The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1888-05-30

I
calling them harp and organ; but they
were the introduction OF all the worlds
ministrelsy; and as you hear the vibration
| of stringed instrument, even after the
fingers have been taken away from 1t, so
all music now dilute and drum and cornet
is only the long continued strains of Jub-
al's harp and Jubal's organ. 1t seemed to
be a matter of very little importance that
! Tubal Cain learned the uses OF copper and
iron; but that rude foundry OF ancient
days has its echo in the rattle Of Birming-
ham machinery, and the roar and bang or
factories on the Nlerrimac.
It seemed to be matter of no import
ance that Luther found bible in a mon
astery, but as he opened that bible and the
| brass-bound lids fell back, they Jared
everything from the Vatican to the furth-
est convent in Germany, and the rustllng
| OF the wormed leaves was the sound OF the
angel OF the reformation. 1t seemed to be
a matter of no importance that a woman,
whose name has been forgotten, dropped
a tract in the way of a very bad man by
| the name of Richard Baxter. He picked
up the tract and read it, and it was the
means of his salvation.
In after days that man wrote book
| called 1.-THE Call to the Unconverted" that
was the means of bringing a multitude to
| Philip Doddridge wrote a book called
'The Rise and Progress of Religion"
which has brought thousands and tens of
| thousands into the kingdom of God, and
among others the great Wilberforce.
Wilberforce wrote book called "a Prac-
teal View of Christianity which was the
means of bringing a great multitude TO
Christ, among others Leigh Richmond.
Leigh Richmond wrote tract called ''The
Dairyman's Daughter" which has been
the means of the salvation OF unconyerted
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 intiu
ence rolling on through Richard Baxter,
through Philip Doddridge, through the
great Wilberforce, through Leigh Rich
mond, on, on, on, forever, forever. So
the insignificant 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 insigniticance to you, but
you will find it the turning point in your
history.
3. Again, see in my subject an illus
tration OF the beauty of female industry.
Behold Ruth toiling in the harvest field
under the hot sun, or at noon taking plain
bread with the reapers, or eating the
parched corn which Boaz handed to her.
The customs of society, of course, have
changed, and without the hardships and
exposure to which Ruth was subjected,
every intelligent woman will find some
thing to do.
know there is a sickly sentimentality
HI In,
are persons 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 their time
languishing over a new pattern, or burst
ing 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
mother-in-law, Naomi. All this fastidi-
business may seem TO do very well while
they are under the shelter of their fathers
house but when the sharp winter of mis-
fortune comes, what of these butterflies
Persons under !ndulgent parentage may
get upon themselves habits of Incidence;
but when they come out into practical life
their soul will recoil with disgust and
chargin. They will 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, use
less on earth, to a destroyed eternity!
Spinola said to Sir Horace We're: "Of
what did your brother die? ?" ''Of having
nothing to do" was the answer. "Ah,"
said Spinola, that's enough to kill any
general OF u.s." Oh. can it be possible in
this world, where there is so much suffer
ing to be alleyiated, so much Darkness to
be enlightened, and so many burdens to
be carriep, that there is any person who
can not find anything to do.
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 vad mastered, and amid manu-
script books which she had written, some
one said to her: 'How do you find time
TO attend to all these things Y ooh" she
replied, these are not the things l am
proud of. My chief boast is in the fact
that l have seventeen trades, by any one
of which | could make a livelihood if
necessary" And if in secular spheres
there is so much to be done, in spiritual
work how vast the field We want more
Abigals, more Hannahs, more Rebeccas,
more Marys, more Deborahs consecrated
body, mind, soul-to the Lord who
bought them.
q. Once more: / learn from my sub
ject the value OF cleaning.
Ruth going into the harvest field might
have said: There is a straw, and there
is a straw, but what is a straw? l can't
get any barley for myself or my mother
in-law out of these separate straws." Not
so, said beautiful Ruth. She gathered
two straws, and she put them together,
and more straws until she got enough to
make sheaf. Putting that down she
went and gathered more straws, until she
had another sheaf, and another, and an
other, and another, and then she brought
them ali together, and she threshed them
out, and she had an epaph of barley, nigh
bushel. Oh, that we might all be CLEAN
ers!
Elihu Burritt learned many things
while toiling in blacksmith shop. Aber-
crombie, the world-renowned philoso-
pher, was philosopher in Scotland, and
he got his philosophy, or the chief part of
1t, while as physician he was waiting for
the door of the sick room to open. Yet
how many there are in this day who say
they are so busy they have no time for
mental or spiritual improvements the
great duties of life cross the field like
strong reapers and carry off all the hours,
and there is only here and there a frag-
ment left that is not worth cleaning. All,
my friends Won could on INTO tho bTlSiaSf