Part 11 (2/2)
”ARISE! LET US GO UP TO BETHEL”
A touching little incident is told of hiard for the old tree on Almondbury Common, where many years before he haddesire was felt by him to visit the consecrated spot once ainst that old tree he had rested his weary head on the dark night of his desolation; there the Lord God had appeared to him, and filled his soul with the joys of his salvation; there theof a new life first broke upon his troubled spirit; there he had made a covenant with the God of Jacob
That old pillar was anointed with the first tears of sanctified joy which ever fell from his eyes; it was the altar on which he offered his broken and renewed heart to God, and he felt as if the Lord had given it to hi mercy
He must see it once more and renew his vows to God; so one day they wrapped hiave him his stick, and sent him forth alone to his first sanctuary Feebly and slowly the old round, and with his hand upon the same old tree, he sa the locality was altered Men had been busy during these years, population had increased in the neighbourhood, houses were built in different places, and es had taken place But there still reure to hirace, that had never been cut off, never dried up in the drought of summer, never stopped by the chill of winter, never lost in the wild growth of the wilderness world; but on and on it flowed, down the incline of the ladden all in its course, away down the hill around of huain into the river of God's eternal love And there too, stood the tree, the e The unwearying fingers of tiainst its bark; soe was scantier than of old; it was ripe, too; man and tree were both ripe and ready to fall
What a sympathy there was between them, what a friendshi+p, what a secret! How many storms had both those old trees encountered since God first threw theroaned under the violent grasp of the tempest, which hundreds of times had swept across that co, a years, for the end Brave old el would have awakened it; but what h in ard in his heart for every square inch of tih toat hih to transfor arms stretched out to protect the old man in his feebleness, and enable hi crack and fissure in thy hard, weather-beaten bark Dear old ely if a man love thee
Who could wonder if Old Abe felt so like this for that tree? we should wonder if he did not There, Old Abe, dear treainst the breast of that elm, and weep if thou wilt, and never mind whether man understand thee or not, God does Weep, oldto fear, God is with thee, and ”the place whereon thou standest is holy ground” It is the natural vent for those feelings which co past, and so on, with all its revelations of wonder and delight
And thus old Abe stood with his head resting against the tree, his eyes closed, his tears running, and his lips silentlyin prayer to God; so he paid his vows oncedays of his pilgrie; then he retraced his steps towards home, and by the tiain, and no one would guess the emotion he had felt at Bethel
”Well, Sally,” he exclaie, ”I've been to th' owd spot! They have hewn all abaat it, but th' owd tree stands yet God 'll keep that tree while I live, and then they may do what they like wi' it”
So Abe went on, quietly severing himself froetting ready for his departure to another and a better His mind was now steadfastly turned towards the future, and he was continually looking for his proot, to the end of his life, the clearer his prospects of heaven becalory Often he would say, when talking with his friends, ”You'll be hearing soone, and yo' needn't ask where Tak'
lory If you should hear I'm dead, you may set it daan that I'm in heaven”
A brother local preacher had lain ill for soht he would like to see hily he went, and the two old veterans spent a happy ti about the joys which were before them ”We're both aat of harness naa, thaa sees,” said Abe, ”and we'll sooin be at haa after the'”
Everyone thought that Abe would live the longer of the two, but he gained his prize first, passing away a little before his brother, and now they both ”rest from their labours, and their works do follow theth rapidly failed him at the last, so that he was unable to leave his room; yet he was always happy in prospect of the i limbs there,”
he would say; ”Glory to God! I shall sooin be young agean” The Bible and hymn-book were his constant companions now, and in peaceful expectation he waited for the signal that would open to him the portals of the skies
The annual lovefeast was held during the time when he was a prisoner in his rooet there once more, but it was not to be They would hear his voice nohe would have to relate his enrapturing story aels and saints before the throne Several of the friends came down from the chapel to see hi yo' once maar, but th' next toime I cross Salem doorstep I shall be carried over; but ne'er moind, I have seen a door opened in heaven, and I shall sooin go through--hallelujah!”
At last he took to his bed never to rise again; the time of his departure was at hand As, however, his body lost strength, his spirit seeain it; the words of the psalh the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me, Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me”
”Listen,” he said one day, ”when I can't spaike to tell yo' haa I feel, I'll lift my hand, and yo'll knaw all's weal” This was for their sakes He wanted to leave a token with his dear wife and children that should antidote their sorrohen he was gone
A friend came one day fro him so near his end, and could not refrain froan to repeat as well as his feeble voice would allow--
”Break off your tears, ye saints, and tell How high your great Deliverer reigns; See how He spoiled the hosts of hell, And led the monster Death in chains”
And then he took the part of co so sad abaat? Thaa mun't be cast daan, thaa mun come up aat o'
th' valley; bless th' Lord!” he ran on, ”I'ht o' th' promised land, hallelujah! I'll sooin be at haam”
In this happy fra as he could speak at all, words of exultation and praise rose to his lips, and when he could no longer articulate, he fell back upon the signal, and lifted his hand, in token that all ell Dear old Abe, he was come to the end of his course, the shades of death were upon hiround that divides the torlds; friends stood in thehim feebly lift his hand as he went over, till he could lift it no nal dropt h
He died in the Lord in Noverant as years go on His dust lies buried in the graveyard in front of Salem Chapel, where, five years later, the remains of his devoted wife, Sally, were laid beside him There let their dust sleep until that day ”when they that are in their graves shall hear His voice, and co over the subject of these pages, ”I should just like to have an odd look into heaven, to see what Little Abe is about” What is he about? He is praising God in the glorious te unto me, What are these arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest And he said to reat tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve Hiht saying, Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Alhty, which was, and is, and is to come”