The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-07-03
Patience.

PATIENCE is better than wisdom: an
ounce of patience is worth a pound of
brains. All men praise patience, but
few enough can practice it; it is med
icine which is good for all diseases, and
therefore every old woman recommends
it; but it is not every garden that grows
the herbs to make it with. When ones
| flesh and bones are full of aches and
pains, it is as natural for us to murmm
as for horse to shake his head when
the flies tease him, or wheel to rattle
when spoke is loose; but nature should
not be the rule with Christians, or what
is their religion worth? If soldier
fights no better than a plow-boy, of
with his red coat. We expect more
fruit from an apple-tree than from
thorn, and we have right to do so.
The disciples of a patient Savior should
be patient themselves. Grin and bear
it is the old-fashioned advice, but sing
and bear it is a great deal better. Aft
er all, we get very few cuts of the
whip, considering what bad cattle we
are; and when we do smart little, it is
soon over. Pain past is pleasure, and
experience comes by it. We ought not
to be afraid of going down into Egypt,
when we know we shall come out of it
with jewels of silver and gold.
When troubles come, it is of no use
to fly in the face of God by hard
thoughts of Providence, that is kicking
against the pricks and hurting your
feet. The trees bow in the wind, and
so must we. Every time the sheep
| IL f,,I
time we complain we miss a blessing.
Grumbling is bad trade and yields no
profit, but patience has golden hand.
Our evils will soon be over. After rain
comes clear shining; black crows have
wings; every winter turns to spring;
every night breaks into morning.
Blow the wind never SO fast,
1t will lower at last
If the door shall be shut, God will open
another; if the pease do not yield well,
the beans may; if one hen leaves her
eggs, another will bring all her brood;
there's bright side to all things, and
good God everywhere. Somewhere or
other in the worst flood of trouble there
always is dry spot for contentment to
get its foot on, and if there were not, it
WOulQ learn TO SWIM.
Friends, let us take to patience and
water-gruel, as the old folks used to tell
us, rather than catch the miserables,
and give others the disease by wickedly
finding fault with God. The best rem
edy for affiiction is submitting to Provi-
dence. What can't be cured must be
endured If we cannot get bacon, let
us bless God that there are still some
cabbages in the garden. Must is a hard
nut to crack, but it has a sweet kernel.
"All things work together for good to
them that love God" Whatever falls
from the skies is, sooner or later, good
for the land; whatever comes to us from
God is worth having, even though it be
a rod. We cannot by nature like trou-
BILE any more than mouse can fall in
love with cat, and yet Paul by grace
came to glory in tribulations also. Loss
es and crosses are heavy to bear, but
when our hearts are right with God, it
is wonderful how easy the yoke be-
comes. We must needs 90 to glory by
the way of Weeping Cross and as we
were never promised that we should
ride to Heaven in feather-bed, we
must not he disappointed when we see
the road to be rough, as our fathers
found it before us. Ais well that ends
well; and, therefore, let us pillow the
heaviest soil with our eye on the sheaves
of harvest, and learn to sing at our la
Dor while others murmur. John ROuqh-
man.