Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1905-02-15

for man. AS ne finished there came q
voice out of the Heavens saying:
God is pleased with thee. Enoch
for thou hast borne faithful testimony
for Him."
And all the people wondered and
trembled. and from that hour Enoch
was recognized as leader and adviser.
But the 81 years which had transpired
since then had brought sad changes,
and the impressions OF that hour had
long since vanished before the crowd
ing interests and pleasures OF this life.
The memory of all these incidents
! crowded upon the mind of Methuselah
as he journeyed. and when at dusk he
drew near to his Father Enoch's door
his heart was filled with a multitude of
emotions.
"Ah. hat Gods voice might speak
again. he cried. and make His peo-
pie RENE mber Him"
Vas IL the cry which through the
gathering gloom reached Enoch's ear.
or was il the voice of his own heart?
All day his soul had been singularly
stirred with the thoughts of God and
the needs of His people And now
. 'hNAV SttuSu COIut q VOICE.
lnstinctively he turned towards the
door. and father and son met on the
| threshold.
What brings thee, my son, at this
late hour" asked Enoch. as he well
coined him with hearty embrace.
"A sad errand. father" responded
Methuselah, after a painful silence.
"Adina, drawn by the enticements of
Nod. has fled thither, and not only is
my heart heavy over her going. but
also because on every hand there is a
forgetting of God and Indifference to
His claims. Lamech has gone in eff
fort to over;ake her and persuade her
to return, and l have fastened to you
that you might counsel as to the right
course to pursue in again turning the
/ people to God"
Late into the night the men sat and
| talked earnestly. Enoch went over
| step by step the leadings and deal
| ings OF God with His children from
Adam to the presen time, and as they
| separated for the night, he said with
rare sweetness and abiding condolences:
God liveth in the Heavens, and will
not leave His people without certain
testimony of His nearness and His
power"
Long did Methuselah lie bordering
these words and then fell into a fitful
| slumber in which he seemed to see
| whole troops of angels passing to and
fro while glorious light shed by their
iridescent robes filled all the place.
Then strains of sweet music, The like
of which he had never heard before
| Heated down, and as ii ceased voices
were heard in gentle converse The
rhythm of the sound seemed to lull him
into deeper repose, and the voices and
the light gradually faded and were
! gone, when suddenly the Heavens
seemed 10 open and great shaft Of
| light shot down 10 earth, while a voice
| said:
Come. thou shalt walk with Me
| in Heaven
The scene was all so real and vivid,
the voice so clear, the words so plain.
| that Methuselah sat bolt upright with
a start and could not satisfy his own
mind whether he had been asleep and
| dreaming or whether awake and haJ
seen a vision.
The eastern light was just breaking
| over the earth. AS though impelled by
some unseen hand Methuselah moved
to the place where his father had
! spread his mat.
1t was empty!
| The garments of skin were folded
and placed at one side with the leath-
ern girdle resting on top, while at the
head of the couch stood the familiar
staff
| But Enoch was gonei
| Whittier? Methuselab needed naught
more than the vision of the night 10
/ satisfy the query. Reverently he knelt
| Long and silently he thus remained, and
| as he rose he fervently exclaimed:
Surely. God hath spoken"
! The household was soon astir. and
! to- Methuselah's strange story gave al
most incredulous heed. Messengers
were quickly dispatched in every direc-
! ton bearing the startling tidings.
The aged Seth listened to the story
with kndling eye and then exclaimed:
God is near! Heaven is but step,
/ Now will the people awake to the reali-
ty of God and realize that this life does
not end all"
But. as in the later days when Elijah
rode into Heaven in Gods flaming
chariot. the unbelieving prophets sought
for him and found him not, so when
Enoch was translated the people would
not receive Methuselah's testimony un-
! III they had searched the country over
Tor udings or trace OF the missing man
And they found him not. for God had
taken him Even into the land Of Nod
they extended the search. some saying
mat ne had gone thither in quest of his
missing granddaughter. Adina. not
knowing that Lamech had won the foir
/ girl from her evil purpose and had
brought her back home 49,