Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1900-05-03


without intermission as long as God
is God?"
We remember the sermon there in
the sunlight. One comes and asks why
we sit there nodding so moodily. All,
they do not see what we seel
A moments time, harrow space,
Divide from that heavenly place
Or shuts up in hell.
SO says Wesley's hymn, which we sing
evening by evening. What matter sun
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
breast It's pages are our food. We
learn to repeat il. We weep much, for
in sunshine and in shade, in the early
morning or late evening, in the field or
in the house, tl4 devil walks with us.
He comes to us real person, copper
rolored face, head a little on one side,
forehead knit, asking questions. Be
lieve me, it were better to be followed
by three deadly diseases than by him.
He is 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 a wee
bit child: as it good of God to make
hell? Was 1t kind of him to let one be
forgiven unless Jesus Christ died?"
Then he goes off and leaves us writh-
ing. Presently he comes back.
do you love him?" Waits n little.
a
you don't"
We say we try to.
"But do you?" Then he goes off.
1t is nothing to him If we go quite
mad with fear at our own wickedness.
He 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 affiiction is made with such
a 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 som one.
Then n 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 it? Is 1t not the sense of
our own exceeding wickedness that is
drying up our young heart, filling 1t
with sand, making all life a dust bin
for us?
Wicked? We know it! Too vile to
live, too vile to die, too vile to creep
over this Gods earth and move
among his believing men. He'll is the
one place for 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:
''If 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! 0 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, a rare, clear moonlight
night, we kneel in the window. Ey-
cry one else is alleep but we kneel
reading by the moonlight. 1t is n
chapter in the prophets telling how
the chosen people of God shall be car
ried on the gentiles' shoulders. Surely
the devil might leave us alone. There
is not much handle for him there. But
presently he comes.
as it right there should be chosen |
people? To him who is Father to all |
should not all be dearp
How can we answer him? We were |
feeling so good till he came. We put |
our head down on the Bible and blister |
it with tears. Then we fold our hands |
over our head and pray till our teeth |
grind together. oh, that from that |
spirit world, so real and yet so silent, |
that surrounds us one word would |
come to guide usl We are left alone
with this devil, and God does not whis-
per to us. Suddenly we seize the Bible, |
turning 1t round and round, and say |
hurriedly:
'It will be Gods voice speaking 10
us, his voice as though we heard 1t"
We yearn for token from the mex
orably silent One.
We turn the book, put our finger
down on n page and bend to read by |
the moonlight. 1t is Gods answer. We
tremble:
"Then Il years after l went up again (.
to Jerusalem with Barnabas and took F.!
Titus with me also" !,
For an instant our imagination seizes
1t. We are twisting, twirling, trying to
make an allegory. The II years are Ia
we are Paul, and the devil Is
Barnabas: Titus is Then n sudden
loathing comes to us. We are liars
and hypocrites. We are trying to de-
ceivc ourselves. What IS Paul to us
and Jerusalem? Who are Barnabas
and Titus? We know not the men.
Before we know we seize the book,
swing 1t round our head and fling 1t
with all our might to the farther end
of the room We put down our head
again and weep. Youth and ignorance
is there anything else that can weep
so? 1t Is as though the tears were
drops of blood CONCEALED beneath the
eycllds. Nothing else is like those
tears. After long time we are weak
with crying and lie silent, and by
chance we knock against the wood that
stops the broken pane. 1t falls. Upon
our hot, stiff face sweet breath Of
wind blows We raise our head and
Mt |
beautiful still world. and the sweet
night wind blows in upon us. holy and
gentle. like n loving breath from the
lips of God. over us a deep peace
comes, a calm, stlll joy. The tears
now flow readily and softly. Oh, the
gladncss! At last at last,