The Yale expositor., 1899-03-10

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 intellectually.
and spiritually, is a valuable package
or bundle, divinely bound up, and to
be divinely protected.
That phrase. bundle of life" I
heard many times in my fathers fam
lily prayers. Family prayers, you know,
have frequent repetitions, because day
by day they acknowledge 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 house
hold devotions should seek variety OF
composition. That familiar prayer be-
comes tho household liturgy. | would
not give one Of my old fathers pray
ers for fifty Evolutionary supplications.
Again and again, in the morning and
evening prayer, l 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 a Bible phrase.
Now, the more / think of it. the
better | like it. The bundle of lifc!
1t is such q simple and unpretending,
yet expressive comparison. There is
nothing like grandiloquence in the
Scriptures. While there are many
sublime passages in Holy Writ. there
are more passages homely and
drawing Illustrations from COM
mon observation and everyday
life. In Christ's great sermons YOU
hear hen clucking her chickens to-
gether, and see the photographs Of
hypocrites with a sad countenance and
hear Of the grass OF the field, and the
black crows, which our heavenly
Father feeds, and the salt that is
worthless, and the precious stones
flung under the feet OF swine. and the
shifting SAND that let's down the house
with great crash, and hear the COM
parison of the text, the most unpoet-
zeal thing We can think ola bundle.
Ordinarily it is something tossed about,
something thrown under the table,
something that suggests garrets, or
something on the shoulder of a poor
wayfarer. But there are bundles OF
great value, bundles put up with great
caution, bundles the loss of which
means CONSERVATION and despair, and
there have been bundles representing
+, the worth OF kingdom.
Bundle of hopes, and ambitions also,
is almost every man and woman, es-
pecially at the starting. What gains
he will harvest, or what reputation he
will achieve, or what bliss lie will
reach. or what love he will win. What
makes college commencement day so
enhancing 10 all of us as we see the
students receive their diplomas and
take up the garlandS thrown at their
feet? They will be Faradays in sci
ence; they will be Tennysons in poesy;
they will be Willard Parkers in surg
cry; they will be Alexander Hamiltons
in national finance; they will be Hor-
acc Greeleys in editorial chair; they
will be Websters in the senate! Or
she will be Mary Lyon in educational
realms; or a Frances Willard on re-
formatory platform; or Helen
Gould in military hospitals. Or she
will make home life radiant with help
fulness and self-sacrifice, and magnifl-
cent womanhood! Oh. what n bundle
OF hopes and ambitions! 1t is q bun
die OF garlands and sceptres from
which l would not take one sprig Of
mignonette nor extinguish enc spark
Of brilliance. They who start In life
without bright hopes and inspiring
ambitions might as well not start at
all, for every step will be a failure
Rather would / add to the bundle, and
IL l open it now it will not be becau Sc
wish to take anything from it, but
that l may put into it 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 abyss to fathom. Power TO
think right power to think wrong
power to think forever; for, once hav-
ing begun to think. there shall be no
terminus for that exercise, and eter-
nifty itself shall have no power to bid
it halt. Faculties to love-flial love
conjugal love, paternal love. maternal
love, love of country, love of God. Fac
ulty of judgment, with scales so deli
cate and yet so mighty that they can
weigh arguments, weigh emotions
weigh worlds, weigh heaven and he'll
Faculty of will, that can climb noun
tains or tunnel them. wade seas OF
bridge them, accepting eternal en-
thronement or choosing everlasting
exile. oh, what 1t is to be a man. Oh
what 1t is to be womani Sublime and
infinite bundle OF faculties! The
thought Of It staggers me, swamps me
stuns me. bewilders me, Gverwhelms
, me. Oh, what bundle of life Abigail
, of my text saw in David. and which We
ought to see in every human, yet i'm
mortal being!