The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-09-05
OUR RELIGIOUS COLUMN.
The Gun of Sorrow.

Inc Cup OF Sorrow
On classic cups and vases we have sometimes
seen devices carved by the cunning hand OF the
sculptor. SO around the cup of trial, which God
commends to the lips of suffering Christians,
are wreathed mauy comforting assurances.
Here is one of them: - "All things work
9od.n Here is another like to it:-"As thy
day is, so shall thy strength be" Afflicted
friend Turn thy cup OF sorrow around. and
words:-"As one whom his mother comforteth,
so will l comfort your Turn 1T again and
read:-"My grace is sufficient for theen The
whole cup is encircled with the. declarations of
divine love. But it requires faith to read them.
They are invisible to seldshness and blind un-
belief And God sometimes washes the eyes of
bis children with tearss, in order that they may
read Alright His providence and His command
ments. Lowest thou Me more than these ?n
Christ says to us parents, plainly as he said 1t
TO Peter beside Gennesareth.
The test is applied. Sudden sickness withers
our darling child away in a few brief hours.
And when we. gaze in agony into the empty
crib, and finding no child there, we turn to
the blessed Jesus aud cry out through our sobs,
"Yea, Master, Thou knowes that we love Thee1
II is bitter, bitter cup that we are drinking;
but around IL is carved this inscription which
faith makes legible:-"Whom love chasten;
love worketh no evl.n
When the Man of Sorrows was passing through
the awful sgonies of Gethsemane, he exclaimed,
'"The cup which my Father hath given me, shall
| not drink itW So 1t is an inexpressible COM
prepares the tesr-draught which many OF us are
called to drink. Can we not trust Him
He never administers poison to his own, but
only the most needed medicines. Nor does our
Divine Physician ever take down the wrong
bottle. He administers not single drop too
much. Pray don't say, ''0h ii God had only
taken my property, and left me my child or my
wife, IL would have been better" God makes
no mistakes. He understands your spiritual
ailments, and prepares just exactly the draught
you need. He knoweth what things ye have
nf 10 tha vim pf trro to;k
derstand that when God brings out of the labo-
ratory OF his all wise love any cup OF trial he
knows what he is doing, and just what your
souls health requireth.
Shall we make wry face and push away the
bitter draught? just as sooa might our child,
who Is climsoned over with lever, push aside
the the glass OF medicine, ana cry out spitefully,
thing that l hke!' Your wiser tenderness
replies:-"My boy this medicine has to be bad
IN ias,e TO do you good. love you, If you don't
il all" Suppose, that the cup is one Of intense
bitterness. All tonic medicines are Bit
ter. But they quicken the appetite
ana = brace race "a, up the system. Many bitter
the believer. some of the best prayers ever
hear uttered are from lips that have been
molstened by the cup of eXcruciating sorrow.
Six weeks of sore ah1iction have fitted minis.
ter OF Christ to piesch more richly than a
whole year in a theological seminary could
have done. Paul describes a very costly part
OF his education FOR his great work in the closing
portion of the eleventh chapter OF his second
opistle to the Corinthians. Turn to the chapter,
and 1ead it. Learn from it how to suffer and be
strong.
There was fine Christian philosophy in the
cheering remark OF bright young Christian on
his dying bed d:-"When have most pain in nv
body" said he, II have the most peace in my
soul. / do not doubt but that there's love in
the bottom of the cup, though it is terribly
bitter in the mouth" 1t was at the bottom Of
the cup that the precious blessing was depo.
sited; and he must needs drink the whole bitter
dIaueht to reach it.
Many of the richest Christian graces lie at
the bottom of the cup OF trial. How Patience
sparkles down there amid the tears! How lus-
tIous shines the jewel of Faith Joy, too, is
there--such joy as the apostle tasted in his
'trlbulaton." Courage always shows, too, the
most grsndlY when the fight is the ieIcest;
and when Death on his pale horse is careering
down on us over field strown with defeat and
disaster There is patience of hope, peace
passing all understanding, sweet sense of the
immediate presence OF Jesus that never can be
reached by us in a state OF ease and prosperity.
They lie only at the bottom OF trials bitter cup.
And God esteems them Of such precious value
that he mingles for US that very draught in
order TO bring them out ia their beauty and
power. This cup which our Fathers love COM
pounds for US, shall we not drink it?
have found great comfort lately, when In
sore trouble, in reading short sketch OF the
racy talk OF old 'Uncle Johnson"--a poverty
stricken negro, who reached over one hundred
years, and was then bereaved of his wife.
"Uncle, don't you feel lonely since Ellen left
you? his minister inquired.
eyes! Massa, feels berry lonesome. But
den de blessed Jesus comes round ebery day,
and gives me few drops OF heaven, just as
nus would wild spoon; den, oh howl wants
to get hold Oh dc whole dish When I was so
SICK de oder day, could see de dust of Gods
chariot comm ober de mountains for me! Den
he say to me, Wait, old Johnson wait-hold on
leetle longer, and III come round Directly
Yes, Lord, will hold on, If de Lord please,
for apoder hundred years Oh blessed Jesus,
only keep de table standin' for me; Pse bound
to be dere,w
Brother in sorrow only look at that solitary
old SAINT holding in his trembling hands a cup
that has ''a few drops" of heaven in it; and
never let you or complain OF any draught
which Infinite love may press to our lips.
.Fatherl not as we will, but as Thou wilt!''-
Iob Vboodopo (.uaue,.