The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1899-04-21

ON you Wll Ser hunger, and cold. and
wounds. and death. How DO sou like
lr.' lis men stood before him for d
i,'ie while Orb silence and then they
tlrsw up their hands and cried. eve
are tle men. We axe tle mel.~ The
l .rl Jesus Christ calls you t0 His serv-
Zee. DO not promise you an easy time
20 This world. You may have persecu-
t.cLs. and trials. and misrepr preseuta-
ti0rs. Dut af-erwari there comes an
eternal weight of glory. and you can
bear the wounds. and the bruises. and
TIE misrepresentation. If you have the
reward aftervari. Have you rot
enough enthusiasm 20 cry ont: eve are
the men. We are the meu,"
Ile4ru also from This subj iect the dam
/ ger Of worldly elevation. This E1.0n
was what the world called great man..
There were hundreds Of people who
would have considered IL che greatest
honor Of their life just 90 have him
speak to them. yet although be IS So
high up iu worldly position. be is not
/ beyond the reach Of Ehui', dagger
see great many people trying 20 climb
/ up ia social position, having au idea
that there IS safe place somewhere
/ far above. not knowing that the noun
tain Of fame has a TOP iike Mont Blame.
covered with perpetual snow.
We laugh at the children of Shinar
for trying 10 build tower that could
reach 20 the heavens. but think If our
eyesleht were only good enough we
could see a Babel In many dooryard
Oh. the struggle is fierce. Ii is store
against store. house against house.
street against street. nation against u4-
ton. The goal for which men are rum
ming Is chairs and chandeliers and mir
rors and houses and lands and pre-i-
Dental equipments. II they get what
they anticipate. what have they2 M-u
are not safe from ca.umuy while they
live. and worse than that. they are not
safe after they are dead. for have seen
swine root up graveyaris. One day
man goes up into publicity. and the
world does lim honor. and people climb
up into sycamore trees t0 watch him as
he passes. and as BE- goes along 0u the
shoulders Of the people there is wav-
ing Of hats and q wild huzza. Io-m0r-
row the same man Is caught between
tie jaws Of the printing press and
mang.ed and bruised. and the very
same persons who applauded him be-
fore cry: "D0wn with the traitor.
down with h.m.~
Beishazzar sits at the feast. the
mighty men of Babylon sitting all
around him. Wit spark.es ike the wine
and the wiue Ike the wit. Mlsic rolls
up among the chandeliers; the chan
deEers flash down on the decarters.
The breath Of hanging gardens floats
in or the night air. The voice ofreve.rT
floats out. Amid wreaths and tapestry
and folded banners finger writes. The
march 0f q host il heard on the stairs.
Laughter catches in the throat. A
thousand hearts stop beating. The
blow Is struck. The blood on the floor
is richer hued than the wine or the
table. The kingdom has departed. Bel
shazzer was TO worse perhaps than
hundreds Of people il Babylon, but
his position slew him. oh. be content
with just such a position as God has
placed you ln. Itmay not be said oius:
"He was a great general" or ~He was
al honored chieftain," or ~He was
mighty in worldly attainments." but
this thing may be said Of you ard Of
me: "IIe was q good citizen. a faithful
Christian, friend Of Jesus" And that
iu the last day viii be the highest of all
sulogiums.
learn further from this subject that
death comes 90 the summer house. Eg-
lor did not expect 10 die in that fine
place. Amid all the flower leaves that .
drifted like summer snow into the win .
dow. in the tinkie and dash Of the f0un-
tains. iu the sound Of a thousand leaves .
futiug or one tree branch. in the cool f
breeze that came up 20 shake feverish .
trouble out of the kings l0cks-there .
was nothing that spaks of death, but .
there be died, In the winter. when the f
snow is a shroul. and when the wind IS .
a dirge. IT IS easy 90 think Of our NOR .
taiity. but when the weather is pleas .
ant and all our surroundings are agree +
able, how difficult it is for Us 70 appre-
ciate the truth that we are mortal! t
And vet my text teaches that death does
sometimes come 10 the summer house.
he is blind and cannot see the leaves.
He is deaf and cannot hear the fOun-
tains. Oh IL death would ask Us for
victims we could point him TO hundreds
Of people who would rejoice to have him
come. Push back the door Of that howell
Look AZ that little chid-coid. and sick,
and hungry. tt has never heard the
lame Of God but in blasphemy. Pa
rents intoxicated. staggering around
its straw bed. Oh. death. there is
mark for thee. Up with it into the
light. Before those little feet stumble
Oh l.fe's pathway give them rest.
Here is an aged man. He has done his
work He has d0ue il gi0ri0usly. The
companions Of bis youth an gone. his
children dead. be longs 20 be- al rest,
and wearily the days and the nights
pass. He says: -C0me. Lord Jesus.
come quickly" Oh. death. there is O.
mark for theet Take from him the staff
and give him the scepter. Up with
him into the light, where eyes never
grow dim. and the hair whiiens not F
through the long years Of eternity. Al. .
death viii not do that. Death turns
back from the straw bed and from the
.-.l III -..l- a. Tie .-----. II rrr-.-