Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1901-08-09


fact that religion Is sweetness and per-
fume and spikenard and saffron and
cinnamon and cassia aud frankincense
ana all sweet spices together. "Oh."
you say. u have not looked at u as
such l thought II wss nuisance. 1t
had for me n repulsion. held nv
breath as though il were rnalodor. /
have been appalled, at It's advance. /
have said, IL have any religion at all.
! want TO have just as little OF II as Is
possible TO get through with" Oh.
what mistake you have made. NV
brosherl The religion OF Christ IL n
present and everlasting redolence. II
counterncts ell tronble Just put II on
tue stand beside the pillow of sickness.
II catches IN the curtains and perfumes
the sitting air. II sweeiens the cup Of
bitter medicine aud throws a glow on
The gloom of the turned lattice. 1t Is n
balm for the aching side and a soft
bandage for the temple stung with
pain. II lifted Samuel Rutherford into
a revelry OF spiritual delight while be
was In physical agonies. II helped
Richard Baxter untiL in the midst of
such complication of diseases as per-
maps no other man ever suffered, he
wrote The Saints Everlasting Rest. :"
Aud 1t poured light upon Johh Bun.
vans dungeon. the light of the shining
gate or the shining city. And II Is good
for rheumatism and for neuralgia and
Tor low spirits and for consumption. Ii
Is the catholicon for all disorders. Yes
II VIII heal all your sorrows.
Why did you look so sad this morn
ing when you came in? Alas. for the
loneliness and the heartbreak and the
LOAD that Is never lifted from your soul,
some or you go about feeling like Me-
caulay when he wrote. "lf had anoth.
er month OF such days as l have been
spending. would be impatient to- get
down into my little narrow crib In the
ground. like n weary factory child"
And there have been times In your life
when you wished you could get out OF
TINS life. You have said, "Oh. how
sweet to my lips would be the dust OF
tue valleyp and wished you could pull
over you I'm your last slumber the GOV.
erlet OF green grass and daisies. You
nave said: "Oh. how beautifully quiet
IT must be in the tombi | wish | was
therev'
see all around about me widowhood
and orphanage and childlessness. sad.
ness. disappointment, perplexity. IL I
could ask all those IN any audience
who have felt no sorrow and been buff
feted by no disappointment-ifI could
ask all such to rise. how many would
rise? Not one.
A widowed mother. with her little
child, went west. hoping to get better
wages there. and she was taken sick
and died. The overseer OF the poor got
her body and put " In box and put IL
in wagon and started down the street
toward the cemetery at full trot. The
little child. the only child. ran after IL
through the streets. bareheaded cry
ing: Bring me back my motheri
Bring me back my motherr And IL
was said that as the people looked on
and saw her crying after that which
lay la the box IN the wpepqn- ssh shs
loved on earth--it Is said tho whole VII.
lage was In tears. And that Is what a
great many OF you are do.ug-chas;ug
the dead. Dear Lord. Is there no an.
peasemeas for all THIS sorrow that see
about met Yes. the thought OF rcsur.
rect'on and reunion far beyond this
scene OF struggle aad tears They
shall hunger no more. neither thirst any
more. neither shall the sun light on
them nor any heat. Cor the Lamb which
Is In the midst OF the throne shall lead
then 10 living fountains OF water. and
God shaii wipe away al. tears from
their eyes" Across the couches of
your sick aud across the graves or your
dead cling tt.s shower OF sweet spices.
Queen Ba.k,s. driving up 20 the pillarea
pertico OF the house of cedar. carried
no such pungeaoy OF perfume as ex.
iaies today from the Lords garden. II
IS peace. IL is sweetness. IL IS com.
fort. IL Is Infinite satisfaction. this
gospel ! commend 10 you
Some one could not understand why
an old German Christian scholar used
10 be always So calm am. happy aud
hopefu! when be had so mauy trials
anc s.cknessvs ard ailments. A mas
secreteG himself in the house. He said.
Il meaG TO watch this old scholar and
Christian" Aud he saw the old Chris.
tiaa man go 60 his room and sit down
on the chair beside the stand and open
the Bible and begin 10 read. He read
on and on. chapter after chapter. hour
after hour, until his face was all aglow
with the tidings from heaven, and
when the clock struck - he arose and
shut his Bible and said: Blessed Lord.
we are on the same old terms yet. Good
night. Good night" Oh. YOU sin
parched and you trouble pounded, here
is comfort. here Is satisfaction. VIII
you come and get It? cannot tell YOU
what the Lord offers you hereafter so
well as can tell you what he offers
now. 1T doth not yet appear what we
shall be-"
Home OF the Blessed.
Have you read OF the Tai Mahal in
India. In some respects the most ma
3estic building on earth2 Twenty thou.
sand men were 20 years In building II.
1t cost about $l6.000.000. The walls
are or marble. inlaid with carnelIan
from Basdad and turquoise from Tibet
ard Jasper from the Punjab and anne
thyst from Persia and all manner of
precious stones. a traveller said that
1t seemed TO him Ike the shining of the
enchanted castle of FURNISHED silver.
The walls are 245 feet high. and from
the top OF these springs dome 80 more
feet high, that dome containing the
most wonderful echo the world has
ever known. SO that ever and anon
travellers standing below. with flutes