Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1902-03-06

seminary by some Of my fellow stu
dents tina. l never would get anybody
to hear me preach unless / changed my
style, so th.t when I found that some
people did come to hear me 1t was A
happy surprise. But most people, &C
cording to their own statement, have
found life a disappointment. Indeed,
We all need shelter from its tempests.
The wings Of my text suggest
warmth, and that is what most folks
want The fact is that this is a cold
world whether you take II literally or
figuratively. We have big fireplace
called the sun, and 1t has very hot
fire, and the stokers keep the Goals
well stirred up. but much Of the year
we cannot get near enough to the fire.
place to get warmed. Inc worlds ex-
tremities are cold all the time. Forget
not that It is colder at the south pole
than at the north pole, and that the
arctic is not so destructive as the ant
arctic Once in a while the arctic will
let explorers come back, but the ant
arctic hardly ever. When at the south
pole ship sails in. the door OF Ice
is almost sure to be shut against its
return. So life to many millions OF
people at the south and many millions
of people at the north is prolonged
SILVER. But wen | say that this is a
cold world l chiefly mean figuratiyely.
II you want to know what Is the
meaning of the ordinary term of re-
ceiving the "cold shoulder" get out
OF money and tIy 10 borrow. The con-
versation may have been almost tropi-
cal for luxur,ance Of thought and
speech. but suggest your necessities
and see the thermometer drop to so
degrees fellow zero, and in that which
till a moment before had Deen a warm
room. Take what Is an unpopular
position on some public question and
see your friends fly as chaff before
windmill. AS far as myself Is con-
cerned, | have no word of complaint,
but look off day by day and see COM
munities freezing out men and wo-
men of whom the world is not worthy
Now II takes after enc and now after
another. 1t becomes popular to de-
preciate and defame and ,xecrate and
lie about some people. This is the
best world ever got into, but 1t Is the
meanest world that some people ever
got into. The worst thing that ever
happened to them was their cradle,
and the best thing that will ever hap
pen to them will be their grave
What people want is warmth. The
trouble is that In our efforts to save
the soul there is too much GOODNESS
and icy formality. Give warmth OF
sympathy, warmth Of kindly associa-
ton, warmth of genial surroundings
The world declines to give 1t and
in many cases has no power to give It,
and here is where Christ comes In
and as on a cold day, the rain beating
and the atmosphere full Of sleet, the
hen clucks her chickens un.er her
wings, and the warmth Of her own
breast puts warmth into the wet
feathers and the chilled feet OF the
infant group of the barnyaros. SO
Christ says to those sick and frosted
and disguised and frozen Of the
world: Come in out Of the March
winds Of the worlds criticism, come In
out Of the sleet of the worlds assault
come in out of world that does not
understand you and does not want to
understand you. 7 will comfort and
will soothe, and I will be your warmth,
as a hen gathereth Ler chickens under
her wing" Oh, The wal heart OF
God is ready for all those to whom the
world has given the cold shoulder.
But notice that some one must take
the storm for the chickens. All. the
hen takes the storm. I have watched
her under the pelting rain. have seen
her in the pinching frosts. Almost
frozen to death or almost strangled in
the waters. and what fight she makes
for the young under wing II dog oil
a hawk or a man come too near! And
so the broodiug Christ takes the storm
for us. What food OF anguish and
tears that did not dash upon his holy
soul? 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. The wings un
der which we come for spiritual safety
are blood spattered wings. are night
Swallowed wings, are tempest torn
wings. In the Isle OF Wight | saw
the grave of Princess Elizabeth. who
died while prisoner at Carisbrooke
castle, her finger on an open Bible. and
pointing to the words, Come unto me
all We that labor and are heavy laden
and / will give you rest" oh. come
under the wings!
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 brier. The milkman, pail in hand
is approaching the barnyard. The
fowls, keeping early hours. are collect
Ing their young. Cluck! "Cluck!"
"Cluck!" 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, low
ingly. safely, completely, the hen
broods her young. So. II we are the
Lords. the evening of our life will
come. The heats of the day will 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 fold.