St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1878-02-15
Borrowing Trouble.


MANY have a sinful desire to see into
the future. Rather than not know what
was coming, men have resOrted to as
trology, palmistry, witchcraft, spiritu-
alism and the widest coRjectures. This
disposition is still common.
Some spend much time in pleasant
dreams and fancies, none of which will
ever be realized. But in sad moods
mems minds go to the other extreme,
and take gloomy views of all the future.
Then they anticipate many calamities.
Ii is in mercy that God has hid from our
view coming events. We often mlsun-
derstand things that have already oc-
Cured. Still more frequently do we
make frightful thing of what Is now
passing before us. But could we, with
our narrow capacities, look into the tu-
ture so as to tell the general course OF
providence towards us in years to come,
we should be very wretched. 1t was a
peculiar ingredient of the suferings OF
our blessed Lord that he fOresaw all his
trials. Luke II: so.
But we know not what shall be on the
morrow, and on many accounts 1T Is
best for us not to indulge in idle antici-
patiOns.
l. We have something else to do. Our
duties are pressing, solemn, numerous.
If we can meet the responsibilities OF
the present hour, that will be as much
us we can reasonably expect. Sufficient
unto the day is the evil thereof.
2. When great trials come to true
Christians, they have a promise OF as
sistance according to their necessities.
GAS thy days, so shall thy strength be"
Dying grace is seldom given except to
dUinq believers. To them it is never
denied.
g. By idle anticipations we greatly
enhance our sufferings. Porteus says !:
"He who fOresees calamities suffers
them twice over"
a. We are positively forbidden to pry
curiously into the future. ''The secret
things belong unto the Lord our God,
but those things which are revealed be-
long to us and to our children forever,
that we may do all the words of this
law" Deut. 1929. Our great wisdom
is found in entire submission to the SOW
ereign will of God in all coming events.
5. There is no end to the torment we
may thus infiict upon ourselves. Sen
eca was right when he said: "The
state of that mans mind who feels so
intense an interest as to future events,
must he most deplorable." johnson
says: "Many philosophers imagine that
the elements themselves may be in time
exhausted; that the sun, by shining
long, will effuse all its light; and that,
by the continual waste OF aqueous par
ticles, the whole earth will at last be-
come Il sandy desert. L would not ad-
wise my readers to disturb themselves
10y contriving how they shall live with
out light and water" Sometimes folly
seems to know no bounds.
6. A good writer says: '"Ye may live
through tomorrow. Then be prepared
for it, prosecute your plans, pursue your
business, be industrious anu enterpris-
ing. But be not unmindful that there
is another branch of the alternative.
You may not live through tomorrow.
Be prepared equally for that. To-mOr-
row may introduce you into the pres
ence of God, may close the account of
life, may withdraw the offer of mercy,
may cut short the opportunity of saliva
ton. What if it shall Are you ready
for that interview and that reckoning 2"
A similar error is committed 10y those
who spend their time in trying to dis
cover how they shall be delivered from
distresses now pressing upon them.
MOrdecai was good man. He greatly
feared God and trusted him also. He
was persuaded that enlargement and
deliverance would come. He thought
the queen might be the instrument of
rescue to Gods chosen people. But he
was not sure. He told his niece that
ut present the finger OfprOvidence SEEM
ed to point to her. At the same time
he freely told her that if she entirely
decliued, ruin would overtake her and
her house, while it should be seen that
God would not forsake his ancient peO-
pie.
One very proper way of disposing of
such temptations respecting the future
is to dwell much Oh the eternity that is
before us. What is all time? What are
all the trials of time? 1t will not be
long till every living man will look
back on the worldly things that made
him glad or soIrOwful, and see and say
that they are things of neught. The
wicked and the righteous in future
state will alike wonder that such vani-
ties could ever have engrOssed their at
tentiOn. Let any thoughtful man even
here say, "What Importance will at
tach to this or that event, to this or
that profession in thousand years from
this time ~ and he will at once see how
idle are his intense feelings.
Then let us grid up the lOins of our
minds, stand in our lot, cheerfully COM
hitting everything to the God of all
grace and mercy. We see not, but he
sees what is coming, and has made full
provision for it. Let us sing:
1 see not step before,
As tread the days of the year;
But the past is still in Gods keeping,
The future his mercy will clear;
And what seems dark in the distance
May brighten as draw near
So go on, not knowing
would not if 1 might;
would rather walk with God in the dark
Than walk alone in the light;
would rather walk with him by faith
Than walk alone by sight
My heart shrinks back from trials
Which the future may disclose;
Yet never had a sorrow
But what my dear Lord chose;
So send the coming tears back
With the whispered words, He knows"
-Wnl. PLLlrner in Ohserrar