West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1888-05-03

/ They
slay follies and absurdities which all the
sermons OF ali tho pulpits cannot reach.
/ they have for examples Eli iah, who made
| fun OF tho Baalites when they called down
hre and II did not come, suggesting that their
heather god had gone hunting or was of
| on "a journey, or was asleep and nothing but
| Vociteration could wake him, saying: aCry
aloud Tor he Is n god either he is talking or
pursuing or peradventure no sleepeth and
must be awaked. They have an example in
Christ, who with healthful sarcasm showed
up tho lying, hypocritical Pharisees, by sug.
costing that such perfect people like them.
selves needed no Improvement, saying: "The
whole need not physician, but they that
are sickn
But what use are you making OF your witt
Is it besnirched with profanity and unclean.
neSsi DO you employ it i'm amusement at
physical defects for which the victims are
not reSponsiblef Are your powers of mimicry
USED 70 put religion in contempt Is IL a
bunch OF nettlesOme invertivef Is Il a bolt
OF unjust scorni Is IL fun at others mis-.
fortunei Is It glee nc their disappointment
and defeatf Is IL bitterness put drop by drop
into cupf Is IL like the squeezing Of arte-
misia abSinthium into draught already dis
tastefully pungenti Then you are the star
NORWOOD. Yours is the fun OF n rattle
snake trying how well IL can sting IL is the
fun OF hawk trying how quick IL can strike
out the eye of a dove
But will change this, and will suppose
you arc star OF worldly prosperity. Then
you have large opportunity. You can en-.
courage that artist by buying his picture
You can improve the fields the stables. the
highway. by introducing a higher style OF
FOWL aud horse and cow and sheep You can
bless the world with genealogical achieve
ments in the orchards. You can advance
arboricuture and arrest this beautiful icono-
clasm OF the American forests. You can put
piece OF sculpture into the niche OF that
pubic academy. You can endow a college
m or.I - T..
the winter frost. You can build church.
You can put a missionary OF Christ ON that
foreign shore. You can help ransom a world
rich man with his heart right. Can YOU
toll mo how much good n James Lennox or a
George Peabody or Peter Cooper or n Will.
INN II. Dodge did while living, or is doing
now that he is deadl There is not a city'
town or neighborhood that has not glorious
specimens OF consecrated wealth.
But suppose you grind tho face Of the poor.
Suppose when mans wages are due Won
make him wait for them because he cannot
help himself. Suppose that because his
family is sick and he has had extra expenses
nc should politely ask you TO raise his woes
for this year, and you roughly tell him IL he
wants better place to 60 and get It. Sup
pose by your manner you act as though he
were nothing and you were everything.
suppose you are selfish and overbearing and
Arrogant Your first name ought to be At
tia, and your last name Attila, because YOU
Filtered one-third, il not three-thirds, OF the
waters that roll past your employees and
operatives and dependents and associates,
and the long line of carriages which the un-
dertaker orders for your funeral in order TO
make the occasion respectable, will be filed
with twice as many dry, fearless eyes as there
are persons occupying them. The clumsy
pail bearers may make the gates of your
sepulcher quake by striking your silver
handled coffin against them but the world
a y on p1rtO f
There is an erroneous idea abroad that
there are only a few geniuses. There are
millions OF them that is men and women
who have especial adaptation and quickness
for some one thing. IL may be great il may
b. small. The circle may be like the circum-
ference OF the earth or no larger than a
thimble. There are thousands of geniuses
here this morning, and in some one thing
you are star. What kind of a star are
your You will be in this world but few
minutes. As compared with eternity the
stay OF the longest life on earth is not more
than minute. What are we doing with
that minutei Are we ernbittering the domes-
tic, or social, or political fountains, or are
we like Moses, who, when the Israelites in
the wilderness complained that the waters
OF Lake Marah were bitter and they could
not drink them, their leader cut Off the
branch OF certain tree and threw that
branch into the water, and it became sweet
and slake1 the thirst OF the suffering hostl
Are we with branch of the tree of life
sweetening all the braclSish fountains that
we can touch! Dear Lord, send us all out
on thy mission. All around us embittered
lives, embittered by persecution, embittered
by hypercriticism, embittered by poverty,
embittered by pain, embittered by in
justice, emblttered by sin. Why not
go forth and sweeten them by smiles,
by inspiring words, by benefactions,
gospelized behavior. Let us remember
that IL we are NORWOOD to others we are
NORWOOD to ourselves, and our life will be-
bitter and our eternity bitter. The Gospel
OF Jesus Christ is the only sweetening power
that is sufficient. 1t sweetens the disposi-
ton. 1t sweetens the manners IL sweetens
life. It sweetens mysterious Providences
1t sweetens Affections. IL sweetens death.
1t sweetens everything have heard people
asked IN social company: IF you could have
three wishes gratided what would your three
wishes be 7" If L could have three wishes
met this morning tell you what they would
be. First-hore OF the grace Of God. Sec
ond--More OF the grace OF God. Third
More Of the grace of God In the door yard
or my brother John, missionary in Annoy,
China, there is a tree called the emperor
tree, the two characteristics Of which are
that 10 always grows higher than its sur
roundings, and its leaves take the form of a
crown. II this emperor tree be planted by a
rose bush it grows a little higher than the
bush, and spreads out above it n crown. IL
grows little higher than that tree and
spreads above IL crown. Would God that
THIS religion OF Christ, more wonderful
emperor tree might oyershadow all your
lives; are you lowly In ambition or circum.
stance, putting over you its crown: are Won
nigh IN talent and position putting over you
It's crown. Oh. for, more OF the saccharine
in our lives and less OF the wormwoodl
What is true Of individuals is true Of ma
tions. God sets them up TO revolve as stars.
but they may fall NORWOOD
Iyre-the atmosphere Of the desert fra
grant with spices coming i'm caravans 10 her
fairs; al seas cleft into foam by the keeis OF
her laden merchantmen: her markets rich
with horses and canals, from Togarnab
her bazaars filled with upholstery from
Dedan, with emeralds and coral and agate
from syria, with wines from HelbOn, with
embroidered work from Ashur and Chill
mad. W here now the CLEAN Of her towers.
Wnere the roar Ot her chariots. where the
masts Of her shipsi Let the fishermen WHO
dry their nets whore once she stood, let the
sea that PUSHES upon the barrenness where
once she challenged the admiration Of ali ma.
tons, let tho harbarians who set their rude
tents where once her palaces glittered. an
swer the question. She was a star. but bv
her own SIN turned to NORWOOD and has
fallen
Hundred gated Thebes-for oil time to b,
The study OF antiquarian and hieroglyphist
her stupendous ruin spread over twenty
seven miles, her sculptures presenting iu
figures N warrior and chariot the victorie,
with which the now forgotten kings Of FQvDt
SHOOK the nations, her ODollsks and columns.
Carnac and luxor the stupendous temples
or nef pride. Who can imagine the greatness
III fIfN HI.s d.