Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1870-05-31
Faith in God.

person who has been church member for |
many years, who has been in prosperous
circumstances, and has become reduced to |
poverty, compelled even to take distress
ing outlook concerning what he shall eat |
and wear. propose to ask the question |
now, how far is it possible for him to be |
content under these circumstances, to keep |
a quiet spirit while infirm in health and !
seeing the ground crumbIing beneath him
and the question is one not important for
him alone, but for hundreds besides, for
there are hundreds in the same condition.
Implicit trust is beftting a christian;
| but how is man to trust when his affairs
are getting worse every day; when his gar
mcnts begin to fail when situations grow
narrow; when there is a constant down
ward tendcncy-how can he keep up his
spirits and be hopeful then?
Now this ground is covered precisely by
our Lords words in the Sermon on the
Mount: Take no thought for your life"
Using The word thought in the old Eng
lish sense of anxious thought, fret, worry
take no thought what We shall eat, or
what ye shall drink, nor yet for your body
what ye shall put on" and after arguing
the matter he says, For after all these
things DO the Gcntilcs seek" this is a
characteristic mark Of persons who have
no such trust as the christian possesses :;
'But seek We first the kingdom of God and
His righteousness, and all these things
shall be added unto you"
Let u, then look to the standard which
we must set up. understand it to be the
intention of our Saviour to teach lis to
trust in God as a child trusts in the care of
his father. Don't you remember how you
felt when You were children? I thought
that my father could thrcsh every man in
Litchfeld, for that was about my idea of
capacity, when was six orseven years old.
/ had almost an idolatry for him, and as
for yictuals and drink / thought nothing
about them. Now your Heavenly Father.
says Christ, knoweth that We have need of
: these things; He regards your life with
such miuuteness of detail that the hairs OF
your head are numbered. This is the view
3 Of the New Testament and you are to feel
:, in regard to temporal things, Just as chill
. dren feel in their fathers house.
:, But can man have this perfect trust!
= This is the ideal but it is great ideal toe
high for most people to reach at once; and
= the difference between human weakness
and this standard is explained by the word
''infrmities.' I suppose it is very hard in
: deed when man sees everything going
wrong, not to be anxious but this ideal is
= to be aimed at, and by and by every mar
can attain to it, can have such.a sense o
>. Gods thought for him that atnight he car
:. roll off every care. | have seen thousand:
. who have lived so. | have seen person.
= who were shaken out Of prosperity, stayed
i up by the thought that God takes care o
- them. Death will open the door very
I'd quickly. We have cares, but God is con
= yeying us by all these things to heaven
- and during the few days Of our stay, VIII,
need we fret and worry? God can tax
care ofus.
But it may be asked, "NNill not this ide.
! make a man lazy-destroy enterprise 0
: character" O no 4 lazy man is not laz,
81 from philosophical principle. Men hay
motives enough for enterprise; there ar
motives enough for strife; but we nee
,. motives for quiet, when strife IS abortivC
- l should say to every person who is slidin
} downward, remit no exertion, but see to
- that the less your sky seems bright, tn
= nearer is God and His kingdom. If tn
Lord wants you to poor, are you willing
= If you say it is hard, l admit it but if 70
-, say that it IS impossible, I deny it, and
is just here that you can bear tcstimon
-. to the power Of divine grace, that will hay
~ more effect than a hundred sermons.
l have seen so much of perfect Tranquil
=. i;y and rest in the Lord that I feel as Gel
~ tain Of it as Of my own existence. My dea
=. Aunt Esther, who brought me up-a Pro
~ c,tant saint she was-had, like my fathe
! a certain constitutional independence; sh
couldn't bear to be waited on In her la.
~ sickness She was great sufferer, and
seemed strange to her that she should /
~ brought to the state Of helplessnels whic
she had dreaded all her life. 1t was sug
!; gested to her that perhaps God was contil
-, uing her in life till she was willing to /
-, helpless \ smile came upon her face
"Why," she said, that may be it." and
an hour She was changed she became Ill
h a little child; her whole disposition b
no came renovated in that one thought.
have seen persons who wouldn't gi,
~ up. This is very well as a constitution
:. trait, but when God lays our head on
~ pillow, it is folly to stifen the muscles
~ When l was a little boy, said to my mot
ys er, MA, Pm never going to get married
- "Why not, Henry?" blusheda all over
\, | feel it now-and said, Because shou
~ never have courage to ask a lady to mar
>, me-" But did when l grew up! No
=. as a child can't understand how things W
adapt themselves to him when he gro,
. up, so it IS with us. How should feel
-, | were to be sick? I don't know; but
=. don't believe that He who has never fc
saken me will forsake me then. He w
- can say, "The Lord will provide" has
- shield against fear and the devil.-Hen
.. Ward BcecAer IN q lecture Room Talk.
:" Faith