Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1901-03-15

spectacles. The book OF Revelation Is a
prospectus now of the country into which
he is soon to immigrate, the country in
which he has lots already laid out and
avenues opened and mansions built.
1t is trouble, my friends, that makes us
feel our dependence upon God. we DC
not know our own weakness or Gods
strength until the last plank breaks. 1t is
contemplate in us that only when there
is nothing else to take hold of we. catch
hold of God. Why, do you know who the
Lord is? He is not an autocrat seated
far UP in palace, from which He emerges
once a year, preceded by heralds swinging
swords to clear the way. No; He is
father, willing at our call to stand by us
in every crisis and predicament Of life.
tell you what some of you business men
make me think of. A man is unfortunate
in his business. He has to raise good
deal cf money and raise il quickly. He
borross on word and note all h.s can bor-
row. After while he puts mortgage on
his house; after while he puts second
mortgage on his house. Then he puts
lien on his furniture; then he makes over
his life insurance; then he assigns all his
property; then he goes to his father.
in-law and asks for help. Well,
having failed everywhere, completely
failed, he gets down on his knees
and SAYS: 20 Lord, l have tried
everybody and everything; now help me
out of this financial troubled" He makes
God the last resort instead of the first re-
sort.
A young man goes off from home to earn
his fortune, He goes with his mothers
consent and benediction. She has large
wealth, but he wants to make his own
fortune. He goes far away, falls sick and
gets out of money. He sends for the hotel
keeper where he is staying, asking for le-
nience, and the answer he gets is. ~ you
do not pay up Saturday night you'll be re-
moved to the hospital" The young man
sends to a comrade in the same building;
no help. He writes to banker who was
a friend of his deceased father; no relief.
Saturday night comes, and he is moved to
the hospital. Getting here, he is frenziedi
with grief, and he borrows sheet of
paper and postage stamp, and he sits
down, and he writes home: Dear mother,
ty minutes of 10 o'clock when she gets the
letter. At 10 o'clock the train starts. She
is FIVE N .nutes from the depot. She gets
there in time to have five minutes to
spare. She wonders why the train that
can go forty miles an hour cannot 90
eighty miles an hour. She rushes into the
hospital. She says: "My son, what does
all this mean? Why did you not send for
me? You sent to everybody but me. You
knew l would and could help you. Is this,
the reward 1 get for my kindness to you
always?" She bundles him up, takes him
home and gets him well very soon, -, -.
Now, some of you treat God Just as that
young man treated his mother. When you
the banker, you call on the broker, you
call on your creditors, you call on your
lawyer for legal counsel, you call upon
everybody, and when you cannot get any
help then you 90 to God. You say, 20
Lord. come to Thee! Help me now out
of my perplexity" And the Lord comes,
though it is in the eleventh hour. He
says "Why did you not send for Me be-
fore? AS one whom his mother comfort
eth SO will l comfort you" 1t is to throw
US back upon God that we have this minis
try OF tears.
Your troubles are educational. 1 GO
into the Office of lapidary, an artihcer IN
precious stones, and l see him at work on
one precious stone for few minutes, and
he puts it aside finished. l see him take
up another precious stone, and he Workf
on that all the afternoon, and come In
the next day and still find him working OF
| it, and he is at work on it all the week
| say to him, "Why did you put only
twenty minutes work on that one precious
stone and put whole week on this
other?" "Oh,' he says, Chat one upor
which put only, twenty minutes work /
with it, But this precious stone upor
which have put such prolonged and care
full work is of vast value, and it is to Hash
in a kings coronet." So God lets one maj
20 through life with only little cutting
Of misfortune, for he does not amount tt
much, he is a small soul and of compare
lively little value, but this other is O.
great worth, and it is cut of pain, and GU
of bereavement, and cut of persecution
and cut of all kinds of trouble, ant
through many years, and l ask, deal
Lord, why all this prolonged and severe
process?" and God says This. SOU, is @
infinite value, and it is to flash in king
coronet. He shall be Mine in the da!
when / make up My jewels"
You know, on Widespread table tn.
food becomes more delicate at the last.
have fed you to-day with the bread OF con
ISOLATION. Let the table now be cleared
and let us set on the chalice of heaven
Let the Kings cupbearers come in. oh,
saws some critic in the audience, "th
Bible contradicts itself. 1t intimates agail
and again that there are to be no tear
in heaven, and if there be no tears in heav
en- how is it possible that God will wip
any away" / answer, Have you neve
seen a child crying one moment and laugh
ing the next and while she was Laughing
YOU saw the tears still on her face" ANT
perhaps you stopped her in the very mids
of her resumed glee and wiped off thos
DELAYED tears. So | think after the heav
emily raptures have come upon us Their
NAV be the mark of some earthly grief
and while these tears are glittering IN tn
light of the Jasper sea God will wipe then
away. How we'll He can do that
Friends, if we could get any appreclaa
ton of what God has in reserve for US, !
would make us so homesick we would b
unfit for our everyday work Professo
Leonard, formerly of Iowa University, pu
in my hands a meteoric stone, ston
thrown of from some other world to this
How suggestive it was to me! And / hav
have of heaven are only aerolites flung OF
from that world which rolls on, bearin
the multitude of the redeemed. We ana
I'VE these aerolites and find then, crystal
lizations of tears. No wonder, flung o.
from heaven! "God shall wipe away a.
tears from their eyes,"
~ Have you any appreciation OF the goo
and glorious times your friends are havin
in heaven? How different it is when the
get news there OF Chrlstlans death 1roI
what it is here! 1t is the difference be
tween embarkation and coming into port.
Everything depends upon which side. G
the river you stand when you hear OF
Christians death. If you stand on thl
side of the river, you mourn that they go
if you stand on the other side of the rive
you rejoice that they come.
Do you not this moment catch glimps
of the towers? Do you not hear note {
the eternal harmony? Some of you ma
remember the old Crystal Palace in thi
city Of New York. 1 came in, from m
country home verdant lad and heard !
that Crystal Palace the first great mus
had ever heard. Julien gave a conc cel
there, and there were 5000 voices ana ~. ~.
players upon instruments, and l. va
nightly impressed with the fact that Ju
lien controlled the harmony with the mt
ton of his hand and foot, beating, TIN N
with the one and emphasizing with Il