The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1888-09-07

Father 80 klnu, 30 loving, so gentle, tnat
the prophet, speaking OF his tenderness
and mercy, drops the idea of father,
and says, GAS one whom his mother
comforteth, so will comfort you."
Again remark, there is comfort in
the thought that God, by all this process,
is going to make you useful. Do you
know that those who accomplish the
most for God and heaven have all been
under the harrow? Show me man that
has done anything for Christ in this day,
in a public or private place, who has had
no trouble and whose path has been
smooth. All, no.
once went through an ak factory,
and saw them take the bars of iron and
thrust them into the terrible furnaces.
Then besweated workmen with long
tongs stirred the blaze. Then they
brought out bar Of iron and put it into
a crushing machine. and then they put
it between jaws that bit it in twain.
Then they put it on an anvil, and there
were great hammers swung by ma
chinery-each one half ton in
weight-that went thumpl thump!
thump! If that iron could have
spoken it would have said, "Why
all this beating9 Why must be
pounded any more than any other iron?"
The workmen would have said: eve
want to make axes out Of you, keen,
sharp axes-axes with which to hew
down the forest, and build the ship, and
erect houses, and carry on a thousand
enterprises of civilization. That's the
reason we pound you" Now, God puts
a soul into the furnace Of trial, and then
it is brought out and run through the
crushing machine, and then it comes
down on the anvil, and upon it blow
after blow, blow after blow, and the soul
cries out, 80 Lord, what does all this
mean2" God says, 81 want to make
something very useful out of you. You
shall be something to hew with
and something to build with.
1t is a practical process through
which am putting you" Yes, my
Christian friends, we want more tools in
the church of God. Not more wedges to
split with; we have enough of these. Not
more bores with which to drill; we have
too many bores. What we really want
is keen, sharp, well tempered axes, and
if there be any other way of making them
than in the hot furnace, and on the hard
anvil, and under the heavy hammer, I
do not know what it is. Remember that
if God brings any kind of chastisement
upon you, it is only to make you useful.
Do not sit down discouraged, and say,
~ have no more reason for living, I
wish I were dead" Oh, there never
was so much reason for your living as
now! By this ordeal you have been con-
secrated a priest of the Most High God.
Go out and do your whole work for the
Master.
Again, there is comfort in the thought
that all our troubles are revelation.
Have you ever thought of it in that con-
nection? The man who has never been
through chastisement is ignorant about
thousand things in his soul he ought to
know. For instance, here is man who
prides himself on his cheerfulness of
character. He has no patience with any
body who is depressed in spirits. Oh, it
is easy for him to be cheerful, with his
fine house, his filled wardrobe and well
XXt
tried parlor and plenty of money in the
bank waiting for some permanent in
vestment. 1t is easy for him to be cheer
full. But suppose his fortune goes to
pieces and his house goes down under
the sheriff's hammer and the banks will
not have anything to do with his paper.
Suppose those people who were once
elegantly entertained at his table get so
short sighted that they cannot
recognize him upon the street. How
then? Is it so easy to be cheerful?
It is easy to be cheerful in the home,
after the days work is done, and the
gas is turned on, and the house is full of
romping little ones. But suppose the
piano is shut because the fingers that
played on it will no more touch the keys,
and the childish voice that asked SO
many questions will ask no more. Then
is it so easy9 When a man wakes up
and finds that his resources are all gone,
he begins to rebel, and he says, "God is
hard, God is outrageous. He had no
business to do this to me-" My friends,
those of us who have been through
trouble know what a sinful and re-
bellious heart we have, and how much
God has to put up with, and how much
we need pardon. 1t is only in the light
of flaming furnace that we can learn
our own weakness and our own lack Of
moral resource.
There is also great deal of comfort in
the fact that there will be family re-
construction in better place. From
Scotland, or England. or Ireland child
emigrates to this country. 1t is very
hard parting, but he comes, after a while
writing home as to what good land it
is. Another brother comes, sister
comes, and another, and after while
the mother comes, and after while the
father comes, and now they are all here,
and they have time of great congratu-
lation and very pleasant reunion.
Well, it is just so with our families; they
are emigrating to better land. Now,
one goes out. Oh, how hard it is to part
with him! Another goes. Oh, how
hard it is to part with her! And an
other, and another, and we ourselves
will after while 60 over, and then we
will be together. Oh, what reunion!
DO YOU believe that? "Yes," you say.
You do not! You do not believe it as
you believe other things. If you
did, and with the same emphasis,
univ n would take nine-tenths of YOUR