Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-05-21

uality. and in the family, and in the
church, and In the world, that through
darkness and storm and trouble, men,
women, C urches, nations, are developed.
II. Again, see in my text the beauty
Of uDfaltering friendship. I suppose
there were plenty Of friends for Naomi
while she was in prosperity; but OF all
her acquaintspces how many were willing
to trudge of with her toward Judah
when she had to make that lonely jour-
neY? One - the heroine Of my
text. One-absolutely one. suppose
that when Naomi's husband was living,
snd they had plenty of money, and all
things went well, they had great many
callers; but I suppose that after her hus-
band died, and her property went, and
she got old and poor, she was not troub-
led very much with callers. All the
birds that surg in the bower while the
sun shone have gone to their nests, now
the night has fallen.
On, these beautiful surfowers that
spread out their color in the morning
hour but are always asleep when the sun
is going down! job had plenty Of friends
when he was the richest man In Uz; but
when his property went and the trials
came, then there were none so much that
pestered IS Euphsz the Temsnite, and
Bildad the Snuhite, and Zophar the
Naamsthite.
Life often seems to be mere game,
where the successful player pulls down
all the other men into his own lap. Let
suspicious arise shout mans character
and he becomes like bank in q panic,
and all the imputstions rush on HIM and
break down In q day tnat character which
in due time would have had strength to
defend itself. There are regulations that
have been half century in building
which go down under some moral expo
sure, as
VAST TEMPLE
Is consumed by the touch Of sulphurous
match. A hog can uproot a century
plant.
In this world sorfull of heartlessness
and hypocrisy, how thrilling it Is to find
some friend as faithful in days of adver-
sity as in days OF prosperity! David had
such friend in Hushai; the Jews had
such friend in Mordecai, who never for
got their cause; Paul had such friend in
Onesiphorus, who visited him in jail;
Christ had such in the Marys, who ad-
hered to him on the cross; Naomi had
such one in Ruth, who cried out: "En-
treat me not to leave thee, or to return
from following after thee, for whittier
thou goest, will 60; and where thou
lodgest, will lodge; thy people shall be
my people, and thy God my God; where
thou diest will die, and there will be
buried; the Lord do 80 to nae, and more
also, il aught but death part thee and
me-"
III. Again: l learn from this subject
that paths which open in hardship and
darkness often come out in places Of joy.
When Ruth started from Moab toward
Jerusalem, to go along with her mother
in-lsw, suppose the people said: "Oh,
what foolish creature to 60 away from
her fathers house, to 60 Off with q poor
old womad toward the land Of Judah
Tney won't live to get ACROSS the desert
They will be drowned In the sea, or the
jacksls Of the wilderness will destroy
them" 1t was 8 very dark morning wher
Ruth started of with Naomi; but behold
her in my text in the harvest field Of
Bos z, to.be affianced to one of the lords
of the land, and become one of the grand
mothers of Jesus Christ, the Lord o.
glory. And so it often is that q patti
which starts very darkly ends very
brightly.
When you started out for heaven, oh
how dark was the hour Of conviction
how Sinai Numbered, and devils tor
mented, and
THE DARKNESS THICKKNED!
ALI the sins OF your life pounced upol
you, and 1t WAS the darkest hour you eve
saw when you frst found out your sins
After awhile you went into tn
harvest field OF Gods mercy
you began to CLEAN In the field
of divine promise and you hat
more sheaves than you could carry, q
the voice of God addressed you, saying
"Blessed IL the man whose trsnsgres
sions sre forgiven, and whose sins ar
covered" A very dark starting in con
viction, very bright ending in the par
don and the hope and the triumph Of tn,
Gospel!
So, very often in our worldly business
or In our spiritual career, we start Ell OF
a very dark path. We must 60. Tn,
flesh may shrink back, but there Is voic,
within, or voice from above, saying
"You must go;" and We have to drink tn
gall, and We have to carry the crose, ant
we have to traverse the desert, and W.
are pounded and dsiled of misrepresenta
tIon and abuse, and we have to urge on
way through ten thousand obstacles tina
must be slain by our own right arm. W.
have to ford the river, we have to clint
the mountain, we have to storm the cas-
tie; but, blessed be God, the day OF res
and reward will come. On the tip top Of
the captured bsttiements we will shou
the victory; II not in this world, then In
that world where there is no gall tt
drink, no burdens to carry, no battles Il
fight. How do know il? Know 1t,
know 1t tecsuselGod says SO: "They
shall hunger no more, neither thirst any
more, neither shall the sun light on them
nor any hest, for the Lamb which Is IL
the midst of the throne shall lead them tt
living fountsins of water, and God shsl
wipe all tears from their eyes"
1t was very hard for Noah to endure
the scoffing of the people in his day, while
he was trying to build the ark, and wal
every morning quIzzed about his old boa'
that would never be of any practical use
but when
THE DELUGE CAME,