The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1885-04-01

fatherl The hand torn Of the husks, gets
a ring. The foot, inhamed and bleeding,
gets a sandal. The bare shoulder, show
ing throughithe tatters, gets a robe. The
stomach, gnawing itself with hunger, gets
full platter smoking with meat. The
father can not eat for looking at the re-
turned adventurer. Tears running down
the face until they come to smile-the
night-dew melting into the morning. No
work on the farm that day; for when a
a bad boy repents and comes back, promis-
ing to do better, God knows that it is
enough for one day. "And they began to
be merry" Picture: Prodigal Son Re-
turned from the Wilderness"
So God, our mother, teaches us every
thing by pictures. The sinner is lost
sheep. Jesus Is the bridegroom. The USE
less man barren fig-tree. The Gospel Is
a great supper. Satan, sower OF tares'
Truth, mustard-s seed. That which we
could not have understood In the abstract
statement God, our mother, presents to us
in this Bible album of pictures God en-
graved. Is not the Divine maternity ever
thus teaching usI .|t
Iremark again that God has mothers
favoritism. A father sometimes shows
sort of favoritism. Here is boy-strong,
well, of high forehead and quick intellect.
The father says: 81 will take that boy into
my firm yst;" or, ~ will give him the best
possible education" There are instances
where, for the culture Of the one boy, all
the others have been robbed. Asad favor
itism. But this is not the mothers favor
ite. l will tell you her favorite. There is
a child who at two years OF ago had fall.
He had never got over 1t. The scarlet fever
mufiled his hearing. He is not what he
once was. The child has caused the moth
er more anxious nights than all the other
children. The last thing she does when
going out Of the house is to give charge
in regard to him. The first thing on COM
ing is to ask in regard to him. Why, the
children OF the family oil know that he is
the favorite, and say: "Mother, you let
him do Just as he pleases, and you give
him great many things which you do not
give us. He is your favorite." The moth
or smiles. She knows it is so. So he ought
to be; for II there is any one in the world
who needs sympathy more than another 1t
is an invalid child, weary on the first mile
Of life's journey; carrying cl aching
head, weak side, an irritated lung. So
the mother ought TO make him a favorite.
God, our mother, has favorites. Whom
the Lord loveth He chasteneth: that Is,
ono whom He especially loves he chasten-
eth. lGod loves US all; but Is there one
weak and SICK, and sore and wounded aud
suffering and faint, that is the one who lies
nearest and more pSTpstually on the great,
loving heart Of God.
When I see God especially busy In
troubling and trying Christian, l know
that out Of that Christians character there
is to come some especial good. A quarry
man goes down into the excavation, and
with strong g-handed machinery bores into
the rock. The rock says: "What do you
do that forS" He puts powder in, he
lights q fuse. There Is q laundering
crash. The rock says: "Why, the whole
mountain is going to pieces" The crow
bar Is plunged, tho rock is dragged out
After awhile 1t Is taken into tho artist:
studio. II says: "Well, now have got Il
good, warm, comfortable place ut last
But the sculptor takes the chisei and NAL
let and ho digs for the eyes, and he cuts
for the mouth, and no bores for the ears
and he rubs 1t with sandpaper until the
rock says: when VIII this torture be emu
ed!" A sheet is thrown over it. Itstandi
in darkness. After awhile IL is taken out
The covering is removed IL stands In tnt
sunlight In the presence OF ten tnousano
applauding people as they greet tne STATUE
Of the poet, or the Prince, or the conqueror
"Ah," says the stone, snow l understand
It. am great deal better on now
standing as statue OF conqueror tnan
would have been down In the quarry: So
God finds a man down In the quarry OF ig
norance and sin. How to get him upI ne
must be bored and blasted and chiseleC
and secured and stand sometimes In th'
darkness. But after awhile the mantle O.
afiiction will fall Off, and his soul will b
greeted by the one hundred and forty -foul
thousand and the thousands OF tnousandi
as more tnan conqueror' -, my iiienus
, God our motner' Is JUST as kinu IN our al
hictions as In our prosperi.ieS' uoo ne'e'
touches US but Tor our goou'
Iremark that God has mothers capa'
city for attending 70 little hurts. TIT
father Is sbhocked at the broken bone OF tn
child or at the sickness that sets the cradi
|. on fire with fever, but 1t takes the mothe
|. to sympathize with all the little ailment
and all the little bruises OF the child