The Iola register., 1902-02-14

IN tnlS SUBJECT Ut. lalmage puts
show of g,adness and triumph upon
passages of life that are usually
thought to be some what gloomy; text,
Zechariah 14:7: "At evening time it
shall be light"
While might" in all languages is the
symbol for gloom and suffering, it is
often really cheerful bright and i'm
pressive. L speak not of such nights as
come down with no star pouring light
from above or silvered wave tossing up
hight from beneath-murky, hurting,
portentous, but such as you often see
when the pomp and magnificence of
Heaven turn out on night parade, and
st seems as though the song which the
morning stars began so long ago were
Ginning yet among the considerations
and the sons of God were shouting for
Joy. Such nights the sailor blesses
from the forecastle. and the trapper
on vast prairie, apd the belated traveller
by the roadside, and the soldier from
the tent, earthly hosts gazing upon
Heavenly and shepherds guarding
their focks afeld, while angel hands
above them set the silver bells airing
ing: "Glory to God in the highest and
on earth peace; good will toward men,"
What a solemn and glorious thing
is night in the wilderness! Night
among the mountains! Night on the
ocean! Fragrant night among tropic-
al grovesl Flashing night amid arctic
seventies! Calm night on Roman cam
pagna! Awful night among the cor
dilleras! Glorious night mid sea after
a tempest! Thank God for the night
The moon and the stars which rule it
are lighthouses on the coast toward
which / hope we are all sailing. and
blind mariners are we IL, with so many
beaming burning, flaming glories to
guide us, we cannot find our way into
the harbor.
My text may well suggest that, as the
natural evening is often luminous, so
It shall be light in the evening of our
sorrows, of old age, of the worlds his
tory, of the Christian life. "At even
time it shall be light"
The prophecy will be fulfilled in
the evening of Christian sorrow. For
long time it is broad daylight. The
sun rides high. Innumerable activi-
ties go ahead with a thousand arms,
and the pickax struck mine, and the
battery made a discovery, and the in
vestment yielded 20 per cent, and the
book came to it's twentieth edition,
and the farm quadrupled in value, and
the sudden fortune hoisted to high po-
sition, and the children were praised,
and friends without number swarmed d
into the family hive, and prosperity
sang in the music and stepped in the
dance and glowed in the wine and ate
at the banquet, and all the gods of mu-
sic and ease and qualification gathered
around this Jupiter holding in his
hands so many thunderbolts of power.
But every sun must set, and the bright
est day must have its twilight. Sudden
ly the sky was overcast. The fountain
dried up. The song hushed. The wolf
broke into the family fold and carried
off the best lamb. A deep howl of woe
came crashing through the joyous sym.
phonies. At one rough twang of the
hand of disaster the harpstrings all
broke. Down went the strong business
firm! Away went long established
credit! Up flew a flock of calumnies
The new book would not sell! A pat.
ent could not be secured for the inven.
tionl Stocks sank like lead! The in.
surance company exploded! How
much'' says the sheriff, twill you bic
for this piano? How much for this Ii.
brary? How much for this family pic.
ture? How much? Will you let ii &c
at less than half price? Going-going
---gone!"
Will the grace of God hold one up in
such circumstances? What has become
of the great multitude of Gods chill.
dren who have been pounded of the
fail and crushed under the wheel and
trampled under hoof? Did they lie
down in the dust, weeping, wailing anC
gnashing their teeth? Did they when
they were afflicted like Job curse Coo
and want to die? When the rod OF
fatherly chastisement struck them
did they strike back? Because they
found one bitter cup on the table OF
Gods supply, did they upset the whole
table? Did they kneel down at theil
empty money vault and say: "All my
treasures are gomez" Did they stant
by the grave of their dead, saying;
"There never will be a resurrection" ?"
Did they bemoan their thwartet
plans and say: "The stocks are down;
Would God / were dead?" Did the nigh
sDf their disaster come upon them m Don
less, starless, dank and bowling
,smothering and choking their life out
No, mol At eventide it was light. The
swift promises overlook them. TIL,
eternal consultations, from their cir
cult about Gods throne, poured dowr
an infinite luster. Under their shin
5ng the billows of trouble took OF
crests and plumes of gold and jasper
and'amethyst and flames. All the trees
--of life rustled in the midsummer o.
Gods love. The night blooming assur
ances of Christ's sympathy filled all tn,
atmosphere with Heaven. The soul a
., ,to Frs -