The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1900-08-29
NO. ~


What think you Of the family prop
erty? 1t Is considered an honor to
marry into n family where there is
great wealth. The Lord, the bride
groom Of earth and heaven, offers You
his heart and his hand. saying In the
words Of the Canticles: Rise up my
love. my fair one. and come away
and once having put on thy hand the
signet ring Of bis love. you will be en-
dowed with all the wealth Of earth.
and all the honcrs Of heaven.
Homestead Of Eternity.
Almost every family looks back to
homestead some country place whore
you grew mp. You sat OH the dOorSill.
You heard the footsteps Of the rain on
the garrct roof You swung on the
gate. You ransacked the barn. You
waded into the brook. You thrashed
the orchard for apples, and the neigh
boring woods for nuts: and everything
around the old homestead is Of interest
to you. l tell you Of the old homestead
Of eternity. In my Fathers hsuse arc
many mansions" When we talk Of
mansions, we think Of ChatswOrth. anI
its park, nine miles in circumference,
and its conservatory, that astonlShes
the world; its galleries Of art, that con-
tain the triumphs Of Chantrey, Canova
and Thorwaldsen; Of the kings and the
queens who have walked its stately
halls. or, flying over the heather, have
hunted the grouse. But all the dwell
ing places Of dukes. and princes, and
queens. are as nothing to the family
mansion that IS already awaiting our
arrival. The hand Of the Lord Jesus
lifted the pillars, and swung the doors.
and planted the parks. Angels walk
there, and the good Of all ages. The
poorest man in that house is million
.aire. and the lowlieSt king. and the
tamest word he speaks is an anthem,
and the shortest life an eternity.
1t took a Paxton to build for Chats
worth covering for the wonderful
flower Victoria reSia. five feet in diam
eter But our lily Of the valley shall
need no shelter from the blast. and in
the open gardens Of God shall put forth
its full bloom, and all heaven shall
come to look ut it, and It's aroma shall
be as though the cherubim had swung
before the throne thousand censerS.
I have not seen it yet. l am in q
foreign land. But my Father is wait
ing for ME to come home. / have
brothers and sisters there. In the
Bible have letters from there, telling
me what fine place it is. 1t matters
not much to me whether | am rich or
poor, or whether the world hates me
or loves me. or whether l 90 by land
or by sea, If only may lift my eyes
at last on the family mansion. 1t Is
not a frail house. built in month.
soon to crumblc. but an old mansion,
which is as firm as the day 1t was
built Its walls are covered with the
ivy Of many ages. and the urns at the
gateway are a-blOom with the century
plants Of eternity. The queen Of She
ba hath walked it's halls. and Esther,
and Marie Antonette. and Lady Hunt
ingdon, and Cecil. and Jeremy Taylor.
and Samuel Rutherford, and John Mil
ton, and the widow who gave two
mites. and the poor men from the
hospital-these last two perhaps out
shining all the kings and queens Of
eternity.
A Celestial Reunion.
A family mansion means reunion.
Some of your families are very much
scattered The children married, and
went off to st. Louis, or Chicago. or
Charleston; but perhaps once year
you come together at the old place.
How you wake up the old piano that
las been silent for years. (Fathcr and
mother do not play on it, How you
bring out the old relics, and rummage
the garnet. and open old Scrapbooks,
and shout. and laugh, and cry, and
talk over old times, and. though you
may be Is years of age, act as though
you were 1G. Yet soon it is goodby at
the car window. and goodby at the
steamboat wharf. But how vii! we act
at the reunion in the old family mansion
Of heaven? 1t is a good while since
you parted at the door Of the grave.
There will&e Grace. and Mary. aud
Martha, AN I,arle. and Lizzie, and
all the darling D. your houSehold-not
pale. and sickA ana raSping for breath.
as when you aw theu. last. but their
eye bright with< the luster 6i heaven.
and their cheek r\seate with the flush
of celestial summcH. -aa---
What claSping csf hands! What en-
bracings. What cs9nlinS together Of
lip to lip. What tears Of Joy. You say.
Il thought there W, 30 tears in
heaven" There mus |be. for the Bible
says that God shall wipe them
away" and If there were 10 tears
there, how could he wipe them away!
They cannot be tears Of grief or tears
Of disappointment. They must be
tears of yladness. Christ will come and
say: What. Child Of heaven, IS it too
much for thee? Dost thou break down
under the gladness Of this reunion:
Then will help thee And, with his
one arm around us and the other arm
around our loved ones, he shall hold
US up in the eternal jubilee.
Prodigals at Home.
While l speak, some Of you with
broken hearts can hardly bold your
peace. You feel as If you would speak
out and say: "Oh. blessed day! speed
ON. Toward thee l press with blister
ed feet over the desert way. My eyes
fail for their weeping. l faint from
listening for feet that will not come,
and the sound Of voices that will not
speak. Speed on, oh day Of reunion.
And then. Lord Jesus, be not angry