Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1902-03-08
through. With most lie has been disap-

EttN or SIXTY or seventy or c4GutN years OF
age where yoa thought You would be. L
do not know any one except myself 10
whom life has been 4 happy surprise. |
never expected anything. and when
anything came in the shape OF human ia
vor or comfortable position or widening
field OF work it was To me a surprise. L
was told in the theological seminary by
some OF my fellow students that ] never
would get anybody 10 hear me preach un-
less ! changed my style. so that when |
found that some people did come 70 hear
me 1t was happy surprise. But most
people. according to their own statement,
have found life disappointment. In
deed. we all need shelter from its tenn
pests.
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 it literally or tisuratively. We
have big fireplace called the sun. and 1t
has a very hot fire. and the stokers keep
the Goals well stirred up. but much OF the
year we cannot get near enough TO this
fireplace TO get warmed This worlds
extTemitie< 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 a. the Antar-
tic. Once in awhile the Arctic will let
explorers come back. but the Antartlc
hardly ever. When at the South Pole a
ship sails in. the door OF ice is almost
sure to be shat against lis return; SO Ire
to maay millions of people AZ the south
and many millions OF people at the north
is a prolonged SILVER.
But when say that this Is a cold
world l chiefly mean iiguratively. II YOU
want to know what Is the meaning OF the
ordinary term OF receiving the cold
shoulder, get out OF money and try to
borrow. The conversation may have beer
almost tropical for luxuriance OF thought
and speech. but suggest Your necessities
and see the Thermometer drop to fifty de-
grees below zero. and in that which till
moment before mad been a warm room.
Take what is an unpopular position on
some public question and see your friends
fy as chat before a windmill. As far az
myself il concerned. l nave no word It
complaint. but look off day by day and
see communities freezin: out men and
women of whom the world is not worthy.
Now it takes after one and now after an
other. Ii becomes popular to depreciate
and defgme and execra:e and lie alb nut
some people. This is the best world |
ever got into. but it Is the meanest world
that some people ever so; into. The worst
thing that ever happened to them was
thei. cradle. and the best thing that will
ever happen TO them will he their grave.
Thus a; shutdown. lovingly. safely. COM
ple;ely. the hen broods her young. So. il
we are the Lords. the evening of our life
will come. The heats OF the day will have
passed. There will be shadows. aad we
cannot see rs far. The work OF lie will be
about ended The hawks of temptation
that lowered in the sky viii have gone to
the woods and folded their wings Sweet
slences will come. The air viii be redo.
lent with the breath OF whole trbors of
promises swee;er than jasmine or even
ing primrose. The air may he 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 withou: fear and IN full sense
of safety. and then we will rest from sun
down to sunrise. ''as hen glthereth her
chickens under her wing"
Nv text has its strongest application
for people who were born in the country.
wherever YOU may now live. and that is
the majority OF you. fou cannc. 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 asso-
citation You cannot recall the hrooding
hen and her chickens withou; seeing also
the barn ana the havmow and the wagon
shed and the house and the room where
YOU played and the fircsidc with the big
backlog before which you sat and the
neighbors and the burial and the wedding
and the deep snowbanks. and hear the viii
lage hell that called YOU to worship and
seeing the horses which after pulling YOU
to church. stood around the old clapboard-
ed meeting house. and those who sat at
either end OF the church pew and. indeed,
all the scenes OF your first fourteen years.
and you think OF what Won were then and
of what you are now and all theae thoughts
are aroused by the sight OF the old hen
coop. Some of You had better 60 back
and start again. In thought return to
that place and hear the ciuck 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 o,assed among those described by
the closing words OF my text. AS a hen
gathereth her chickens under her wings.
responsibility upon MS. 'Ye would not"
Alas. for the would nots," II the wan
dering broods OF the farm heed not their
mothers call and risk the hawk and dare
the freshet and expose themselves to the
frost and storm. surely their calamties
are not the mothers fault. Eye would
not" God would, but how many would
not.
When a good man ,l;cd Young woman
who had abandoned her home and who
was deploring her wretchedness why she
did not return the reply was: Il dare
not go home. Nv father is 50 provoked
he would not receive Ee home. Then,
said the Christian man. II will test 'his
And so he wrote To the father. and the re-
ply came back aud in letter marked out
side Immediate" and inside saving. Let
her come AT once: all il forgiven. So
Gods invitation Tor you l. marked I'm
mediate" on the outside and Inside II IL
writ en-. He will abundantly pardon
Oh We wanderers from God and happiness
and home and heaven. come under the
sheltcring wing 4 vessel in the Bristol
Steep Holmes. Under the tempest the
vessel was unmanageable. and the only
hone was that the tide would change be-
fore she struck the rocks aud went down.
and so the captain stood on the deck,
watch in hand. Captain and crew and
passengers were pallid with terror TAX
ing another look at his watch and another
look at the sea. he shouted Thank God.
we are saved. The tide has turned. One
minute more and we would have struck
the rocksi Some OF YOU have been Il long
while drifting in the tempest OF sin and
sorrow and have been making for the
breakers Thank God the tide has turned
DO you not feel the lit OF the blow
The grace OF COD that brngcth salvation
has appeared 10 your soul and. in the
words OF Boaz Ruth. | commend you TO
the Lord God OF Israel under whose
wings thou hast come 10 trust.
copyright. 1872. L. k.op.chl