The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1888-09-13

| stirred the blaze. Then they brought out
| bar OF iron and put It into crushing
machine, and then they put It between
| jaws that bit it In twain. Then they
put II on an anvil, and there were great
hammers swung by machinery, each one
a half ton in weight, that went thurnpl
| thump thump! II that iron could have
| spoken il would have said:
"Why all this beating? Why must be
| pounded any more than any other iron'
| The wOrkmen would have said:
"WC want 30 mako 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 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 machjne, and
then it comes down upon the anvil, and
upon it blow after blow, blow after blow
and the soul cries ont:
30 Lord what does all this mean"
God says:
II want to make something very USE
ful out Of you. You shall be something
to hew with and something to build WITH.
1t is a practical process through which l
am putting YOU"
more tools in the Church OF God. Not
more wedges to split with; we have
enough o. these. Not more bores With
which to- drill; we have too many bores.
What We really want is keen, sharp, WELL
tempered axes, and II there be any other
way of making them than in the hot fur
mace. and on the bard anvil, and under
the heavy hammer, do not kcow what 1t
is Remember that il God brings any
kind Of chastisement upon you, it is only
to make you useful Do not sit DOWN dis.
couragrd, and say:
Il have no more reason for living, ]
wish | were dead"
Oh, there never was 50 much reason Tor
your living as now. BY this ordeal you
have been consecrated a priest Of the
! most high God. Go out and do yoar whole
work for the Master.
Again, there is comfort IN the thought
! that all our troubles are a revelation.
Have you ever thought Of 1t in that con-
nection? The man who has never been
through chas tisement 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, with
! his fine house, his frilled wardrobe and
! well strung instruments OF music, and
| taPestried parlor and plenty OF money in
! the bank waiting for some permanent in
vestment. II is easy for him to be cheer
! ful. But suppose his fortune goes to
pieces, and his house goes down under
| The sherif's hammer, and the hanks will
not have any thing to do with his paper.
! Suppose those people WHO wore once ele-
eantly entertained at his table get so
.hort-sighted that they can not recognize
him upon the street. How then? Is it Sc
! L., al, TO ha
cheerful in the home, after the days
work is done and the gas is turned on,
and the house is full OF rompiing littls
ones. Bat suppose the piano is shut be.
| cause the fingers that played on If willuo
more touch the keys. and the childish
| voice that asked so many questions VIII.
ask no more. Then is it so easy? heD
! a man wakes up and fIds that his re-
sources are.all gone, he begins to re bel,
and he says:
''God is hard; God is outrageous. He
had no business to do this to me-"
NY friends, those OF us who have been
| through trouble know what sinful and
| rebeiiOus heart we have and how much
| God has to put up with and how much we
need pardon. It is only in the light of a
| flaming furnace that we can learn our
own weakness and our own lack of moral
resource.
Iremark once more: Our troubles in
this world are preparative for glory
What transition it was for Paul-from
the slippery deck of a laundering ship to
the calm presence OF Jesus! What q
transition il was for Latimer-from the
stake to the throne. What transition
il was for Robert Hall-from insanity to
glory! What a transition it was for
Richard Baxter-from the dropsy to the
saints everlasting rest" And what
transition it Will be for yOu-'rom a world
of sorrow to a world of joy! John Hol-
land. when he was dying, said:
"What means this brightness in tho
room? Have you lighted the candles?"
No." they replied, I'VE have not lighted
any candles" Then said he:
welcome Heaven" the light already
beam:ng upon his pillow. Oye who are
prosecuted in this world, your enemies
will get off the track after awhile, and all
will speak we'll OF you among the thrones.
Ho! ye who are sick now, no medicines to
take there Oae breath of the eternal
hills will thrill you with immortal vigor.
And ye who are lonesome now, there will
be a thousand spirits to welcome you into
their comDaniols o ye bereft souls.
there will be no grave -digyer's spade
that will cleave the side Of that hill, and
there will be no dirge wailing from that
temple The river of God, deep as the
Joy of Heaven, will roll on between banks
odorous with balm, and over depths bright
with jewels, and under skies roseate with
gladaesS, rgDsies OF light going down
the stream to the stroke ot glittering oar
and the song of angels! Not one sigh in
the wind; not one tear mingiing with the
waters.
There shall battle my weary soul
In seas of heavenly rest,
And not u wave OF trouble roll
Across my peaceful breast.