Democratic messenger., 1888-08-25
MiSiOrtune'S Lesson.
suxI.rnmr or aon,s rAyon

SUNLIGHT or GODS FAVOR
and consolation. can go through tho
churches and show you men who lost
fortune and health at the same time, and
yet who sing all day and dream Of Heaven
all night. II you have any idea that
sound digestion, and steady nerves, and
clear cycsight, and good hearing, and
plenty Of friends, are necessary to make
man harpy, you have miscalculated. l
suppose that these ovcrlanging rocks
only made Jonathan scramble the harder
and the faster to get up and out into the
sunlight; and this combined shadow Of in
validism and financial embarrassment has
often sent man up the quicker into the
sunlight OF Gods favor and the MONDAY
of Ills glorious promises. II Is difficult
thing for man 10 feel his dependence
upon God when he has $4,000 in the
hank and $4,000 in government securi-
ties, and block Of stores and three ships.
We'll" the man says to himself, IL, is silly
for me to pray Give me this day my dai-
ly Bread when my pantry is full and the
canals from the West are crowded with
brcatlstuffs destined for my store. houses" J"
Oh my friends, IL the combined misfor.
tunes and disasters of life have made you
climb up into the arms Of sympathetic
and compassionate God, through all eter.
nifty you will bless Him that IN this world
I here was sbqrp rock on the one side,
and sharp rock oy .Le other side
Again that man Is I'd the crisis os th.
text who has home troubles and outside
persecution at the same time The world
treats man well just as long as !, pays
best to treat him well As long as 1t can
manufacture success out Of his bone, and
brain, and muscle, 1t favois him. The
world fattcns the horse II wants TO drive.
But let man see il his duty to cross the
track of the world, then every hush Is full
of horns and iusks thrust ut him. They
will bclit,lc him. They will carica,ure
him. They will call his generosity self.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT, and his picty sanciimo-
niousncss. The very worst persecution
will some time come upon him from those
WHO PROFESS To TE CHRISTIANS
John Milton-grcat and good John
Milion-so forgot himself AS y pray, in
SO many words, that his enemies might be
cicrnally thrown down into the darkest
and deepest gulf of hell, and he the under
most aud most detected and the lowest
down vassals of pcrdition. And Martin
Luther so far forgot himself as TO say, in
regard to his theological opponents: Put
them in whatever sauce you please, roast
ed, or fried, or baked or stcwed. ar boiled,
or hashed, they are nothing but asses y
All my friends, if John Milton or Iartin
Luthcr could come down u sich Scurrili-
~ what may you not expect from less
elevated opponents? Now. the world
sometimes takes after them; the ncwspa-
pcrs takes after them. aud the unfOf,unate
man is lied about until all the dictionary
of Billingsgatc is exhausted on him. You
often see man whom you know To be
good. and pure and honest set upon the
world, and maulcd hy whole communities
while vicious men take an "A supcrcilious
! mir in condemnation of him as though
Lord .Iclr:cys should write mn essay on
scn;lcuc,s. or Henry VIII. talk about
purity. or llcrM take To blessing little
children.
Now, certain amount of persecution
rouscs n mans defiance, s,irs his blood
for magnificent hattie and makes HIM -
times mor( man than he would have
been without the persecution. So ii was
with the great rcfOrmer when he said 81
will not he put down; will be heard. y
And so II was with Millard, the preacher
in the time Of Louis NJ. When Louis Xl
sen, word To him that unless lac stopped
preaching in that style he would throw
him into the river, he replied: Tell the
king that will reach Heaven sooner by
water than lac vii reach it by fast horses '
PERSECUTION \ TONIC.
\ certain amount of persecution Is q
tonic and inspiration. hut too much of it
and too long continued, becomes the rock
Bozcz, throwing drak shadow over d
mans life. Wha, Is he to do then: Go
home. YOU say. Good advice, that. That
is just the place for a man To go when ih,
world abuses him. Go home. Blessed
he God for oar quiet and sympathetic
homes. But there is many man who
has the reputation Of havin. home
when he has none. Through unthlnking
ness Of precipitation. there are many
matches made that ought never To have
been made. An officiating priest connol
alone unite couple. The Lord Almigh'
Is must proclaim banns. There Is many
home In which there Is no sympathy
aud no happiness, AMI no good cheer.
The clamor OF the battle may not have
been heard outside. bu, God knows, not
withslanding all the playing of The Wed
ding March," aud all the odor of The
orange blossoms, AMI the bencdiction al
the officiating pastor, there has been nc
marriage.
Sometimes men have awakened Ia find
on one side OF them the rock 0f pcrsccu.
iion. and On the other side the rock oi
domestic infclicily. What shall such an
one do: Do as Jonathan did-climb. Gcl
up the heights of Gods consolation. frnm
which We may look down IN triumph
upon outside persecution and home irou'
hle. While good aud great John Wesley
was hcins sicnccd by the magistrates and
having his name written on the hoard
fences of London in dogscrcl, nj that very
time his wife was making him aS miscra'
bic as she could-acting as though she
were possessed with the devil, as sup.
pose she was never doing him n kindness
until the day she ran away, 80 that he
wrote in his diary these words II did no,
! ,.,s.l. hor I Luve nnt Iismisga,l her.