Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1898-08-12

thought of that great host asleep. Well,
God looks down from Heaven and lie
sees the fresides of .Christendom and
the loved ones gathered around these
firesides. These are the camp fires
where we warm ourselves at the close
of day and talk over the battles OF life
we have fought and the battles that
are yet to come God grant that when
at last these fires begin to GO out and
continue to lower until finally they
are extinguished and the ashes of con-
sumed hopes strew the hearth of the
old homestead it may be because we
have
Gone 10 sleep that sleep
From which none ever wake to weep.
Now we are an army on the march OF
life. Then we shall be an army
bvouaclled in the tent of the grave.
Once more, want you to look at
Vashti, the silent You do not hear
any cutlery from this woman rs she
goes forth from the palace gate. From
the very dignity of her nature YOU
know there will be no vociferation.
Sometimes in life it is necessary to
make resist; but there are crisis
when the most triumphant thing to
do is to keep silence. The philoso-
pher, confident in his newly discover
ed principle, waiting for the coming
of more intelligent generations, will
ing that men should laugh at the
lightning rod and cotton gin and
steamboat and telegraph, waiting for
long years through the scofing OF
philosophical schools in grand and
magnificent silence.
Calico, condemned by mathemati-
clans and monks and cardinals carica-
tured everywhere, vet waiting and
watching with his telescope to see the
coming UP of stellar re-enforcementS,
when the stars in their courses would
fight for the Copcrnican system, then
sitting down in complete blindness
and deafness to wait for the coming
on Of the generations who would
build his monument and bow at his
grave. The reformer, eXecrated by
his contemporaries, fastened in Il pill
lory, the slow fires of public contempt
burning under him, ground under
the cylinders of the printing press,
yet calmly waiting for the day when
purity of soul and heroism of char
acter will get the sanction of earth
and the plaudts of Heaven. Affection
enduring without any complaint the
sharpness of the pang, and the vio-
lence of the storm, and the hcft of the
chain, and the darkness of the night,
waiting until divine hand shall be
put forth to soothe the rang. and hush
the storm, and release the captive. A
wife abused, rcrsecuted and perpet-
ual exile from every earthly comfort,
waiting, waiting until the Lord shall
gather mp his dear children in lleav-
emily home, and ne poor Nashti will be
thrust out from the palace gate. Jesus
in silence and answering not a word,
drinking the gall, bearing the cross, in
prospect of the rapturous consumma.
ton when
Angels thronged his chariot wheel
And bore him to his throne,
Then swept their golden harps and sung
THE glorious work is done!"
Oh, woman, does not this story OF
Vashti the queen, Vashti the yelled
Vashti the sacrifice. Vashti the silent,
move your soul? My sermon converges
into the one absorbing hope that none
of you may lie Shut out of the palace
gate of Heaven You can endure the
hardships. ana the privations, and
the crueltics, and the misfortunes
of this life if you can only gain adj
mission there. Through the blood o.
the everlasting covenant you sc
through those gates or never &C
through at all God forbid that you
should at last be banished from the
society of angels, and banished from
the companionship of your glori
fed kindred and banished forever
Through the rich grace of our Lore
Jesus Christ may you be enabled t.
initiate the example of Rachel anc
Hannah and Abigail and d borah an,
Mary and Esther and Nashti.