Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1899-06-30

| way to scatter darkDeSS y 10 Slilhe
licht. There is In immensely room
enough for all the ministers The min
isters who give up righteousness and
the truth will get punishment enough
anyhow. for they are ''the wandering
stars for whom is reserved the black
ness Of darkness forever"
| should like. as a minister. when ]
am dying. to be able truthfully to say
what a captain OF the English army.
fallen at the head Of his column and
dying on the Egyptian battlefield. said
TO General Wolseley. who came to con-
dole with him: II led them straight
Didn't | lead them straight. generalY
God has put us ministers as captains
in this battlefield Of truth against error.
Great at last will he our chagrin II we
fall leading the people the wrong way;
but great will be our gladness II. when
the battle is over. we can hand our
sword back to our great commander.
saying: Lord Jesusl We led the peo-
pie straight. Didn't we lead them
stIaight?"
Those ministers who go of at a tan
gent and preach some other gospel are
not stars, but comets, and they dash
across the heavens little while and
make people stare. and throw down a
few meteoric stones, and then go out Of
sight II not out OF existence. Brethren
in the ministry. let us remember that
| God calls us stars. and our business Is
TO shine and to keep our own sphere.
and then when we get done trying to
light I'D the darkness Of this world. we
will wheel into higher spheres. and In
US shall be fulfilled the promise "they
that turn many to righteousness shall
shine as the stars forever and ever"
The ministers are not all Pecksniffs
and canting hypocrites, as some would
have you think Forgive me, II having
at other times glorified the medical pro-
fession, and the legal profession, and
the literary profession-I glorify my
own. have seen them In their homes
and heard them In their pulpits, and
grander array Of men never breathed,
and the Bible figure is not strained
when It calls them stars; and whole
consultations OF glorious ministers
have already taken their places on
high. where they shine even brighter
than they shone on earth; Edward n.
Kirk Of the Congregational church.
Stephen II. Tying Of the Episcopal
church, Matthew Simpson Of the Meth
odist church, John Bowling Of the
Baptist church, Samuel X. Talmage or
the Presbyterian church, Thomas De
Witt of the Reformed church. John
Chambers Of the Independent church,
and there stop, for 1t so happens that
[ have mentioned the seven stars OF
the seven churches.
The seven Seals.
pass on to another mighty bible
seven and they arc the seven seals. St
! John In vision saw scroll with seven
seals. and he heard an angel cry, who
IS worthy to loose the seals thereofY'
Take eight or ten sheets Of foOlScap pa
per. paste them together and roll them
into a scroll. and have the scroll at sew
en- different places sealed with sealing
wax. You unroll the scroll TIL you
come TO one of these seals, and then
you can 90 no farther until you break
that seal; then unroll again until you
come to another seal, and you can go
no farther until you break that seal;
then you 60 on until all the seven seals
are broken, and the contents of the en-
tire scroll revealed. Now, that scroll
with seven seals held by the angel was
the prophecy Of what was to come on
the earth; 1t meant that the knowledge
of the future was with God, and nc
man and no angel was worthy to open
It; but the Bible says Christ opened II
and broke all the seven seals. He broke
the first seal and unrolled the scroll
and there was a picture Of a white
horse, and that meant prosperity anc
triumph for the Roman empire. and SC
II really came to pass that for 80 year,
yirtuous emperors succeeded each 9th
er-Nerva, Trajan and Antoninus
Christ In the vision broke the SECOND
seal and unrolled again, and there wa'
Il picture Of red horse. and tha
meant bloodshed. and so II really cam'
to pass, and the next 30 years were re'
with assassinatlOns and wars. TheI
Christ broke the third seal and unroll
ed il, and there was picture or
black horse. which in all literatur'
means famine, oppression and taxa
ton: and so II really came 10 pass
Christ went on until he broke all tn
seven seals and opened all the scroll
Well, the future OF all Of us is a seale'
scroll. and | am glad that no one ou
Christ can open 1t. Do not let us joil
that class Of Christians In our day
who are trying to break the seven seal
Of the future. They are trying to pee
into things they have no business with
DO not 90 TO some necromancer o
spiritualist or soothsayer or fortun
teller to find out what is going to haI
pen to yourself or your family or you
friends. Wait till Christ breaks th
seal to find out whether In your ow
personal life or the life Of the natio
or the life OF the world II is going TO 3
the white horse Of prosperity or the re
horse Of war or the black horse OF fan
inc. You will soon enough see him pa
and hear him neigh. Take care Of tn
present, aud the future Will take car
of itself. II man live 10 years, hl
| biography Is In a scroll having at leas
/ seven seals, and let him not during tn
t first ten years Of his life try to look II
! to the twenties, nor the twenties Int
, the thirties, nor the thirties into IN
, forties. nor the forties Into the hfue
] nor the ffties Into the sixties. nor th
sixties into the seventies. From u
p way the years have got the habit
! racing along, guess you will not hav
/ TO wait a great while before all Il
: seals OF the future are broken. woul
. not give 2 cents to know how long
! am going TO live, or In what day or VIVA
year the world is going to be demoiisl
g cd. would rather give $1,000 not
t, know. Suppose some one could orea
] the next Seal In the scroll OF your pc
Ill IA