The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1888-05-25


the rushing of the waters. like the thun
dering OF the seas. while all heaven, ris
ing on their thrones, beat time with theil
scepters: "Hallelujah, for the Lord Cox
omnipotent reigneth! Hallelujah, thu
kingdoms OF this world have become thu
kingdoms OF our Lord Jesus Christi"
That song OF love, now low and far,
Ere long shall swell from star to star;
That light the breaking day which tips
Tho golden spired Apocalypse.
". Again: learn from my subject
that events which seem to be most insig.
nificant may be momentous. Can you
imagine anything more unimportant than
the coming of a poor woman from Moab
to Judah? Can you imagine anything
more trivial than the fact that this Ruth
Just happened to alight--as they say
Just happened to alight on that field of
Boaz? Yet all ages, all generations have
an interest in the fact that she was to be-
come an ancestor of the Lord Jesus
Christ and all nations and kingdoms
must look at that one little incident with
thrill of unspeakable and eternal salts
faction. So it is in your history and in
mine: events that you thought of no i'm
portance at all have been Of very great
moment. That casual conversation, that
accidental neeting-you did not think of
it again for long while; but how it
changed all the phase Of your lifel
1t seemed to be of no Importance that
Jubal invented rude instruments of
music, calling them harp and organ; but
they were the introduction of all thu
worlds minstrelsy; and as you hear the
vibration of stringed instrument, given
after the fingers have been taken away
from it, so all music now of lutte and
drum and cornet is only the long con-
tinued strains of Jubal'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 Birmingham ma
chinery, and the roar and bang of fac
tories on the Merrimac.
1t seemed to be a matter Of no import
ance that Luther found Bible in a
monastery; but as he opened that Bible,
and the brass bound lids fell back, they
Jared everything, from the Vatican to
the furthest convent in Germany, and
the rustling of the wormed leaves was
the sound Of the wings of the angel Of
the Reformation. 1t seemed to be mat
ter of no importance that a woman,
whose name has been forgotten, dropped
tract in the way of 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 Cal to the Unconverted,
that was the means Of bringing multi
tude to God, among others Philip Dod-
bridge. Philip Doddridge wrote book
called 1.-THE Rise and Progress of Re-
ligion," which has brought thousands
and tens of thousands into the kingdom
of God, and among others the great
Wherefore. Wilberforce wrote book
called IA Practical View Of Christian
ity," which was the means of bringing
great multitude to Christ, among others
Leigh Richmond Leigh Richmond wrote
a tract called 1.-THE Dairyman's Daugh-
ter" which has been the means of the
salvation of unconverted 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 Baxter,
throug h Philip Doddridge, through the
great Wilberforce, through Leigh Rich
mond, on, on, on, forever. So the in
significant 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 Of your history. .
v. Again; see in my subject an il
lustration of the beauty Of female in
dustry.
Behold Ruth toiling in the harvest
field under the hot sun, or at noon TAX
ing plain bread with the reapers. or eat
ing the parched corn which Boaz handed
to her. The customs of society, OF course,
have changed, and without the hard
ships and exposure to which Ruth was
subjected every intelligent woman will
find something to do.
know there is sickly sentimentality
on this subject. In some families there
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 new pattern, or burst
ing into tears at midnight over the story
of some lover who shot himselfl 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
misfortune comes, what of these butter
f1ies9 Persons under indulgent parentage
may get upon themselves habits OF indo-
lence; but when they come out into prac-
teal life their soul will recoil with dis
gust and chagrin. They will feel in
their hearts what the poet so severely
satirized when he said:
Folks are so awkward, things SO tmpolite,
They're elegantly panied from morning until
night
Through that gate of Incidence how