Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1899-04-06

Spiritual and Physical, is Divinely Pro-
tected-Burd dies Which Are Blessings.
TEXT: "The soul OF my Lord shall be
bound in the bundle of life with the Lord
Thy God. IL Samuel XIV, 20.
Beautiful Abigail, in her rhythmic plea
for the rescue OF her inebriate husband,
who died within ten days, addresses David,
the warrior. in the words of the text. She
suggests that his life, physically and in
tsllectually and spiritually, is valuable
package or bundle divinely bound up and
to be divinely protected.
The phrase "bundle of life'' heard many
times in my fathers family prayers. Fam
tions, because day by day they acknowl-
edge about the same blessings and deplore
about the same frailties and sympathize
with about the same misfortunes, and do
not know why those who lead at household
devotions should seek variety of compost
tion. That familiar prayer becomes the
household liturgy. I would not give one
of my old fathers prayers for fifty elocu-
tionary supplications. Again and again,
in the morning and evening prayer, heard
the request that we might all be bound up
in the bundle of life, but did not know
until few days ago that the phrase was q
Bible phrase.
During the last spell of cold weather
there were bundles that attracted the at
tention and the plaudits OF the high heav-
ems, bundles of clothing on the way from
comfortable homes to the door of the
mission room, and Christ stood in the
snowbanks and said as the bundles passed:
"Naked, and ye clothed me. Inesmuch as
ye have done 1t unto one of the least of
these my brethren ye have done it
unto me-" Those bundles are mnltibly-
ing. Blessings on those who pack them.
Blessings on those who distribute them.
Blessings on those who receive them,
With what beautiful aptitude did Abigail
In my text speak of the bundle of life! Oh,
what precious bundle Is life! Bundle of
memories, bundle Of hopes, bundle OF
ambitions, bundle of destinies! Once in
while man writes his autobiography,
and it is OF thrilling interest. The story OF
his birthplace, the story of his struggles,
the story of his sufferings, the story Of his
triumphs! But il the autobiography of the
most eventful life were we'll written it
would make many chapters of adventure,
of tragedy, of comedy, and there would
not be an uninteresting step from cradle
to grave.
Bundle of memories are you! Boyhood
memories, with all its injustices from play
mates, with all its game with ball and bat
and kite and sled. Manhood memories,
with all your struggles in starting-ob-
stacles, opposition, accidents, misfortunes,
losses successes. Memories of the first
marriage you ever saw solemnfzed, of the
first grave you ever saw opened, Of the
"
the first victory you ever gained. Memory
CT the hour when you were af1ianced, men,
ory of the first advent in your home, men,
ory OF roseate cheek faded and of blue
eyes closed in the last sleep, memory of
anthem and of dirge, memory Of great
pain and of slow conyalescence, memory of
times when all things were against you,
memory of prosperities that came in like
the full tide of the sea, mem cries of u life
time. What q bundle!
Bundle Of hopes and ambitions also is al
most every man and woman, especially at
the starting. What gains he will harvest.
or what reputation he will achieve, or
what bliss he will reach, or what love he
will win. What makes college commence
ment day SO enhancing to all OF us as we
see the students receive their diplomas and
take up the garlands thrown to their feet?
They will be Faradays in science; they will
be Tennysons in poesy; they will be Willard
Parkers in surgery; they will be Alexander
Hamiltons in national finance; they will be
Horace Greeleys in editorial chair; they
will be Websters in the Senate. Or she
will be Mary Lyon In educational
tory platform, or Helen Gould in military
hospitals. Or she will make home life
radiant with helpfulness and self-sacrifice
and magnificent womanhood. Oh, what
bundle of hopes and ambitions! 1t Is
bundle of gariands and scepters frpm
mignonette nor extinguish one spark of
briliance. They who start life without
bright hopes and inspiring ambitions
might as we'll not start at all, for every
step will be a failure. Rather would I add
to the bundle, and IL I open it now it will
be because wish to take anything from
1t. but that may put intoit more coronets
and hoSannaS.
Bundle of faculties In every man and
every woman! Power to think-to think
OF the past and through all the future, to
think upward and higher than the highest
pinnacle OF heaven, or to think downward
until there is no lower abysm to fathom.
Power to think right, power to think wrong,
power to think forever, for, once having
begun to think, there shall be no terminus
for that exercise, and eternity itself shall
have no power to bid it halt. Faculties to
love. maternal love, love OF country, love
of God. Faculty of judgment, with scales
so delicate and yet so mighty they can
weigh arguments, weigh emotions, weigh
worlds, weigh heaven and hell. Faculty OF
will, that can climb m ountains or tunnel
them, wade seassor bridge them. accepting
eternal enthronement or choosing ever
lasting exile. Oh, what IL is to De a man!
Oh, what 1t Is to be woman! Sublime and
infinite bundle Of faculties! The thought
OF 1t staggers me, swamps me, stuns me,
bewilders me, overwhelms me, Oh, what
David and which we ought to see in every
human yet immortal beingl
Know, also, that this bundle of life Is
properly directed. Many bundle has
missed its way and disappeared because
the address has dropped. and no one can
find by examination for what city or town
or neighborhood it was intended. All great
carrying companies have so manv misdi-
rected packages that they appoint days of
vendue to dispose of them. All intelligent
people know the Importance of having
valuable package plainly directed, the
name OF the one to whom it is to go plainly
written. Baggage master and expressman
ought to know at the first glance to whom
to take it..
The bundle of life that Abigail in my
text speaks of is plainly addressed. By
divine penmanshfp it is directed heaven
ward. However long may be the earthly
distance 1t travels its destination is the
eternal city of God on high. Every mile it
goes away from that direction is by some
human or Internal fraud practiced against
It. There are those who put it on some
other track. who misplace it in some wrong
conveyance, who send it of or send it back
by some diabolic miscarriage. The value
of that bundle is SO we'll known all up and