Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1874-05-22
THE SMALL WORRIES.

The Christian world has long been guess
ing what Pauls thorn in the flesh was.
Many of the theological doctors have felt
Paul's pulse to see what was the matter
with him. We suppose the reason he did not
tell US what it was may have been because
he did not want us to know. He knew that
If he stated what it was there would have
been n great many people from Corinth
botheriug him with prescriptions as to how
he might cure it.
Some soy it was diseased eyes; some that
il was "A bumped back. 1t may have beer
neuralgia. Perhaps it was govt, although
his active habits and sparse diet throw
doubt on the supposition. Suffice it to say,
it was thorn,-that it stuck him. 1t was
sharp.
1t was probably of not much account in
the eyes of the world 1t was not trouble
that could be compared to lion or bois-
ferrous sea. 1t was like thorn that you
have in your hand or foot, and no one knows
it. Thus we see that it becomes type Of
those little nettlesome worries of lite that
exasperate the spirit.
Every one has thorn sticking him. The
housokecper finds it in uniaithful domestics !;
or an inmate who keeps things disordersd !;
or a house too small for convenience or too
large to he kept clearly. The professional
man finds it in perpetual Interruptions or
calls for "morc copy" The Sabbath school
teacher finds it in inattentiye scholars or
neighboring teachers that talk loudly aud
make great noise in giving little instruc-
ton One man has II rheumatic joint,
which, when the wind is northeast, lifts the
storm signal Another, business partner,
who takes full half the profits but does not
help earn them These trials are the more
nettlesome because, like Pau's thorn, they
are not to be mentioned. Men get sympa-
thy for broken bones and mashed feet, but
not for the end of sharp thorns that have
been broken off in the 6ugers
Let us start out with the idea that we
must have annoyances. 1t seems 10 take a
certain number of them to keep us humble,
wakeful and prayerful To Paul the thorn
was disciplinary as the shipwreck. Ii it is
not one thing it is another. Ii the stove
does not smoke the boiler must leak. Ii
the pen is good the ink must be poor. Ii
the thorn does not pierce the knee it
must take you in the back Life must have
sharp things in it, We cannot make up
our robe of Christian character without pins
aud needles.
We want what Paul got-grace to
bear these things. Without it we become
cross, censQrus, and irrascble. We get il
the habit of sticking our thorns into Other
peoples fingers. But God helping us, WI
place these annoyances in the category o.
the "all things which work together fol
good" We see how much shorter thorn
are than the spikes that struck through thu
palms of Christ's hands aud Remembering
that He had on His head u whole crown o
thorns, we take to ourselves the consolation
that if we suffer with him on earth we shall
be glori6ed with Him in heaven.
But how could Paul positively rejoice il
these in6rmities ? The school of Christ hal
three classes of scholars 10 the first elias
we learn how to be stuck with thorns with
out losing our patience; in the second elias
we learn how to make the sting positively
advantageous; IN the third class of thi
school we learn how even to rejoice in beinl
pierced and wounded but that is the senior
class, and when we get to that we are nea
graduation into glory Talmage.