The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-02-12

prairies and the wrecked and sunlsen hulks of the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans lying at the foot of ,toral reefs will give up their dead. But until that day death must rein and only through death can we enter into life and into that land where there is no more death
 Has death no purpose in the divine economy? Have all the aSonieg and sor- rows and bereavements no wise design Ask that father who. when he parted with his beloved child learned to love and trust God and lived a hal.owed life eve- after in the hope of once more clasping her in his arms, Ask Lat hus- band whose wife passed from his ken and whose days of loneliness drove him for comfort Co him whose love brightens every sorrow. It is at q fearful cost that some men learn the lesson of faith, but once learned they bless even the loss that taught them.
 Our earthly loss may mean our heaven , 1 yRlin The agonies of death may .et be swallowed up in victories that shall never die. There s a beautiful legend told that in the far east a king was to make long porney. ITe therefore sent , ahead of him his representative to build , for nim palace in winch ne might live while he soiourne.. there He provided this forerunner liberal with money and supplies When the representative of the king arrived in this far off land he found there raging q great famine and plague. Thousands upon thousands of the people there were dying from hungre and the diseases resultant from starvation. So this representative of the king changed his gold into bread. Then he bartered away the king raiment anu his horses and chariots and with the money he bought still more breaf until all the peo- pie were fed and the famine was stopped A tl,. l. rf...r rl,t h been done he was very wroth. But when he found out how many lives hau been saved with his mone he honored his forerunner by making him prime Ihinis- ter.
 An Old Legend.
 A short time after this tho king died Whe nhe came to the gate of heaven, at first he was refused admittance, for he seemed to have no heavenly passport Then the great King of kings came forth and said: Let him in. Let him in. He has one of the finest mansions in heaven reserved for him" Then the King of kings took the trembling, frightened im- mortal along one of the chief boulevards of heaven and pointed to a mansion near the great white throne and said: There is your palace. You have built it." When and where did I build wonder pal ace?" asked the earthly king. Then the King of kings answered. When your forerunner with your consent wiped away the tears of those starving people in that far off land l caught those tears and changed them into jewels. Here they are glttering in your crown, which you will find in wonder palace. When he erected tombsto ones ever the pauper graves of the dead I took those stones and lifted them into the stones of yon- der walls. When he stilled the cries of the hungry begging for bread l trans formed those sobs into songs of your everlasting triumph. Here Is your pal ace. here your jeweed crown"
 In this strange legend l find a message of consolation. our gifts, our sorrows, our sacrifices. all the pain and sadness and wearness we bear, are not lost. They are entrusted to Christ who uses them in his ministry of love. The Divine Father ac- cepts the offering and transforms 1t into treasury of gems. an eternal palace in which we shall live forever with our Lord There we shall find our loved ones whom We lost; there our heartaches and tears take the form of brilliant crowns whose glory shall never fade, and the terrible black winged monster of death we recognize the white winged angel of eternal life.
 But though 1 have been talking about the things 1t would be easy for God 10 do I eanGt close without uttering one word in reference to one of Gods impossi bles.' It is easy for us to be saved if We will be saved in Gods way. He has given his only begotten Son to die for ns He has given his spirit to sanetIfy us. He has made il easy for us to be saved But he will not save us against our own will. That is impossible even to God We must yield to him. reuounce our sin and accept his offer of salvation. 0 man. will you resist? will yon continue in open rebellion? Will you not rather say: "I give myself to thee. Make me thine own child through Jesus Christ our Lord"
 Copyright by Louis Klopsch)