Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1902-03-07

and frozen OF the world: s'Come in out
OF the March winds OF the worlds crit
icism. come In out OF the sleet Of the
worlds assault. come In out of a world
that does not understand you and does
not want 20 understand you 1 will
comfort. and I win soothe, and 1 VIII
be your warmth. as q hen gathereth
her chickens under her wing" Oh,
the warm heart OF God is ready for all
those to whom the world has given the
cold shoulder.
Christ Takes the Storm.
But notice that some one must take
the storm for the chickens. All. the
hen takes the storm l have watched
her under the pelting rain I have seen
her In the pinchlng frosts- Almost
frozen to death or almost strangled In
the waters. and what a fight she makes
for the young under wing II dog or
hawk or a man come too neari And
so the brooding Christ takes the storm
for us. What food OF anguish and
tears that did not dash upon his holy
soulf What beak of torture did not
pierce his vitals? What barking Ger
berus OF hell WAS not let out upon him
from the kennels? Yes. the hen takes
the storm for the chickens. and Christ
takes the storm for us Once the tenn
pest rose so suddenly the hen could not
get with her young back from the new
ground TO the barn. and there she ia
under the fence half dead. And now
the rain turns 10 snow. and Il is an
awful night. and In the morning the
whiteDess about the gills and the beak
down In the mud show that the mother
n dead. and the young ones come out
and cannot understand why the mother
does not scratch for them something to
eat, and they walk over her wings and
call with their tny voices. but there ia
no answering cluck- She took the
storm for others and persisted Poor
thtngi Self sacrificing even unto deathl
And does II not make you think OF
him who endured all for us7 So the
wings under which we come for spir-
ftuai safety are blood spattered wings.
are night shadowed wings, are tempest
torn wings In the Isle OF Wight I
saw the grave OF Princess Elizabeth,
who died while prisoner at CARTS
brook castle. her finger on an open BIZ
bic and pointing to the words, Come
unto me all We that labor and are
heavy laden. and I viii give you rests
Oh. come under the wingsi
But now the summer day is almost
past and the shadows of the house and
barn and wagon shed have heightened.
The farmer, with scythe or hoe on
shoulder, Is returning from the fields.
The oxen are unyoked. The horses are
crunching the oats at the full bin The
air Is bewitched OF honeysuckle and
wild brfer. The miIkman, pail IN. hand,
Is approaching the barnyard. The
fowls, keeping early hours, are collect
Ing their young. "C,uckv' "Cluckrs
"Cluckr And soon all the eyes of that
feathered nursery are closed. The
bachelors Of the winged tribe have as
cended to their perch. but the hens, In
motherhood divinely appointed, take
all the risk OF slumber on the ground.
and all night long the wings will stay
outspread, and the little ones will not
utter sound. Thus at shutdown, loving
iy. safely, completely. the hen broods her
young. So, II we are the Lords, theeven-
Ing OF our life will come. The heats of
the day VIII have passed. There will be
shadows. and we cannot see as far.
The work OF life will be about ended.
The hawks OF temptation that lowered
In the sky will have gone to the woods
and folded their wings. Sweet silerces
will come. The air will be redolent
with the breath OF whole arbors of
promises sweeter than jasmine or even
Ing primrose. The air may be a little
chill. but Christ will call us, and we
Will know the voice and heed the call
and we Will come under the wings for
the night, the strong wings, the soft
wings, the warm wings, and without
rear and In full sense OF safety, and
then we will rest from shutdown to SUM-
rise. "as hen gathereth her chickens
under her wing
Dear me! How many souls the Lord
hath thus broodedl Mothers. after
watching over sick cradles and then
watching afterward over maynard
sons and daughters, at last themselves
taken care of by motherly God.
Business men. after n lifetime strug.
Cling with the uncertainties Of money
markets and the change OF tariffs and
the underselling OF men who because
or their dishonesties can AFFORD to un- |
dersell. and years OF disappointment
and struggle. Mt last under wings
where nothing can perturb them any
more than can a bird OF prey which is
ten miles Off disturb chick at mid. |
night brooded In q barnyard.
Under the Divine wfnrs.
My text has its strongest application
for people who were born In the coun.
try. wherever you may now live. and
that Is the majority of you. You can.
not hear my text without having all
the rustic scenes Of the old farmhouse
come back to you Good old days they
were You knew nothing much of the
world for you had not seen the world.
BY law Of association you cannot re-
call the breeding ben and her chickens
without seeing also the barn and the
haymow and the wagon shed and the
house and the room where you played
and the fireside with the big BACKLOG
before which sou sat and the neigh
bors and the burial and the wedding
and the deep snowbanks and hear the |
village bell that called you to worship
and seeing the horses which. after
pulling you to church, stood around the
OLD ciapboarded meeting house and
those who sat at either end of the !
church pew and, indeed. ell the scenes
OF your first fourteen years. and you
think OF what you were then and of
what you are now. and all these
thoughts are aroused by the sight of
the old hencoop. Some OF you had bet
ter go back and start again. In thought
return to that place and hear the chuck
and see the outspread feathers and
come under the wing and make the
Lord your portion and shelter and
warmth. preparing for everything that
may come and so avoid being classed
among those described by the CLOSING
words OF my text. 'as hen gathereth
her chickens under her wings, and We
would not" All. that throws the re.