The Orangeburg news. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1867-1875, 1874-04-11
The Small Worries.

The christian world has long been
guessing what Paul's thorn in the flesh
was. Many Of the theological doctors
have felt Paiul''s pulse 10 see wha. was
the matter withhim 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 a great many people from Corinth
bothcring him with prescriptions as to
how lie might cure it.
Some say it was diseased eyes; some
that it was bumped back. 1t may have
been neuralgia. Perhaps it was gout,
although his active habits and sparce
diet throw doubt upon the supposition.
Suffice it to say, it was thorn-that is
it stuck him. 1t was sharp.
It was probably Of not much account
to the eyes Of the world. 1t was not a
trouble that could be compared to Il lion,
or boistcrous sea 1t was like a thorn
you have in your hand or foot, and no
one knew it. Thus we sec that it be
comes type Of these little ncttlcsome
worries Of life that exasperate the
spirit.
Every one has thorn sticking him
The housekeeper finds it in unfaithful
domestics; or an Inmate who keeps
things disordered; or house too small
for convenicnces, or too large to be
kept cleanly. The professional
man finds it in perpetual Interruptions
or call for 'm ore copy. The Sabbath
school teacher finds i. in inattentivo
scholars, or neighboring teachers that
talk loudly aud make great noise in
giving a little instruction. One man
has rheumatic joint ws;;ch, when the
wind is north east, lifts the sto rn s:yn,l
Another, business partner who takes
full half the profits but does not help
earn them. These trials are the more
nettesome because, like Paul's thorn
they arc not to b. mentioned Men
got sympathy for broken b,n.s and
smashed foot. but nnne far the cnd OF
sharp tn orns tht have b .cA broken OF
! in the fingers,
Let us start out with the idea that ".
mu,t have annoyanccs. II secli, T.
take a certain number Of them To keep
us humble, w,keiul aud prayeriul. To
Paul the thorn ": s as disciplinary a,
the shipwscck. If it is not o.e thln;,
it is another. If the stove docs not
smoke, The boiler must leak. II the pen
is good, the ink must be poor. If the
thorn does not pierce the knee, it must
stick you in the hack Life must hays
sharp things in it. We can not make
| up our robes of christian chara cter with
out pins and needles
We.want what Paul got-grace to
bear these things, Without it we be
come cross; ccnsorious and irrascibl ,
We get into the habit of sticking our
thorns into other people fingers. But,
God helping us, We place these annoy
ances in the category Of the ''all things
which work together for food. We see
how much shorter thorns are than the
spikes that struck through the palms OF
Christ,s hands, and, remembering that
He had on His head a whole crown OF
tkorns, we take to ours Ives the consola-
tion that If I'VE suffer with II i'm on earth
We shall b, glorihcd with Him in hca
ven. But how could Paul positively re.
joice in these inlirmi'ic les ? The school
Of Christ has three chsscs Of scholars,
n the fist class we learn how to be
stuck with thorns without losing our
patience; in the second class we learn
how to make the sting positively alvan
taSeous; in the third class of this school
we learn Eow, even to rejoice in being
pierced and wounded: but that is the
senior class, and when we get 10 that,
we are near graduating into glory.