The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1898-06-01

wear and tear and exhaustion OF this lone
linessl" The most frequent bereavement is
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 had7 II you could make clroice
for your child between forty years Of an
noyance, loss, vexation, 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
child's hands the cup of many be-
reavements2 Instead .of the COM
plete safety into which that child has been
the risks OF this moral state2 Would you
like to keep 1t out on sea In which there
have been more shipwrecks than safe vov-
ages? Is II not comfort to you to know
that thnt child, instead OF being besoiled
| and flung into the mire OF sin, Is swung
clear into the skies2 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
years they reached at n flash? II the last
| $1,000 children who had entered heaven
had gone through the average OF human
life on earth, are you sure all those 10 900
children would have finally reached the
| blissful terminus7 Besides that, my friends,
| you are to look at this matter as n self-de-
NAL on your part for their benefit. Ifyour
children want to go of in May-day party;
| II your children want to go on f1owery
and musical excursion, you consent. You
might prefer to have them with you, but
their jubilant absence satisfies you. Well,
your departed children have only gone out
In a May-day party, amid nowery and
musical entertainment, amid joys and
| hilaritles forever. That ought to uuell
some of your grief, the thought Of their glee.
| 30 1t ought to be that you could make
| the best OF all bereavements. The fact that
you have so many friends IN heaven will
make your own departure very cheerful
When you are going on voyage, every
thing depends upon where your friends are
or on the wharf toward which you are GO
| Ing to sail. In other words, the more
friends you have In heaven the easier Il
Will be to get away from this world. The
, more friends hero, 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 1 do not know hardly how
you are going to crowd through. When
the vessel came from foreign lands. and
brought Prince to New York harbor, the
ships were covered with bunting, and you
remember how the men-of-war thundered
brondsides; 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
children are in heaven Why, there IL no
more grief in Ii than there n 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 glorifled kindred?I
SO also, my friends, 1 would have you
| make the best of your sicknesses. When
you see one move of with elastic step and
In full physical vigor, sometimes you be-
| come impatient with your lame foot. When
| man describes an object mile off, and
you cannot see It 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 yourdepressed
nervous system or your diapidated health.
Will tell you how you can make the worst
OF It, Brood over 1t; brood over all these
illnesses, and your nerves will become more
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 il my work to
show you bright light in the clouds.
Which ofthe Bible men most attract your
attention. You sny, Moses, Job, David,
jeremiah, Paul. Why, what strange thing
1t Is that you have chosen those who were
physically disorderedl 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. Davld---he had running sore, which
ne speaks OF when he says: my sore ran
In the night and ceased not" Jeremiah
had enlargement of tho spleen. Who can
doubt II who read Lamentations2 Paul.
he had lifetime sickness which the COM
mentators have been guessing about for
years. not knowing exactly what the
apostle meant by "a thorn in the flesh" 1
do not know either; but IL was something
sharp, something that stuck him. gather
from all this that physical disorder may be
the means OF grace to the soul. You say
you have so many temptations from bodily
ailments, and II you were only well 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 u day, and
sleeps eight hours every night.
From whatlI have heard judge that
invalids have more rapturous view OF the
next world than well people, and will have
a 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 Dandages and robes, between
crutch and palm branch. Oh. wish some
Of you people who are compelled to cry,
NV back, my backl" would try some OF
the Lords medicinei 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 pleurisv for the side.
No neuralgia for the nerves. No rheuma-
tism for the muscles. The inhabitants
shall never say, IT am Sick" "There shall
be no more pain"
Again, you ought to make the best OF
life's finality. Now, you think have
very tough subject. You do not sec how I
am to strike a spark Of light out OF the
Aint 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-
celved notions, 1t would close we'll. Who
can judge best OF the features OF a man
those who are close by him, or those who
are afar ofrf "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 repulsivep You2 You
are too far OF. II want to get a judg-
ment as to what really the features OF
death are, will not ask you; / will ask
those who have been within a month of