Owingsville outlook. [volume] (Owingsville, Ky.) 1879-192?, 1898-03-17

Lord Jesus, receive nv spirit. oh; il
that prayer is answered, how sweet il
viii To- Ia dici This world is clryct
enough to Ms. Perhaps il has treated ~
n great deal better than ~ deserve IL
he treated; hut if ON the diving pillow
there should break the light of that
better world, we shall have no more
regret about leaving a small, dark,
damp house for one large, beautiful,
capaciouS. That dying minister in
Philadelphia, some years ago. bcauti-
fully depicted it, when in his last mo
mcnt he threw up his hands and cried
ont: Il move into the light
Pass on now and Twill show you one
more picture, and that is stephen
asleep. With a pathos and simplicity
peculiar 1" the Scriptures. the text
says uf stephen: lie fell asleep"
'oh, you say, what a place that was
To sleep, \ hard rock under him. the
blood streaming, the mob bowling.
What a place 1t was Ia sleep" And
! yet my text takes that symbol of slum-
her Ia describe his departure so sweet
was II, 81 contcntcd WAS ii, 81 peaceful
was it. stephen had lived a very labor
iou> life; his chief work had been to
care for the poor. How many loavss
of bread lac di>tri butci, how many bare
feet he has Sandalcd, how many cots of
sickness and distress he blessed with
ministries Of kindness and love. | do
not know, but from the way he lived,
and the way he preached, and the way
he died, | know hc was lahuriouS
| ht~aS Int hot al
now. lie has pressed the cup To
the last fainting lap. lie has taken
the last insult from his enemies.
| The last stone To Who's crushing
weight he - susceptible has been
hurled. Stephen is drai /! The di>ri-
| pies come. They take him up. They
wash away the blood from Tia" wounds.
| They strai"htcn out the bruised limos
| They brush back the tangled hair from
the brow. and then they pass around
] L. l"ui, unnn the calm cnuulrnaucr of
/ him who had lived for the poor and
died for the truth. stephen asleep,
| have seen the SEA driven with the
hurricane until the tangled foam
caught in the RIGGING, and Nave rising
| above wave seemed as ifahout to storm
| the heavens. and then have seen the
tempest drop. and the waves crouch,
and everything become smooth and
FURNISHED as though a camping pl ace
for the glorics of Heaven. - have
seen a man, whose life has been tossed
and driven, coming down at last IL an
infinite calm. in which there was the
hush of Heavens lullaby.
stephen asleep! | saw such a one.
lie fought AL his days against poverty
name. They ratified at the door knob
while lac MIS- dying, with duns for
debts he could not pay: yet the peace
of God broodcd over his pillow, and
while the world faded, Heaven dawn
ed, and the deepening twilight of
carth's night was only the opening twi-
light of Heavens morn. Not a sigh.
Not Il tear. Not struggle. Hush.
| Stephen asleep,
| have not had the faculty To It'll the
weather. | van never tell 10y the set
ting of the sun whether there will hc
a drought ar not. can not tell by the
blowing of the wind whether it will
he fair weather ar foul on the morrow.
| bul can lThl'l'NN, anu VIII
prophecy what weather it will be when
You. the Christian. come to die. You
may have il very rough now. 1t
may hc this week one annoyance
the next another annoyance. 1t may
be this year one bereavement, the next
year another bereavement Before
this year has passed you may have To
beg for bread, or ask for a scuttlc ot
coal or pair of shoes; but at last the
Christ will come in and darkness
will go out All though there may
be no hand to close your eyes and
no breast on which to rest Your dying
head, and no candle TO lift the night
the odors of Gods hanging garden will
regale your soul, and at your bcdsid,
will halt the chariots of the King. Nc
more rents tn pay. no more agony he
cause flour has gone up, no more
struggle with THE world, the flesh
and the devil" but pcacc-long, deep
everlasting peace. Stephen asleep.