The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1874-04-01
An Worries.

guessing what Pauls thorn
m the flesh was. Many of the the
illogical doctors have felt Pauls
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 great many peo-
ple from Corinth botheling him
with prescriptions as to how he
might cnre it.
Some say it was diseased eyes:
some that it was bumped back.
It may have been neuralgia. Fer
haps it was gout, although his ac-
tive habits and sparce diet throw
doubt upon the supposition. Sui
fee it to say, it was a thorn-that
is, it stuck him. 1t was sharp.
1t was probably of not much &C,
count to the eyes of the world. 1t
was not a trouble that could be
compared to lion, or a boisterous
sea. It was like a thorn you have
had in your hand or foot, and no
one knew it. Thus we see that 1t
becomes a type Of these little net
tlesome worries of life that exas-
perate the spirit. 49,.
Every one has a thorn sticking
him. The housekeeper finds 1t IN
unfaithful domestics; OF an inmate
who keeps things disordered; or a
house too small for convenience,
or too large to be kept cleanly.
The professional man finds it In
perpetual Interruptions, or call for
ssmore copy" The Sabbath-school
teacher finds it in inattentive schol-
ars, or neighboripg teachers that
talk loudly and make a great noise
in giving a little instruction. One
man has a rheumatic joint which,
when the wind is north east, hits
the storm signal. Another, a bus.
mess partner who takes full half
the profits bat does not help earn
them. These trials are the more
nettlesome because, like Pauls
thorn, they are not to be men
toned. Men get sympathy f1r
broken bones and smashed feet,
but none for the end OF sharp
thorns that have been broken OFT
in the fingers. :,
Let rs start out with the idea
that we must have annoyances.
It seems to take a certain number
of them to keep us humble, wake
full and prayerful. To Paul, the
thorn was as disciplinary as the
shipwreck. Ifit is not one thing
1t is another. If the stove does
not smoke, the boiler must leak.
# the pen is good, the ink must be
poor. If the thorn does not pierce
the knee, it must stick you IN the
back. Life must have sharp things
in it. We can not make up our
robes of christian character with
out pins and needles.
We want what Paul got-grace
to bear these things. Without it
we become cross, censorious and
irrascible., We get into. the habit
OF sticking our thorns into other
peoples fingers. But, God help
ing us, we place these annoyances
in the category OF the call things
which work together for good"
We see how much shorter thorns
are than the spikes that stuck
through the palms of Christs
hands; and, remembering that He
had on His head a whole crown OF
thorns, We take to ourselves the
consolation that if we suffer with
Him on earth, we shall be glorlhed
with Him in heaven. But how
could Paul positively rejoice in
these inGrlnities? The school Ct
Christ has three classes OF scholars;
in the first class we learn how to
be stuck with thorns without los
ing our patience; in the second
class we learn how to make the
sting positively advantageous; IN
the third class of this school we
learn how, even to rejoice in be-
ing pierced and wounded; but that
is the senior class, and when we
get to that, we are near graduating
into glory.