Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1902-12-29

departed and redeemed children, with
their hosts of little friends, will come
down to the pearly gates to greet us.
They will crowd about us in such num-
bers that we will have hard work to
press toward the white throne. We
shall greet them as children. We will
kiss the same lips and run our fingers
through the same curls; we shall there
have a celestial nursery; we shall also
have fragrant playground in which
our little lambs can frisk and frolic, in
which our little departed children can
gather for us the wild flowers and gar
land our white robes with the red roses
of Sharon and with the lilies of the val
ley, blooming upon the banks Of the
river of Life.
Gods Favorites.
An empty cradle signifies that God
has his favorites, if l might reverently
use that term. Oh, that l had more
time in which to develop this inspiring
and tremendous thought! By his favor
ties mean this: God has selected our
redeemed children out of all the hui
man race as the ones he wishes to save
from suffering, as the ones who by his
tender love are to win all the joys Of
heaven without any of the tears of
Gethsemane.
Perhaps can illustrate this idea in a
very simple way. Surprising you were
a man of great wealth. AS you go up
and down the world your heart aches
for the little bootblacks and newsboys
whom you meet in the street and who
seemingly have no show in life. You
were once waif of the street, and you
know what their temptations and strug-
giles are. You endow great institution,
where these boys can have educational
advantages and the comforts Of a
home. You cannot send all the boys
there, because you have not money
enough but you can send some. So you
go up and down the large cities, select
ing here and there the brightest boys
you can find. They are your favored
bootblacks. You select the brightest,
the most promising and the most man.
| ly. Well, in the same way l think God
| has his favorites and they are children
| who are dead and translated. When
| Christ thinks of all the temptations he
had to meet on earth and all the sor-
rows he endured, he resolves to relieve
many of the burdens, and he takes
away chiefly those of whom he said
"Of such are the kingdom of heaven
So Christ comes into the world, and he
selects the best and brightest of our
| children Have you not noticed that
! the handsomest and the best boys anC
| girls are, as rule, the first to be calico
away? Well, Christ comes in and takes
our best and purest and lifts them vi
into his arms and says, "Ah, this lamt
has too frail and beautiful a soul to bt
subjected to the buffetings of thi:
world" Thus Christ took for awhile
some of our little ones out of our sight
All, my dear friends, are you not glat
that your dead babies are among God''
favorites? Are you not glad that the.
do not have to suffer as you have Il
suffer and weep as you weep, stumble
over the open graves as you stumble
sin as perhaps you have sinned? Ar
you not thankful that your little chill
dren in heaven are to be numbered
among Gods specially honored ones!
Thus my text today has most prac
teal and inspiringly helpful messag
for all men and women who have sa
cred little graves in their family plots
want you all to set your faces towar
the heavenly land, where your believe
children are waiting for you. | wan
you truly to feel that Jesus, the Goo
Shepherd, has lifted the little lamb
into his arms and is carrying them il
his bosom. Remember, the partin
will not be long. Believe me, If 20
have faith in Jesus Christ the reunio
will surely come And SO I will clos
this sermon with the sweet consolatio
little Philadelphia girl once gay
to her aged grandmother, Mrs. Willia1
Harper, the widow of the noted paste
Of the Broad Street Presbyteria
church. One day, sitting at the feet G
. her grandmother, this little girl locke
up and said: "Grandmamma, do yo
, miss granddaddy? Well, never mine
I know he misses you. We will not t
separated long, grandma. Perhaps 70
will go next; perhaps 1. But 1t will NJ
be long And then, grandmamm
!. won't daddy be glad to see us both
No, bereaved parents, your separate
: from your little ones will not be lon
If you only place your faith in Chri
8 and live for him. 1t will not be lon
Perhaps you will be the next to g
= ( perhaps I. But when we are all t
gether in heaven will not your lit
: ones be happy to greet us? But tt
. parting will not be long. Sad heart
l. it will not be long.
l. Copyright 1902 by Louis Klopsch.]