Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1902-10-20

of the hope and the joy and the tram
scendent triumph which await their
heavenly translation.
But l may be talking about love
which some of you have never known,
and there may be some young men
here who never knew what it was to
possess a mothers love. l remember,
a short time after my own mothers
funeral, | stood for a long while with
tear stained cheeks studying a picture
called 1.-THE Mothers Vacant Chair"
The scene was workingman's home.
The great, broad cheSted mechanic sat
at the head OF the supper table, de-
jectedly holding a little baby in his
arms, who was laughingly reaching
out for his bowl of milk Four or five
other little children were gathered
about, laughing and playing, and also
reaching for the food upon the table
Not one of those little ones realized in
any way the awful loss to them of the
form that had once filed that mothers
chair save, perhaps, the eldest girl,
about thirteen years of age. AS ]
stood before that picture, with sob
choking my throat, l said: 'God help
me to bear my trouble. But my be-
reavement of a dear, noble, Christian
mother is as nothing compared to the
loss to those children, who, when they
grow up, will never know the joy of
experiencing a mothers love-
Gods Love SymboIized.
Yes, perhaps you are one of those
unfortunates who never knew a moth
er's love- Though her affections were
so intense that your coming was her
meat and drink, her hope by day and
her prayer by night, yet hardly had
passed away. She really gave up her
life for you. Once in awhile, with a
longing to find out something about the
height and depth of a mothers love,
you may go to some gray haired old
lady and say: Tell me something
about my mother. You knew her well
and were her bridesmaid when she
lady will go over all the past. She will
tell you what gentle, loving face your
mother had She will tell you how her
eyes lighted up when you were first
| placed in her arms and she looked at
you and said: MY baby, my baby, my
little baby! God bless my baby!' Then
that gray haired lady will tell you how
| your mothers strength never came
| back again after you were born. They
| took her south, hoping that the SUNNY
| skies would make her strong again, but
only the warm sunshine of that eternal
| city to which she went ever worked
| her cure. AS the old lady talks you
look at your mothers picture again and
again and try to imagine her love for
you. But, young man, you cannot do
that any more than a blind bat or a
ground mole can fully appreciate the
colors of a butterfy's wing or the re-
Election OF dewdrop. So in order to
symbolic Gods love to you, sinful
man, who never knew what it was to
have a mothers love, / would tell you
that it is a greater love than the COM
hined loves of a father, a wife, chill
dren, brothers and sisters and friends.
1t is love SO deep that no line can
fathoin it, so high that no birds wing
can overly it, SO wide that no mathe-
matician can circumscribe it. And all
this love of our earthly mother is only
an infinitesimal part of the love which
today God, like a divine mother, is
ready to pour out of his forgiving heart
for you.
JOY of Repentance.
But perhaps | can better illustrate
what your dead mothers love was to
you by telling you of an incident
which happened in the life of a very
dear friend of mine. When | started
out in the ministry, was the assistant
of the Rev. Loyal Young Graham
D. D., of Philadelphia. When DR.. Ora
ham, as a young man, was being or
dained for the Christian ministry, Rev
DR.. Loyal Young, one of the most emf
nent ministers of western Pennsylva
mia in his day, was preaching the or
dination sermon. There he told this
story for the first time. MANY years
ago." said he, ga beautiful young WON
an of the congregation / was at thu
time serving lay dying. When made
my last call upon her, she babe ever.
one else leave the room. Then sh,
lifted her little baby boy up and placed
him in my arms as she said: DR.
Young, am going to die. | want vol
to kneel and offer a conservation pray
er. / want you to consecrate this DO.
to the ministry of the Lord Jesus ant
to the service of my Master. | an
giving up my life for my baby. Now
sir, l want to give my baby to TIL
service of my Christ. This is dyin,
mothers wish. do not want yol
ever to tell of this conservation unit
the day my little baby has grown int
a strong man and is being ordained t
the Christian ministry l am here to
night" said DR.. Young, ito fulfill m
pledge. That baby who was conse
Grated to the Divine Masters service
the young man we are ordaining te