The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1898-12-17

not meet them again IN this world you
hoped to meet them In dominion,
Sraphie, with a quiet word Of advice
t-c= yc= - 80 sls ~sS carried iiss
message about the Importance Of hi.
not neglecting his w soul. bul
through Christ seeking something bet.
ter than this world could give him
why. all the business men In the count.
ing room say; ~Goodl Now. that IRE
hgion." And the clerks ret hold Of the
story ard talk It over. o that tbs
velgher and cooper and haekman.
uandlng on the doorstep cay: That
is splendid. Now. that = what / call
religion"
II la good thing 10 preach on q Sun
day morning. the people assembled In
most respectable attire and seated on
loft cushions, the preacher standing in
neatly upholstered pulpit surrounded
by personal friends. and after an 10.
spring hymn has been sung. aud that
sermon, 10 preached in faith, will do
good; but the most effective sermon IL
preached by one seated In dressing
gown In an armchair into which the
invalid has with much care been lifted,
the surrounding shelves filed with
medicine bottles. some 10 produce
sleep, some for the relief OF sudden
paroxysn, some for stimulant, some
for tonic, some for anodyne and some
for fehrifuge, the pale preacher quot
ing promises Of the Gospel, telling Of
the giories Of a sympathetic Christ as
suring the n or two or three persons
who hear Il Of the mighty REINFORCE
ments OF religion You say that 10
such q sermon there are only one or
two Or three hearers Aye, but the
visitor calling at that room. then clos
ing the door softly and going away,
tells the story. and the whole seighbor-
hood hears It, and Il will take all eterni-
ty TO realize the grand and uplifting
Influence Of that sermon about God and
the soul. though preached TO an audi
nee Of only n man or one woman.
The Lord has ordained all such In
vallds for q style Of usefulness which
athletics and men Of 200 healthy av-
oirdupols cannot affect II was not sn
enemy that fastened you in that one
room or sent you on erutehes, the long
est journey you have made for many
weeks being from bed TO sofa and from
sofa to looking glass. where you are
shocked at the pallor Of your own
cheek and the pinchedness of your fea-
lures; then back again from mirror to
sofa and sofa TO bed, with q long sigh
saying; How good Il feels TO get back
again to my old place on the pillowl"
remember who it is that appointed the
day when for the first time in many
years you could not go TO business and
who has kept a record OF all the weary
days and all the sleeplsss nights Of
your exile from the world. o weary
mani o feeble woman, IT vas the Lord
who shut you inl DO you remember
thst some Of the noblest aud best Of
men have been prisoners? Ezekiel .
prisoner, Jeremiah q prisoner, Paul a
prisoner, ST. John a prisoner, John
Bunyan a prisoner. Though human
hate seemed 10 have all to do with them,
really the Lord shut them In.
No doubt, while on that voyage, Noah
and his three sons and all the four la
dies Of the antediluyian world often
thought OF the bright hillsides and the
green fields where they had walked
and of the homes where they had lived.
They had had many years Of expert
ences. Noah raj 600 years old at the
time OF this CONFUSION OF nature. He
had seen 800 s~pringtimes. 600 sum-
mers. coo autumns, 600 winters. We
are not told how old his wife was at
this wreck Of earth and sky. The Bible
tells the age Of a great many men. but
only once gives a woman's age. At
one time It gives Adams age as 100
year,, and Jareds age at 1862 years, and
Enoch's age rs ae5 years. and all up
and down the Bible 1t gives the age of
men. but does not give the age, Of wom-
en-. Why3 Because, l suppose, q wom-
ans age - none Of our business. But
all the men aud women that tossed in
that oriental craft had lived long
enough 10 remember q great many Of
the mercies and kindnesses Of God, and
they could not blot out, and I think
they had no disposition TO blot out the
memory Of those brightnessses, though
now they were shut in. Neither should
the shut in Of our time forget the bless-
ings Of the past. Have you been blind
for ten years? Thank God for the time
when you saw as clearly as any of US
can see, and let the pageant of all the
radiant landscapes and iIlumined skies
which you eve looked upon kindle
your %rapturous gratitude. | do not see
Raphael's "Madonns d San 6isto" in
the picture gallery Of Dresden, nor
Rubens' Descent from the Gross" at
Antwerp. o Michael Angeles Last
Judgment" IN the ceiling Of the vati-
can, nor Saint Sophia at Constantine
pie, nor the Parthenon on the Acrop-
oils, nor the Tai Mahal Of India. But
shall ] not thank God that ! have seen
them? IL IL possible that such mid
night darkness shall ever blast my VI
sion that ! cannot call them up again?
Perhaps you are 80 deaf that you can
not hear the ehirp Of bird or solo Of
cantAtriee, or even organ in full diapa-
son, though you feel the foundations
trembls under its majestic roll, or even
the thunderstorm that makes Noun.
Washington echo. But are you not
grateful that once you could hear trill
andi chant and carol doxologJ7 |
Do you forget when in childhood you
danced and skipped because you were
50 full Of life you had not patience to
walk, and in after yca1 you climbed
the mountains of Switzerland, putting
your slpsnstoek high up on glaciers
which few otbeD ever dared and
jumped long reaches In competition,
and after a walk Of ten miles you came
In tocund 40 the morning3 Oh, you
khut-ins! Thank God for q vivid mem
DRY Of the times when you were fres
a. the ehamois on the rocks, 80 the
eagle going straight for the sun. When
the rain pounded the roof Of the ark,
the eight Voyagers on that craft ala
not forget the time when II gayly pat
tered IN q Eummer shower. and when
the door Of the ark shut to keep out the
tempest they did not forget the tina
when the door Of their home in Ar
mems was closed TO keep out the spring
rNins which came 10 FIJI the cup, Of ily
and hopsysuckie and make all The trees
Of the wood clap their hsnd&
Again, notice that during thst 40
Jays Of storm which rocked that shin
IN that universal ocean Of Eoahis time
door which shut tie captain Of the
NIP inRde the craft kept him from
many outside perils. How those wrath
'ul seas would like 10 have got their wet