The Crown of Thorns | Page 3

or modify the etext or this "small print!"
statement. You may however, if you wish, distribute this etext in
machine readable binary, compressed, mark-up, or proprietary form,
including any form resulting from conversion by word pro- cessing or
hypertext software, but only so long as *EITHER*:
[*] The etext, when displayed, is clearly readable, and does *not*

contain characters other than those intended by the author of the work,
although tilde (~), asterisk (*) and underline (_) characters may be used
to convey punctuation intended by the author, and additional characters
may be used to indicate hypertext links; OR
[*] The etext may be readily converted by the reader at no expense into
plain ASCII, EBCDIC or equivalent form by the program that displays
the etext (as is the case, for instance, with most word processors); OR
[*] You provide, or agree to also provide on request at no additional
cost, fee or expense, a copy of the etext in its original plain ASCII form
(or in EBCDIC or other equivalent proprietary form).
[2] Honor the etext refund and replacement provisions of this "Small
Print!" statement.
[3] Pay a trademark license fee to the Project of 20% of the net profits
you derive calculated using the method you already use to calculate
your applicable taxes. If you don't derive profits, no royalty is due.
Royalties are payable to "Project Gutenberg
Association/Carnegie-Mellon University" within the 60 days following
each date you prepare (or were legally required to prepare) your annual
(or equivalent periodic) tax return.
WHAT IF YOU *WANT* TO SEND MONEY EVEN IF YOU
DON'T HAVE TO?
The Project gratefully accepts contributions in money, time, scanning
machines, OCR software, public domain etexts, royalty free copyright
licenses, and every other sort of contribution you can think of. Money
should be paid to "Project Gutenberg Association / Carnegie-Mellon
University".
*END*THE SMALL PRINT! FOR PUBLIC DOMAIN
ETEXTS*Ver.04.29.93*END*

The Crown of Thorns

A token for the sorrowing
by E. H. Chapin

PREFACE.
One of the discourses in this volume-"The Mission of Little
Children"--was written just after the death of a dear son, and was
published in pamphlet form. The edition having become exhausted
sooner than the demand, it was deemed advisable to reprint it; and
accordingly it is now presented to the reader, accompanied by others of
a similar cast, most of them growing out of the same experience. This
fact will account for any repetition of sentiment which may appear in
these discourses, especially as they were written without any reference
to one another.
To the sorrowing, then, this little volume is tendered, with the author's
sympathy and affection. Upon its pages he has poured out some of the
sentiments of his own heartfelt experience, knowing that they will find
a response in theirs, and hoping that the book may do a work of
consolation and of healing. If it impresses upon any the general
sentiment which it contains, --the sentiment of religious resignation and
triumph in affliction; if it shall cause any tearful vision to take the
Christian view of sorrow; if it shall teach any troubled soul to endure
and hope; if it shall lead any weary spirit to the Fountain of consolation;
in one word, if it shall help any, by Christ's strength, to weave the
thorns that wound them into a crown, I shall be richly rewarded, and, I
trust, grateful to that God to whose service I dedicate this book,
invoking his blessing upon it.
E. H. C.
May, 1860

CONTENTS.
THE THREE TABERNACLES 11 THE SHADOW OF
DISAPPOINTMENT 41 LIFE A TALE 67 THE CHRISTIAN VIEW
OF SORROW 99 CHRISTIAN CONSOLATION IN LONELINESS
121 RESIGNATION 143 THE MISSION OF LITTLE CHILDREN
167 OUR RELATIONS TO THE DEPARTED 191 THE VOICES OF
THE DEAD 223 MYSTERY AND FAITH 243

THE THREE TABERNACLES
And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be
here: and let us make three tabernacles , one for thee, and one for
Moses, and one for Elias. MARK ix. 5.
Caught up in glory and in rapture, the Apostle seems to have forgotten
the world from which he had ascended, and to which he still belonged,
and to have craved permanent shelter and extatic communion within
the mystic splendors that brightened the Mount of Transfiguration. But
it was true, not only as to the confusion of his faculties, but the purport
of his desire, that "he knew not what he said." For even "while he yet
spake," the cloud overshadowed them, the heavenly forms vanished,
they found themselves with Jesus alone, and an awful Voice summoned
them from contemplation to duty, --from vision to work.
Peter knew not what he said. He would have converted the means into
an end. He and his fellow-disciples had been called to follow