THE FAMILY ALTAR

October 5.

"Weep not!" Luke 7, 13.

No mere expression of sincere yet ineffectual sympathy are

these comforting words which our compassionate Savior addresses

to the weeping widow of Nain. Neither would He in them forbid

the stricken mother her bitter tears. He can well endure our

sorrow for our departed loved ones, since He Himself could not

refrain from tears at the grave of His friend Lazarus. These words

of His: "Weep not' express more than commonplace sympathy;

they contain the promise of His immediate and glorious help. He

means to say : "Weep no more, but dry your tears. I will remove

the cause of your grief." And He does so by restoring her dead

boy to life, and thereby proves again beyond all doubt that He is

the almighty Son of God, the Lord of life and death. In His

divine and quickening word that raised the dead young man at

Xain, our compassionate Savior still imparts His victory over death

and the grave to all who will accept His help. Happy they who

do it ! But : Alas, for him who never sees The stars shine through

his cypress-trees ! Who hopeless lays his dead away, Who hath not

learned in hours of faith The truth to flesh and sense unknown :

That Life is ever lord of death And Love can never lose its own.

Let us learn in hours of faith that Christ, our compassionate Savior,

has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light

through the Gospel. Let us take that comforting and life-giving

Gospel with us when we lay our dead away. Let us make it daily

the anchor of our hope in death; then, when our last hour comes,

we can say to our weeping loved ones : "Weep not for me. To

live for me was Jesus, to die is gain. Meet me before His blessed

throne, where we shall never part again."

Happy are the faithful dead,

Blessed who in Jesus die;

They from all their toils are freed,

In God's keeping safely lie.

These the Spirit hath declared

Blest, unutterably blest,

Jesus is their great reward,

Jesus is their endless rest.

Absent from our loving Lord

We shall not continue long;

Join we then with one accord

In the new, the joyful song;

Blessing, honor, thanks, and praise,

Triune God, we pay to Thee,

Who in Thine abundant grace

Givest us the victory