Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-03-27

was safe for all the future, but we
have learned that mortgage may be
defeated by an unknown previous in
cumbrance; that signing your name on
the back Of n note may be your bust
ness death warrant; that a new tariff
may change the current Of trade; that
a man may be rich today and poor to
morrow. And God, by all these mis-
fortunes. is trying to loosen our grip,
but we still hold on. God smites with
a STAFF, but we hold on. And he strikes
us with a rod, but we hold on. And he
sends over us the iron wheel Of misfor-
tune, but we hold on. There are men
who keep their grip on this world until
the last moment, who suggest to me
the condition and conduct Of the poor
Indian in the boat in the Niagara rap
ids, coming on toward the fall. Seeing
that he could not escape, a moment or
two before he got to the verge Of the
plunge he lifted wine bottle and
drank it Off and then tossed the bottle
into the air. So there are men who
clutch the world, and they 60 down
through the rapids Of temptation and
sin. and they hold on to the very last
moment to life, drinking to their eter-
nal doom as they go over and go down.
Oh, let go! Let go! The best fortunes
are in heaven. There are no abscond-
in promises to pay. Set your affections
on things above. not on thugs on the
earth. Let go! Depend upon II that
God will keep upon you the staff or the
rod or the iron wheel until you do let
20.
Another thing my text teaches us Is
that Christian sorrow Is going to have
n sure terminus. My text says. Bread
corn is bruised because he will not ever
be thrashing it." Blessed be God
for that! Pound away, o fail! Turn
on, o wheel. Your work will soon
be done. HE will not ever be thrash
ing IT," Now, the Christian has almost
as much use in the organ for the stop
trcmulant as he has for the trumpet.
but after awhile lie will put the last
dirge into the portfolio forever So
much of us as is wheat will be sepa-
rated from so much as Is chaff, and
there will be no more need Of pound
ing. They never cry in heaven be-
cause they have nothing to cry about.
There are no tears of bereavement, for
you shall have your friends all round
about you. There are no tears of pow
erty because each one sits ut the
Kings table and has his own chariot
of salvation and free access to the
wardrobe where princes get their ar
ray. No tears Of sickness, for there
are no pneumonias in the air and no
malarial exhalations from the rolling
river of life and no crutch for the lame
limb and no splint for the broken arm,
but the pulses throbbing with the
health Of the eternal God in a climate
like our June before the blossoms fall
or our gorgeous October before the
leaves scatter.
The Cure For the SOULS Wounds.
In that land the souls will talk over
the different modes Of thrashing. Oh,
the story Of the staff that struck the
fitches and the rod that beat the cum
min and the iron wheel that went over
the corn! Daniel will describe the
lions and Jonah leviathan and Paul
the elmwood whips with which he was
scourged. and Eve will tell how aro-
matte Eden was the day she left it.
and John Rogers will tell of the smart
Of the flame and Elijah of the fiery
team that wheeled him up the sky
sleeps and Christ Of the numbness and
the paroxysms and hemorrhages of
the awful crucifxion. There they are
before the throne of God-on one ele-
walton all those who were struck of
the rod, on the highest elevation and
amid the highest attitudes of heaven
all those who were under the wheel.
He will not ever be thrashng it.
Is there not enough salye in this text
10 make a plaster large enough to heal
all your wounds? When child is hurt,
the mother Is very apt to say to it,
Now, it will soon feel better" And
that Is what God says when he embos-
Oms all our trouble In the hush Of this
great promise, weeping may endure
for night but JOY cometh in the morn
ing" You may leave your pocket hand
kerchief sopping wet with tears on
your death pillow, but you will go up
absolutely sorrowless. They will wear
black. you will wear white; expresses
for them, palms for you. You will say:
as it possible that l am here? Is this
heaven? Am l so pure now will new
er do anything wrong? Am ! SO we'll
that l will never again be sick? Are
these companionships so firm that they
will never again be broken? Is that
Mary? Is that John? Is that my loved
one put away into darkness? Can it
be that these are the faces Of those
who lay so wan and emaciated in the
buck room that awful night dying?
Oh. how radiant they are! Look ut
them! How radiant they are! Why,
how unlike this place Is from what
thought when / left the world below
Ministers drew pictures Of this land,
but how tame compared with the reali.
ty! They told me on earth that death
was sunset. No, no! 1t is sunrise
Glorious sunrise! see the light now
purpling the hills, and the clouds fame
with the coming day"
Then the gates of heaven will be
opened and the entranced soul, with
the acuteness and power Of the celes.
tia vision, will look thousands Of miles
down upon the hammered procession, q
river Of shimmering splendor, and will