Milford chronicle., 1888-05-25
MILFORD, DEL, FRIDAY, MAY 25, 1883.

and tens Of thousands into the kingdom Of
God, among Others the great Wilberforce.
Wilberforce wrote book called "A Practi-
cal View Of Christianity which was the
means of bringing a great multitude to Christ,
among others Leigh Richmond. Leigh Rich
mond wrote tract called ''rhe Dairymans
Daughter" which has been the means Of the
salvation Of uucomverted multitudes. And
that tide of influence started from the fact
that one Christian woman dropped a Christian
tract in the way of Richard Baxter-the tide
Of influence rolling on through Richard Bax-
ter, through Philip Dodlridge, through the
great Wilberforce, through Leigh Richmond,
on, on, ON, forever, forever. So the insig-
nificant events Of this world seem, after all,
to be most momentous. The fact that you
came up that street or this street seemed to
be OF no importance to you, and the fact that
you went inside Of some church may seem to
be matter Of very great insignifcance to
you, but you will find it the turning point ir
your history.
v Again: l see in my subject an illustra-
ton Of the beauty Of female industry.
Behold Ruth telling in the harvest field
under the hot sun, or a. noon taking plain
bread with the rea,ers, or eating the
parched corn which Boaz handed to her. The
customs Of society, Of c0urse, have changed,
and without the hardsh'ps and exposure to
which Ruth was subjected every intelligent
woman will find something to do
know there is a sicily sentimentality On
this subject In some families there arc per
sons OF no practical service to the household
or community, and though there are so
many woes all around about them in the
world they spend thor time languishing
over a new pattern, or bursting into tears at
midnight over the story Of some lover who
shot himself! They would not deign to look
at Ruth carrying back the barley on her
way home TO her Uothor-in-law, Naomi All
this fastidiousness may seem to do very well
while they ane uader the shelter Of their
fathers house, but when the sharp winter Of
misfortune comes what of these butterfliesi
Persons under indulgent parentage may get
upon themselves habits of Incidence, but
when they come cut into practical life theiI
soul viii recoil with disgust and chagrin.
They viii feel in their hearts what the poet
so severely satirized when he said
Folks are so awkward, things so impolite
They're elegantly panied from morning until
night.
Through that gate Of Incidence how many
men and women have marched, useless on
earth, to a destroyed eternityi Spinola said
10 Sir Horace We're; "Of what did your
brother dief "Of having nothing to do"
was tho answer. "Ah," said Spinola, 'that's
enough to kill any general of us" Oh, can it
be possible in this world, where there is SO
much suffering to be alleviated, so much
darkness to be enlightened, and so many
burdens to be carried, that there is any person
who cannot find anything to dol
Nine de Stael did a world of work in her
time; and one day, while she was seated
amid instruments of music all Of which she
had mastered, and amid manuscript books
which she had written, some one said to her;
"How do you find time to attend to all these
thingsf "Oh," she replied, these are not
the things / am proud Of My chief boast is
in the fact that have seventeen trades, ty
any one Of which l could make livelihood
if necessary" And if in secular spheres there
is so much to be done, in spiritual work how
vast the fieldl We want more Abigails, moro
Hannahs, more Rebeccas, more Marys, more
Deborahs, consecrated-body, mind, soul-tO
tie Lord who bought then.
VI. Once more; | learn from my subject
the value of cleaning.
Ruth going into that harvest field might
have said: "There is a straw, and there is a
barley for myself or my mother in-law oGt
Of these separate straws." Not so said beau
tiful Ruth. She gathered two straws and
she put them together, and more straws un-
til she got enough to make a sheaf, and
another, and another, and another, and then
she brought them all together, and she
threshed them out, and she had an ephah Of
barley, nigh bushel. Oh, that wemight all
be gieanersi
Eiihu Burritt learned many things while
tolling in blacksmith's shop. Abercronbis,
the world renowned philosopher, was phii-
osopher in Scotland and he got his philoso-
ply, or the chief part Of it, while, as ply
sician, he was waiting fer the door of tho
sick room to open. Yet how many there are
in this day who say they are 50 busy they
have no time for mental or spiritual i'm
provemant; the great duties of life cross the
field like strong reapers, and carry off all tho
hours, and there is only here and there a
fragment left that is not worth cleaning.
All, my friends. you could go into the busi-
est day and busiest week Of your life and
find golden opportunities, which. gathered
might at least make a whole sheaf for the
Lords garner 1t is the stray opportunities
and the stray privileges which, taken up and
bound together and beaten out, will at last
fill you with Astounding joy.
There arc few moments left worth the
cleaning. Now Ruth, to the field! May
each one have a measure full and running
over! Oh, you cleaners, to the fisll And
If there be in your house an aged one or u
sick relative that is not strong enough to
come forth and toll in this field, thel let
Ruth take home to feeble Naomi this sheaf
Of cleaning: He that goeth forth and
weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubt
less coma gain with rejoicing, bringing his
5heaves with him" May the Lord God Of
Ruth and Naomi be our portion foreyerl