The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1857-02-12
GODS PITY.


Ward Beecher, from the N. Y. Independent:
Gods pity abides even as he abides, and par
takes of the divine grandeur and omnipotence.
There is whole eternity in II, for substance
and duration. As God himself cannot be
measured with lines of latitude and longitude,
but is boundless, so is His every attribute
His pity is infinite, moving with equal step to
all the other attributes Of God, and holding its
course and path as far forth as omniscience
doth; it PAGES with omnipresence along the
circuits Of infnity! For as heaven is high
above the earth. so great is His mercy toward
the west, SO far hath he removed our trans
gressions from us.
GODS pity is not as some sweet cordial,
poured In dainty drops from some golden phial.
1t is not like the musical water-drops Of some
slender rill, murmuring down the dark sides Of
Mount Sinai. IT is wide as the whole scope Of
heaven. 1t IS abundant as all the air. II one
had art to gather up all the golden sunlight
that to-day falls wide over all this continent
falling wide through every silent hour, and all
that is dispersed ever the whole ocean, flashing
from every wave, and all that is poured reful .
gent over the northern waste of ice, and along
the whole continent of Europe, and the vast
outlaying in Asia and torrid Africa; il one
could ia anywise gather up this immense and
incalculable outflow and treasure Of sunlight
that falls down through the bright hours, and
runs in liquid ether about the mountains, and
fills all the plains, and sends innuDerable rays
through every secret place. pouring over and
filling every flower, shining down every blade
of grass, resting in glorious humility upon the
humblest things, on stick, and stone and peb-
BILE; on the spiders web, the sparrow's nest,
the Threshold of the young foxes hole, where
they play and warm themselves-that rests on
the prisoners window, that strike radiant beams
through the slaves tear, that puts gold upon
the widows weeds; that plates and roofs the
city with FURNISHED gold, and goes OF in its
wild abundance up and down the earth, shin
ing everywhere, and always, since the day Of
primal creation, without faltering, without
stint, without waste or dimination; as full, as
fresh, as overfowing to-day, as If it were the
very first day of its outplayl-if one might
gather up this boundless, endless, infinite treas
ure, to measure it, then might he tell the
height and depth, and unending glory Of the
| pity Of God In light-in the sun, its source
-you have Gods own figure Of the immensity
and copiousness of His mercy and compass
sion. (Ps. lxxxiv; l1-12; Is. iv. 5-13.)
This divine pity applies to us on account of
our weakness. God looks upon our little
ness. as compared with His angels that excel
in strength, much, it may be supposed, as we
look upon little children as compared with
grown-up men.
Divine pity is exercised in view of our suf-
ferings, both of body and of mind. We some-
times fear to bring our troubles to God, be-
| cause they must seem SO small to Him that
| stitch on the circle Of the earth. But if they
are large enough TO vex and endanger our well
fare, they are large enough to touch His heart
Of love. For love does not measure by a
merchants scales, nor with surveyors chain.
II hath delicacy which is unknown in any
handling Of material substance.
1t sometimes seems as If God cared for
nothing. The wicked are at ease. The good
ere yexed incessantly. The world is full of
misrule and confusion. The darling OF the
flock is always made the sacrifice. Some
chile, in the very midst Of its glee, becomes
suddenly silent as music box, its spring CIV
ing way, stops in the midst Of its strain, and
never plays out the melody. The mother stag
gers, and wanders through day and night, as
il these were mingled into one, and that shot
through with pr<ternatural influence OF wee.
But think not that Gods silence is coldness or
indifference. When Christ stood by the dead,
the silence OF tears interpreted his sympathy
more wonderfully than even that voice which
afterwards called back the footsteps Of the
brother from the grave, and planted them in
life againl Gods stillness is full Of broodine.
Not one tear shall be shed by you that does
not hang heavier at his heart than any world
upon his hand!
Be not impatient Of Gcd. Your sorrow is a
seed sown. Shall seed come up in a day, or
come up all in blossom when it does come p
Let God plant your sorrows, and water and
till them according to His own husbandry.-
By-and by, when you gather their fruit, it
will be time to judge His mercy. Now, no
affection s'tor the present seeneth to be joy
Gus but grievous: nevertheless, afterward it
yieldeth the peaceable fruit Of righteousness
into them which are exercised thereby ''--
Trouble is like any other crop. II needs time
for growing, blossoming and fruiting.
-----------------------
Do GooD.--Thousands of men breathe,
move, and live--pass of the stage Of life, and
are heard Of no more. Why? they do not do a
particle Of good in the world, and none were
blessed by them, none could point to them as
the instrument Of tneir redemption; not word
they spoke could be recalled, and they perish
ed; their light went out in darkness, and they
were not remembered more than the insect Of
yesterday. Win you thus live and die, oh man
immortala Live for something Do good.
and leave behind you monument Of virtue
that the storm Of time can never destroy
Write your name in kindness love and mercy,
on the hearts OF Thousands who come in con-
tact with you year by year; you viii never be
forgotten. No; your name, your deeds, will
be as leeible on the hearts you leave behind a.
the stars on the brow Of evening. Good deeds
will shine as the stars Of heaven.
IS ; F ! + 3 ~ ht