Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1898-01-14

are reefs hundreds OF feet deep and
/, 900 miles long. Who built these reefs,
these islands? The zoophytes. the coral
lines. They were not such workers who
built the pyramids as were these ma
sons, these creatures Of the sea- What
small creations amounting to what vast
aggregation! Who can estimate the ages
between the time when the madrepores
laid the foundations Of the islands and
the time when the madrepores put on
the capstone Of a completed work? 1t
puzzles all the scientists to guess
through how many years the corallines
were building the Sandwich and Society
islands and the Marshall and Gilbert
groups But more slowly and wonder
fully accumulatiye is grace in the heart
You sometimes get discouraged because
the upbuilding by the soul does not go
on more rapidly. Why, you have all
eternity to build in. The little annoy
ances of life are zoophyte builders, and
there will be small layer on top OF
small layer and fossilized grief on the
top of fossilized grief. Grace does not
90 up rapidly in your soul, but, blessed
be God, it goes up Ten thousand mil
lion ages will not finish you. You will
never be finished. On forever Up for
ever. Out of the sea Of earthly dispute
tude will gradually rise the reefs, the
islands, the continents. the hemispheres
Of grandeur and glory. Men talk as
though in this life we only had time to
build, but what we build in this life, as
o1;nu pared with what we shall build in
the next life, is as a striped shell to
Australia
You 20 into an architects study and
there you see the sketch Of a temple
the cornerstone Of which has not yet
been laid. Oh, that | could have an ar
chitectural sketch Of what you will be
after eternity has wrought upon you!
What pillars of strength What affairs
Of supernal worship! What pinnacles
thrusting their glittering spikes into the
sun that never sets You do not scold
the corallines because they cannot build
an island III day. Why should you
scold yourself because you cannot COM
plete a temple Of holiness for the heart
in this short lifetime; You tell me we
do not amount to much now, but try us
after 1000, 900, 900 ages Of halleluiah.
Let us hear the angels chant for
/, 900, 600 centuries. Give US an eternity
with God, and then see if we do not
amount TO something. More slowly and
marvelously accumulative is the grace
in the soul than anything l can think
Of. "No mention shall be made Of coral. "
A Prime Virtue.
Lord. help us to learn that which
most Of us are deficient in-patience. II
thou canst take through the sea anem-
ones millions of years to build one bank
of coral, ought we not to be willing to
do work through 10 years or 90 years
without complaint. without restlessness,
without chatting of spirit? Patience with
the erring; patience that we cannot
have the millennium in few weeks;
patience with assault Of antagonists
l
Of Bible promises; patience with phys
ical ailments; patience under delays OF
Providence; grand, glorious, all endur-
ing, all conquering patiencel Patiencs
like that which my lately aScended
friend. Dr. Abel Stevens, describes
when writing of one Of Wesley 5 preach
ers, John Nelson, who, when man had
him put in prison by false charges and
being for long time tormented by his
enemy, said, THE Lord lifted up
standard when the anger was coming
on like a flood, else l should have
wrung his neck TO the ground and SCI
my foot upon it. "
Patience like that of Pericles, the
Athenian statesman who, when a man
pursued him to his own door, hurting
at him epithets and arriving there when
! il had become dark, sent his servant
with a torch to light his enemy back to
his home Patience like that eulogized
by the Spanish proverb when it says, u
have lost the rings, but here are the
fingers still" Patiencel The sweetest
sugar for the sourest cup, the balance
wheel for all mental aud moral ma
chinery, the foot that treads into placid
ity stormiest lake, the bride for other.
wise rash tongues, the sublime silence
that conquers the boisterous and blatant
Patience like that OF the most illustri'
GUS example of all the ages, Jesus Christ
patient under betrayal. patient untel
the treatment Of Pilates oyer and tor
miner, patient under the expectoratiol
of his assailants, patient under tiagella
tions, patient under the charging spears
Of the Roman cavalry, patient uDt'
death. Under all exasperations employ
it, Whatever comes, stand IT. Hold on
wait, bear up.
Take my hand again, and we will g
little farther into this garden OF th'
sea. and we shall find that in proportion
as the climate is hot the coral is wealthy
Draw two isothermal lines at 60 degree
north and south Of the equator, and yo'
find the favorite home Of the coral G'
TO the hottest part of the Pacific seas
and YOU find the finest specimens O
coral. Coral is a child Of the fire, bu
more wonderfully do the heats ant
fires Of trouble bring out the jewels o
the Christian soul Those are not th'
stalwart men who are asleep on th'
shaded lawn, but those who are pound
ing amid the furnaces / do not know
of any other way Of getting thorough
Christian character will show you
picture. Here are father and mothei
80 or 95 years of age, their family around
them. It is Sabbath morning. The,
have prayers. They hear the children
eatechism. They have prayers every da,
Of the week They are in humble cir
oumstances, but after awhile the whee
of fortune turns up, and the man get
his $40, 900. Now he has prayers ol
Sabbath and every day of the week, bu
he has dropped the catechism. In
wheel Of fortune turns up again, and b
gets his $50, 600. Now he has prayer
on Sabbath morning alone. The whee
of fortune keeps turning up, and he ha
$500. 600, and now he has prayers o
Sabbath morning when he feels like
and there is no company. The wheel {