Daily Yellowstone journal., 1888-09-09

people in their troubles say, "Why, /
wonder what God has against mel"
They seem 10 think God has some grudge
against them because trouble and mis-
fortune have come. Oh, no. Do you
not remember that passage Of Scripture,
"Whom the Lord loveth he chastenethi"
A child comes in with very bad splinter
in its hand and you try to extract it, It
is very painful operation. The child
draws back from you, but you persist.
You are going to take that splinter out,
so you take the child with a gentle but
firm grasp, for, although there may be
pain in it, the splinter must come out.
And it is love that dictates it, and makes
you persist. Ny friends, l really
think that nearly all cur sorrows in this
world are only the hand Of our Father
extracting some thorn. If all these sor-
rows were sent by enemies, would say,
arm yourselves against them; and, as In
tropical climes, when tiger comes down
from the mountains and carries of a
child from the village, tie neighbors
band together and go into the forest and
hunt the monster, 30 would have you,
if / thought these misfortunes were sent
by an enemy, go out and battle against
them. But no; they come from q
Father so kind, so loving, so gentle, that
the prophet, speaking Of his tenderness
and mercy, drops the idea OF a father,
and saws, LAS one whom his mother
comforteth, so will comfort yMi."
Again remark, there is comfort in
the thought that God, by all this process,
is going to make you useful. Do you
know that those who accomplish the
most for God and heaven have all been
under the harrow? Show me a man that
has done anything for Christ in this day,
in public or private place, who has had
no trouble and whose path has been
smooth. All, no.
once went through an ak factory,
and saw them take the bars of iron and
thrust them into the terrible furnaces.
Then besweated workmen with long
tongs stirred the blaze Then they
brought out bar Of iron and put it into
q crushing machine, and then they put
il between jaws that bit it in twain.
Then they put it on an anvil, and there
were great hammers swung by ma
chinery-each one half ton, in
weight-that went thumpl thumpi
thumpl II that iron could have
spoken it would have said, "Why
all this beating2 Why must l be
pounded any more than any other iron?"
The workmen would have said: 1--WE
want to make axes out Of you, keen,
sharp axes-axes with which to hew
down the forest, and build the ship, and
erect houses, and carry on a thousand
enterprises Of civilization. That's the
reason we pound you" Now, God puts
a soul into the furnace of trial. and then
il is brought out and run through the
crushing machine, and then it comes
down on the anvil, and upon it blow
after blow, blow after blow, and the soul
cries out, 80 Lord, what does all this
meani' God says, Il want to make
something very useful out Of you. You
sllall be something to hew with
and something TO build with.
1t is practical process through
which | am putting you" Yes, my
Christian friends, we want more tools in
the church of God. Not more wedges to
split with; we have enough Of these. Not
more bores with which to drill; we have
too many bores. What we really want
is keen, sharp, well tempered axes, and
If there be any other way Of making them
than in the hot furnace, and on the hard
anvil, and under the heavy hammer, /
do not know what ii is. Remember that
If God brings any kind of chastisement
upon you, il is only to make you useful.
Do not sit down discouraged, and say,
II have no more reason for living, !
wish l were dead" Oh, there never
was so much reason for your living as
now! BY this ordeal you have been con-
secrated priest Of the Most High God.
Go out and do your whole work for the
Master.
Again, there is comfor; in the thought
that all our troubles are a revelation.
Have you ever thought Of il in that con-
nectiong The man who has never been
through chastisement is ignorant about a
thousand things in his soul he ought to
know. For instance, here is a man who
prides himself on his cheerfulness Of
character. He has no patience with any
body who is depressed in spirits. Oh, it
is easy for him TO be cheerful, with his
fine house, his filled wardrobe and well
strung instruments of music and tapes
tried parlor and plenty of money in the
bank waiting for some permanent In
vestment. II Is easy for hia TO be cheer
ful. But suppose his fortune goes TO
pieces and his house goes down under
the sherifT's hammer and the banks viii
not have anything TO do with his paper.
Suppose those people who were once
elegantly entertained at his table get so
short sighted that they cannot
recognize him upon the street How
them Is it so easy TO be cheerfuli
IL is easy 10 be cheerful In the home,
after the days work is done, and the
gas is turned on, and the house is full Of
romping little ones. But suppose the
piano is shut because the fingers that
played on il will no more touch the keys,
and the childish voice that asked 90
many questions will ask no more. Then
Is II so easyl When a man wakes uI
and finds that his resources are all gone,
he begins to rebel, and he Gays, God Il
hard, God is outrageous. lie had nc
business TO do this 10 me-" My friends
those OF us who have been through