Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-12-28

2S2SgSgS@1&S gg@ss ssssssggs
CHAPTER XIV (continued.)
".
Then new time comes, of which
the leading feature is that the shrewd
questions are asked louder. We carry
them to the grown up people. They
answer us, and we are not satisfied.
And now between us and the dear
old world of the senses the spirit world
begins to peep in and wholly clouds it
over. What are the flowers to us?
They are fuel waiting for the great
burning. We look at the walls Of the
farmhouse and the matter Of fact
sheep kraals, with the merry sunshine
playing over all, and do not see 1t. But
2 we see great white throne and him
that sits on it. Around him stand a
great multitude that no man cnn num-
Der, harpers harping with their harps,
q thousand times ten thousand and
thousands of thousands. How white
are their robes, washed in the blood
of the Lamb! And the music rises
higher and rends the vault of heaven
with its unutterable sweetness. And
we. as we listen, ever and anon, as it
sinks on the sweetest, lowest note.
hear q groan Of the damned from be-
low. We shudder In the sunlight.
The torment" says Jeremy Taylor,
whose sermons our father reads aloud
In the evening, comprises as many
torments as the body of man has
Joints. sinews. arteries, etc, being
caused by that penetrating and real
fire Of which this temporal fire is but
painted fire. What comparison will
there be between burning for a hun
bred years space and to be burning
] without intermission as long as God
! Is God r.
We remember the sermon there in
the sunlight One comes and asks why
We sit there modelling SO modify. All,
they do not see what we see!
u sids tas nun that heavenly place
ssSSsss 81 phssas sp All hsll
q ID NJ ssleys Il hymn, which I'VE sing
llesenlng 6y eyenlpg What matter SUM-
shine and walls, men and sheep?
The things which are seen are tenn
poral but the things which are not
seen are eternal" They are real.
The Bible we bear always in our
I breast. Its pages are our food. We
learn to repeat 1t. We weep much, for
4 IN sunshine and in shade, In the early
morning or late evening, in the field or
In the house. the devil walks with us.
He comes to us a real person, copper
colored face, head little on one side,
forehead knit, asking questions. Be
lieve me, 1t were better to be followed
by three deadly diseases than by him.
He lis never silenced without mercy.
Though the drops Of blood stand out on
your heart. he will put his question.
Softly he comes up 1--WE are only q wee
bit child: ais 1t good of God to make
hell? Was 1t kind of him to let one be
forgiven unless Jesus Christ died?"
Then he goes of and leaves us writh-
ing. Presently he comes back.
DO you love him?" Waits a little.
do you love him? You win be lost il
you DON'T
We say we try to.
But do you2" Then he goes of.
It is nothing to him IL we 60 quite
mad with fear at our own wickedness,
Ne asks on, the questioning devil. He
cares nothing what he says. We long
to tell some one, that they may share
our pain. We do not yet know that
the cup Of affiictlon is made with such
narrow mouth that only one lip can
drink at time and that each mans
cup is made to match his lip.
One day we try to tell some one.
Then grave head is shaken solemnly
at us. We are wicked, very wicked.
they say. We ought not to have such
thoughts. God is good, very good. We
are wicked. very wicked. That is the
comfort we get. Wicked? o Lord, do
we not know 1t? Is 1t not the sense of
our own exceeding. wickedness that is
drying up our young heart, filing 1t
with sand. making all life dust bin
for us?
Wicked? We know i'll Too vile to
AVE. too we 10 Qle, TOO vie. to creep
over this Gods earth and move
among his believing men. He'll is the
one place forSh him who hates his mas
ter, and there we do not want to go.
This is the comfort we get from the
! old.
And once again we try to seek for
comfort. This time great eyes look at
us wondering, and lovely little lips say:
IL It makes you SO unhappy to think
OF these things, why do you not think
Of something else and forget?"
Forget! We turn away and shrink
into ourself. Forget and think OF 9TH
er things! God do they not under
stand that the material world is but a
( film, through every pore Of which
Gods awful spirit world is shining
through on us? We keep as far from
others as we can.
One night. q rare, clear moonlight
night we kneel In the window. Ey-
cry one else Is asleep, but we kneel
reading by the moonlight. 1t is a
shov<n,, in tho rro,,batc <olyt~,. 49,,