The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-01-27

stranger tarried in the room, and the
old hunter took hold of the horns Of the
altar and brought down the blessing of
God upon his household ana upon the
stranger within their gates. Rude but
glorious Christian hospitality.
wOMAN'S SYMPATHY.
Again, this woman Of my text was
great in her kindness toward Gods
messenger. Elisha may have been a
ang in that household, but as he
found out he had come on a divine mis-
sion he was cordially welcomed. We
have a great many books in our day
about the hardships Of ministers and
the trials of Christian ministers. / wish
somebody would write a book about the
joys of the Christian minister, about
the sympathies all aroun about him,
about the kindness, about the genial
| considerations of him. Does sorrow
come 10 our home, and is there q shad-
ow on the cradle, there are hundreds of
hands to help and many who weary
not through the night watching and
hundreds OF prayers going up that God
I would restore the sick. Is there a burn
ng, brimming cup OF calamity placed
| OF the pastors table, are there not
many to help him drink Of that cup
| n who will not be comforted because
he is stricken? Oh, for somebody to
Write a book about the ward of the
Christian ministry-about his surround
ings of Christian sympathy!
This woman of the text was only a
| type Of thousands Of men and women
who come down from mansion and
from cot to do kindness to the Lords
servants. I could tell you of something
that you might think a romance A
young man graduated from New
Brunswick Theological seminary was
called to a village church. He had not
the means to furnish the parsonage.
After three or four weeks Of preaching
a committee of the officers of the
church waited on him and told him he
looked tired and thought he lac bet
ter take a vacation of a few days. The
young pastor took it as an intimation
that his work was dom or not accept
able. He took the vacation, and at the
end of a few days came back, when an
old elder said: Here is the key Of the
parsonage. We have been cleaning it
up. You had better go up and look at
it," So the young pastor took the key,
went up to the parsonage, opened the
door, and 10, it was carpeted, and
there was the hatrack all ready for the
canes and umbrellas and the overcoats,
and on the left hand of the hall was
the parlor, sofaed, chaired, pictured.
He passed on to the other side Of the
hall, and there was the study table in
the center of the floor with stationery
/ NPcAA ~ ~ coiit, oA6 oAAS -
Of new volumes, far beyond the reach
of the means of the young pastor,
many Of these volumes. The young
pastor went up stairs and found all the
sleeping apartments furnished, came
down stairs and entered the pantry,
n there was the spices, and the cot
fees, and the sugars, and the groceries
for six months. He went down into
the cellar, n there was the coal fol-
all the coming winter. He went into
the dining hall, and there was the ia
bic already set-the glass and the sill
He vel into the kitchen
and there were all the culinary nipple.
merts and a great. stove. The young
pastor lifted one lid of the stove, AND
he found the fuel already for ignition
Putting back the cover Of the stove
he saw in another part of it a lucifel
match, and all that young man had tt
do in starting to keep house was tt
strike the match. You tell me that i:
a~pocryphal. Oh, no, that was my owl
experience. Oh, the kindness, oh, thu
enlarged sympathies sometimes clus
tered around those who enter the Cos
pei ministry! l suppose the man o
Shunem had to a the bills, but i
was the large hearted Christian sym
pathies of the woman of Shunem tina
looked after the Lords messenger.
STRONG TO BEAR TROUBLE.
Again, this woman of the text wa;
great in her behavior under trouble
Her only son had died on her lap. I
. very bright light went out in tina
; household. The sacred writer puts i
. very tersely when he says, He sat o.
her knee until noon, and then he died.
, Yet the writer goes on to say that sh,
) exclaimed, 1T is well!" Great in pros
? perity, this woman was great in trou
BILE.
Where are the feet that have no
been blistered on the hot sands Of thi
great Sahara? Where are the soldier
5 that have not bent under the burdel
. Of grief? Where is the ship Sailin;
l over CLASSY sea hat has not afte
: awhile been caught in a cyclone
L Where is the garden of earthly com
fort, but trouble hath hitched up it
9 fiery and painting team and gon
> through it with burning plowshare
!, Unde the pelting of ages of sui
fering the great heart of the world ha
!, burst with woe. Navigators tell u
about the rivers, and the Mississippi
o hav been explored, but who can tie
n the depth Of the length of the grea
river of sorrow, made up of tears an
s blood, rolling through all lands an
all ages, bearing the wreck of families
+ and of communities, and of empire.
r foaming, writhing, boiling with tn
agonies of 5000 years.. Etna, Cotopa1
I and VesuviuS has been described, bu
e who has ever sketched the volcano {
suffering reaching up from it's depth
the lava and scoria, and pouring thel
d down the sides to whelm the nations
Oh, if 1 could gather all the hear
e strings, the broker heartstrings, int
a harp ] would play on it a dirge sue
e as was never sounded. Mythologist
tell US of golden and centaur an
Titan, and biologists tell US of extint
species of monsters, but greater tina
gorgOn of megatherium, and not b.
longing to the realm Of fable, and NJ
of an extinct species, a monster, wit
an iron jaw n a hundred iron hoo
10 las walked across the nations. and hi
q tory and poetry and sculpture, in the
IL attempt to sketch it and describe
{; have seemed to sweat great drops
"a blood. But, thank God, there are tho.
= who can conquer as his woman of Il
y, tex conquered, n say: 1T is We
- Though my poverty be gone. thoug
- my children be gone, though my hon
n be broken up, though my health be sa
"a rificed, it is we'll; it is Well" There
"a no storm on the sea but Christ is rea(