Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1899-12-15

Ing. We talk about the Italian sun
sets. and sunset amid the Apennines.
and sunset amid the cordilleras. but
will tell you how you may see a
grander sunset than any mere lover or
nature ever beheld-that Is. by flnging
into II all your hatreds and animosi-
ties and let the hOr rSes OF fire tram
pie them, and the chariots of fire roll
over them. and the spearmen Of fire
stab them. and the beach Of fire con-
sumo them, and the billows Of fire over
whelm them.
Again. we should not let the sun go
down on our wrath. because II is OF
little importance what the world says
Of you or does 10 you when yOu have
the affiuent God Of the sunset as your
provider and defender. People talk as
though II were a fixed spectacle Of ma
ture and always the same. But no one
ever saw two sunsets alike. and II the
world has existed 6,000 years there
have been about ., 10000 sunsets, each
Of them as distinct from all the other
pictures In the gallery Of the sky as
Tltian's Last Supper" Rubens' De
scent From the Cross" RapAaeFs
"Transfguration" and Michael An
gelo's LAST Judgment" are distinct
from each other. II that God Of such
Infinite resources that he can put on
the wall of the sky each evening more
than the Louvre and Luxembourg gal
lerles all In one Is my God and your
God. our prOyider and protector. what
is the use Of our worrying about any
human antagonism? II We are misin-
terpreted, the God Of the many colored
sunset can put the right color on our
action. II all the garnlture Of the
western heavens at eyentide Is but
the upholstery Of one Of the windows
Of our future home. what small busl-
ness for US to be chasing enemlesl
Let not this Sabbath sun go down up
Oh your wrath.
Mohammed said. The sword is the
key Of heaven and hell" But my
hearers, In the last day we will find
Just the opposite Of that TO be true.
and that the sword never unlocks
heaven, and that he who heals wounds
s greater than he who makes them,
and that on the same ring are two keys
Gods forgiveness Of us and our for
giveness Of enemles-and these two
keys unlock paradise.
And now wish for all Of you a
beautiful sunset TO your earthly exist
ence. With some Of you ii has been a
long day Of trouble. and with others OF
you il will be far from calm. When
the sun rose at 9 o'clock. it was the
morning Of youth, and a fair day was
phophesled but by the time the noon
day or middle life had come and the
clock Of your earthly existence had
struck II cloud racks gathered and
tempest beloved in the track of
tempest. But as the evening Of old age
approaches | pray God the skies may
brighten al d the clouds be piled up ln-
to pillars as Of celestial temples 10
which you 20 or move as with mounted
cohorts come to take you home. And
as you sink out OF sight below the hori-
zon may there be a radiance Of Chris
tlan example lingering long after you
are gone. and on the heavens be writ
ten in letters Of sapphire. and on the
waters In letters Of opal, and on the
hills in letters Of emerald. "Ihy sun
shall no more go down. neither shall
thy moon withdraw itself, for the Lord
shall be thine everlasting light, and the
days OF thy mourning shall be ended"
So shall the su-3et Of earth become
the sunrise Of heaven.