The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1841-11-16
rvOraIam ii SeligiOus .
GAM A POOR MANI SAM. xviii. 23.


Hence, divine providence assigns you poverty -
OF tho two conditions, wealth and poverty, God
has decided which is best Tor you. You had bet
fer let infinite wisdom direct in this NATTER unless
YOU prefer to say that you are the wisest
Perh aps you are not so great loser IN regard to
teqnporal happiness by being poor as you sometimes
imagine You enjoy your homely fare MS much
ns your rich eighbor does his Injuries. Hunger
gives your food as sweet taste to you, as II can
his 20 him Your sleep is as refreshing Y GU
epioy YOUR social and domestic blessings as much
as he does his. Your apparel may not DO assp'en-
did as his, but it gives you as much real comfort
Trne; wealth opens to him many sources oil plea.
sure closed to you;- but strike the halince justly
considering, that riches bring him many cares and
anxieties from which you are exempt 1t creates
wants he is anxious to have supplied, enhances
passions that do not trouble you and plants many
a thorn in other ways, you do not find in your
path. obs AN ht.s
Certainly your spiritual happiness has not suf~
fered by your poverty. This is plant that does
not thrive we'll among bank notes and the precious
metais-Riches make the eye of faith dim-cover
sthe deIectabe mountains with mist, and hinder
clear and delightful views Of the heavenly Canaan
The rich man that gets spiritual happiness has to
fight an hundred foes for it that you do not encoun
ter. A multitude of the poisoned arrows Of tempt
alton that ranke in, and embter the soul, fly
quite over you who dwell in the vale Of poverty.
The rich man is the shining mark they reach
Besides he has so many other streams 10 drink of,
that he values but little the puer waters OF the riv-
er of life. You come TO them with a burning
thirst thirst not partially entirely assuaged by
the poor enjoy ments of time and sense, bot aug
mented by the want of them, and hence you may
have the more copious and sweeter draughts Of
those living waters.
Your safety too, has not been overlooked III the
arrangement that suffers You to be poor.-Probably
you are Just the Individual on whose neck riches
would have been a mill stone to sink you to per-
dton. You think you would have been safe
even if you had been loaded with wealth. Your
wisdom and skill would have carried you safely
through the whirlpool, shoals and breakers on
which so many OF the rich have been wrecked.
But keener eye than yours has been looking
on penetrating with its far reaching vision, all the
tendencies of your mind. Doubtless that eye sees,
in your case, riches and ruin would be and
effect and hence you owe your poverty to divine
kindness. God would not entrust you with what
would have proved the instrument of your undo
ing.
Your poverty has put you into good company. 1t
once in his life was straitened for bread Prophet
after prophet have been stripped of every earthly
blessing John the Baptist died a dungeon,
destitute OF every comfort.-Your divine Lord
knew not where to lay his head--the apostles OBJ
tanned scantY subsistence by fishing-Paul was
sometimes obliged to wipe the sweat from his brow
he labored at tentmaking for his daily bread.
You cannot be ashamed ofsuch company.
You had better not think lightly of poverty, for
precious things are aorinen in the Scriptures con
corning the poor.
"When the poor and needy seek water and
there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst
the Lord will hear them !, the God of Israel, will
not forsake them. "Heaven is my throne and the
earth is my footstool--but to this man will | look,
even to him that is poor and ola contrite spirit"
"Hath not God chosen the poor of this world, rich
in faith and heirs the kingdom" ..-
Has your Christian character been hurt by your
poverty The possessor OF few worldly goods
has more space in his heart for spiritual riches.
He that is not numbered with wealth can, with
lighter steps and swi(ter speed run the Christian
race He can the more Gle ary discern the heaven
y prize not being dazzled by the splendor of sill
yer and gold. Poverty breaks the letters of faith,
and it iastens firmly its glorious obi cts
Poverty narrows the circle ofthe objects Of love
and renders it easier to make God the centre and
tho supreme. The emptiness ofpoverty is eminent
Iy avo, ably to the funess of divine grace. If you
lack any one of the Christian graces you cannot
lay it to the fact that you poor Much of wha
is now right in your heart may owe its origin to
tho fact, that your mind has been more susceptible
to religious impulses, because it has been cloud
ed and overwhelmed by the temptations and bur
dens of wealth. I'M
cat this rate you will make it out that my pow
erty, which has troubled me so much, is not 81
terrible an evil"
Well, this cannot be very sorrowfnl conclu
sion for poor man. And we do honestly be
lieve that if you permitted to survey your eartI
ly history from amid the glories of Mount Zior
above, among the sweetest notes of your praise t.
God will be the recognition oft the fact, that he die
not suffer the riches Of this world to surround 70,
with their dangers; but sent poverty in infnit
kindness, employing it as eminent instrument
in securing to you durable riches and righteousness
in his everlasting kingdom -Bost. Rec.