The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1880-08-11

thresbing-machine; it will be rod,
or staff, or iron wheel-jus. s.accord-
ing as you are ftches, or cummin,
or corn.
Again, my subject teaches that
God keeps trial on US until we let
go.
THE FARMER SHOUTS "wHoA!"
to his horses as soon as the grain
is dropped from the stalk. The
farmer comes with bis fork and
tosses up the straw, and he sees
that the straw has let go the grain,
and the grainis thoroughly thresh-
ed. So God. Shifting rod and
turning wheel, but cease as soon
as we let 60. We hold on to this
world with its pleasures, and rich
es, and emoluments, and our
are so firmly set that it
seems as if we could hold on for
ever. God comes along with some
threshing trouble and beats US
loose. We started under the de-
lusion that this was a great world.
We learned out Of our geography
that it was so many thousand
miles in diameter, and so many
thousand miles in circumference,
and we said: "Oh my; what a
world" Trouble came in after-life,
and this trouble sliced of one part
Of the world, and that trouble slie-
ed off another part Of the world,
and it has got to be smaller
world, and in some estimations
very Insignificant world; and it is
depreciating all the time as a spir-
itual property. Ten per cent. of,
fifty per cent. off, and there are
those who would not give ten
cents for this world-the entire
World-as a soul possession. We
thought that friendship was a
grand thing. In school we used
TO write compositions about friend
ship, and perhaps We made our
graduating speech on Commence
ment Day on friendship. Oh, it
was a charmed thing; but does it
mean to you. as much as it used
to? You have gone on in life, and
one friend has betrayed you, and
another friend has misinterprete
you, and another friend has neg
lected you, and friendship comes
now sometimes to mean to you
merely another axe to grind! So
with money. We thought if e
man had a competency he was
safe for all the future; but We have
learned that a mortgage may be
defeated by an unknown previous
incumbrance; that signing your
name on the back of.a pote may
be your business death-Warrant;
that new tariff may change the
current of trade; that a man may
be rich to-day and poor tomorrow.
And God, by all these misfortunes,
is trying to loosen our grip; but
still we hold on. God smites Us
with a staff; but we hold on. And
He strikes US with a rod but we
hold on. And He sends over US
the iron wheel of misfortune but
we hold on. There are men who
keep their grip on this world un-
til the last moment, who suggest
to me the condition and conduct
of the poor Indian in the boat in
the Niagara rapids, coming on to-
ward the falls. Seeing that be
could not escape, a moment or two
before he got to the verge Of the
plunge be lifted a wine-bottle and
drank it off, and then tossed the
bottle into the air. So there are
men who clutch the world, ,and they
60 down through the rapids OF
temptation and sin and they hold
on to the very last moment Of life,
drinking to their eternal damna-
tion as they 60 over and 60
down. Oh, let go! Let go!
The best fortunes are in .hea-
ven. There are no absconding
cashiers from that bank 10 fail
ing in promises to pay. Set your
affections on things above, not on
things on the earth. Let go!
Depend upon it that God will keep
upon you the staff or the rod, or
the iron wheel
UNTIL YOU DO LET GO.
Another thing my text teaches
US is, that Christian sorrow is 60
ing to have a sure terminus. NY
text says: "Bread corn is bruised,
because He will not be ever thresh-
inc it," Blessed he God for that.