
He fought all his days against poverty
and against abuse. They traduced his
name. They ratified at the doorknob
while he was dying with duns for debts
be could not pay, yet the peace Of God
brooded over his pillow, and while the
world faded heaven dawned, and the
deepening twilight of earth S night was
only the opening twilight Of heaven r
morn. Not a sigh; not a tear; not
struggle. Hush Stephen asleepl
At the Last.
l have not the faculty TO tell the
weather. | can never tell by the setting
sun whether there will be a drought or
not. cannot tell by the blowing Of the
wind whethe- it will be fair weather OF
t,nl Oh the morrow. But can prophesy.
and will prophesy, what weather II
will be when you, the Christian, come
to die. You may have it very rough
now. 1t may be this week one annoy
ance, the next another annoyance. Il
may be this year one bereavement, tn
next another bereavement Before thi
year has passed you may have to beg ioi
bread or ask for a scuttle Of coal or
pair of shoes, but at the last Christ vii
come in and darkness will go out, ant
though there may be no hand TO clos
your eyes, and no breast ON which to res
your dying head, and no candle to III
the night, the odors Of Gods hangin
garden will reRale your soul, and
your bedside will halt the chariots
the King. No more rents to pay, d
,, more agony because -four has gone NJ
.. no more struggle with "the world, IN
! flesh and the devil. " but peace-lone
deep, everlasting peace. Stephen asleep
Asleep in Jesusl Blessed sleep,
T From which none ever wake to wecpi
Q A calm and undisturbed repose.
{ Uninjured by the last Of foes.