Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-10-12

A ~stupenAOus Dceae.
A scene stupsndous, canopisd by
arch Of heaven and lt By hight Of sun!
No one spoke. It seemed ID though The
angel who had once stood at the gate
of paradise had again u~nsheathed the
sword Of hre and cut a deep cash Into
old Mother Earth deep enough to take
out her very heart Then 40 we stood
there my father with bis deep voice
said, what a magnificent place in
which the nations Of the world could
be gathered and assembled before the
Judgment seat Of Christi" "Yea, yea,"
we oil answered. And what a mag.
nincent place." I said. "for men and
women to come and learn about the
mercies Of the gospel Of Jesus Christ!
II a sinner would not feel the presence
Of q loving God here he would not feel
II anywhere" AVE." said father.
that il true" As we listened to the
voice Of God calling out Of the silence Of
Yellowstone park, 30 you may hear the
divine voice whenever you 90 forth to
the country hills. You may hear his
voice BY the moaning sea, In the voices
Of the woods and In the calm, quiet,
o~verpowering simplicity Of the blue
sky.
One Of the "silent places in which
we con hear the voice of God speaking
to us 10 In the hushed home after the
undertaken has come and robbed 10 Of
the father OF mother or wife Of hus-
band or prattling child. How still 1t ID!
The friends who attended the funeral
are all gone. Still. still-everything il
still. There was a time when we used
to talk about our nerves. We would
say, 1.-THE doctrs tell me I must be
quiet" But God knows It Ia quiet
enough now. Why. the old home 10 30
still that there IL not the echo Of v
one pair Of rompins feet II 10 30 still
that you can hear your heart thump
and pound In anguish under your 1esh.
o God, how still It Is! Still, still, ap-
pailingiy still.
But, my friends. though the bereft
home IL 30 still, II you listen carefully
in its silence I think you can hear the
voice Of God speaking. No, you do not
believe met Well, then, let me tell you
q beautiful story. Some years ago q
| lawyer friend Of mine of the name Of
Jackson was talking about a gentle
man whom I knew by reputation. Mr..
Jackson for some months had been
wondering why this gentleman's nature
had changed. From being a worldly
man he was suddenly transformed and
became a Christian and an active
church member. One day in CONVERSE
ton Mr.. jackson asked him the rea-
son. Then he told him this incident.
About q year ago." said he, II was
visiting in Asheville. While l was
there a lady friend Of mine one Sun
day afternoon was trying to teach
some ragged boys the Sunday school
lesson. She was trying to tell what
Christ's cross meant. You know I was
not a Christian q year ago. but I tried
to help her out. saw IN little fel-
low there, very poor. He was q bright
boy. I drew for him the cross. l
showed him how they put Christ on the
cross. I dug a holo and lifted up the
cross and pushed 1t in. After that I
became so interested In the boy I went
and visited him and sent him some
clothes, for all that he had was a meal
bag for a coat.
Ready 10 Meet Him.
"A few months ago business called
me to Ashev1lle. While there l went to
hunt up my little friend. The mother
met me at the door and told me he
was dead. Then she told me that all
through his last sickness he kept say
ing: Mother. II I die, I want you t.
write to that rich gentleman in the
north and tell him I Am dead. And tell
him. mother. that when I 90 to heaven
the nrst person I shall tell Jesus about
will be the good man from the north
who sent me clothes and told me about
how Christ died for me. And l shall
tell Jesus that I think this good gen.
tleman will be coming along SOON
Then this friend turned to my lawyer
friend and with q strange look in his
eye said: And I believe he will do 1t.
l must be ready to DO what the little
fellow told Christ I was going to do. I
must be ready to 60 and meet him
soOu.'" Widow. childless mother, bro
ken hearted man, annot you make
your own a%pplication1 In the silence
Of the empty home God is calling. He
ID calling in the voice Of your redeemed
loved mes. Cannot you hear himi You
must be ready to 60 and meet them
soon.
But. strange to say, l find the silent
places" where we should hear Gods
voice in the busy noise and hustle and
hum Of a great city. I find them amid
the changing Of the electric cars. l find
them In the rumble Of the big factories.
ind them amid the hilarities Of social
gatherings a. well as in the silence of
the death chamber. These awful Isl.
lent places" should speak to us today
In Gods name; they should rouse US to
the unfulnlled opportunities Of Chris
tian work as never before. Lot me illus.
trate my thought by a simple expert.
ence Of my life which shows how Q
man car be In the world and yet not
Of It. Many years ago. when a college
student, l had al opportunity to de-
liver a few lectures during my Thanks.
giving vacation in old New England.
Mother did not want me to 60. but /
wished to make q beginning In the
practice Of public speaking as soon as
possible. left my Brooklyn home