Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-10-19

meet stag which, after its sixth mile of
running at 6lc topmost speed through
thicket and gorge and with the breath OF
the dogs OH its heels has come in full
sight OF Schroon lake and try to cool its
projecting and blistered tongue with n
drop of dew from blade of grass as to
attempt to satisfy an immortal soul,
when flying from trouble and sin, with
anything less deep and high and broad
and immense and infinite and eternal
than God. His comfort-why, it cmbos-
oms all distress. His arm--t wrenches
off all bondage. His hand-it wipes
away all tears. His Christly atonement-
it makes us all right with the past, and
all right with the future, and all right
with God, all right with man, and all
right forever.
Nimrod and His Sons.
Lamartine tells us that King Nimrod
said to his three sons: Here are three
vases, and one is of clay, another Of am
Der and another of gold. Choose now
which you will have" The eldest son,
having the first choice, chose the vase of
gold, on which was written the word
Empire" and when opened 1t was found
to contain human blood. The second
son, making the next choice, chose the
vase Of amber, inscribed with the word
GLORY" and when opened it contained
the ashes of those who were once called
great. The third son took the vase of
clay and, opening it, found it empty, but
on the bottom of II was inscribed the
name of Aod. King Nimrod asked his
courtiers which vase they thought weigh
ed the most. The avaricious men of
his court said the vase Of gold. the poets
said the one of amber. but the wisest men
said the empty vase, because one letter
of the name of God outweighcd a uni
verse.
For him l thirst. for his grace | beg,
on his promise l build my all. Without
him l cannot be happy. | have tried the
world, and it does well enough us far as
1t goes, but it is too uncertain a world,
too evauescent world. | am not
prejudiced witness. have nothing
against this world. l have been one Of
the most fortunate or, to use marc
Christian word. one of the most blessed
of men--bessed in my parents. blessed
in the place of nativity, blessed in my
health, blessed in my fields Of work,
blessed in my natural temperament, bless
cd in my family, blessed in my opportuni-
tics, blessed in comfortable livelihood,
blessed in the hope that my soul will go
to heaven through the pardoning mercy
of God, and my body, unless it be lost at
sea or cremated in some contlagration,
will lie down among my kindred and
friends, some already gone and others to
come after me. Life to many has been u
disappointment, but to me it has been a
pleasant surprise. and yet l declare that
il | did not feel that God was now my
f,. hi. I .ha h.,
wretched and terror struck. But want
more OF him. l have thought over this
text and preached this sermon to myself
until with all the aroused energies Of my
body, mind and soul | can cry out, las
the hart panteth after the water brooks,
so pnnteth my soul after thee, . God"
The Safe Refuge.
Through Jesus Christ make this God
your God, and you can withstand any
thing and everything, and that which
affrights others will inspire you-as in
time of earthquake, when an old Chris
tnn woman, asked whether she was
scared. answered, mo; ! am glad that
| have a God who can shake the world"
or as in a financial panic, when Chris
tan merchant asked il he did not
fear ne would break, answered, Yes; /
shall break when the Fiftieth Psalm
breaks in the fifteenth verse, Call upon
me in TIE day of trouble; l will deliver
thee, and thou shalt glorify me. o
Christian men and women, pursued OF
annoyances and exasperations. remember
that this hunt, whether a still hunt or n
hunt in full cry. will soon be over. If
ever whelp looks ashamed and ready to
sink out of sight. it is when in the Adj
I l,.,- .lg.,,r
plunge into big Topper lake gets away
from him. The disappointed canine
swims in little way, but, defeated,
swims out again and cringes with humi-
iating yawn at the feet Of his master.
And how abashed and ashamed will all
your earthly troubles be when you have
dashed into the river from under the
throne of God and the heights and depths
of heaven are between you and your pUr-
suers!
We are told in Revelation xii 10,
without are dogs" by which con-
clude there is whole kennel OF hounds
outside the gate of heaven, or, as when n
master goes in a door, his dog lies on the
steps waiting for him to come out. so the
troubles of this life may follow US to the
shining door. but they cannot get in.
without are dogs" l have seen dogs
and owned dogs that ! would not be cha
grined to see in the heavenly city. Some
Of the grand old watchdogs who are the
constabulary Of the homes in solitary
places and for years have been the only
protection Of wife and child some of the
shepherd dogs that drive back the wolves
and bark away the flock from going too
near the precipice and some OF the dogs
whose neck and paw Landseer, the paint
er. has made immortal would not find me
shutting them out from the gate Of shin
ing pearl. Some of those old st. Ber-
nard dogs that have lifted perishng tray
elers out of the Alpine snow; the dog
that John Brown, the Scotch essayist
saw ready to spring at the surgeon. lest
in removing the cancer, he too much hurt
the poor woman whom the dog felt bound
to protect, and dogs that we caressed in
our childhood days, or that In later time
lay down on the rug in seeming sympa-
thy when our homes were desolated-
The Secure Haven.
say If some soul entering heaven
should happen to leave the gate ajar and
these faithful creatures should quietly
walk in it would not at all disturb my
heaven. But all those human or brutal
hounds that have chased and torn and
liberated the world-yea, all that now
bite or worry or tear to pieces-shall be
prohibited. Without are dogs" No
place there for harsh critics or backbiters
| or dasDoilpre of ba raputn tiop of nj herg