Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1888-06-01

where the successful player pulls down all
the other men into his own lap. Let sus-
picions arise about a mans character and
he becomes like bank in panic, and all
the imputations rush on him and break
down in day that character which in due
time would have had strength to
defend itself. There are reput-
atoms that have been half .
century in building, which go down un-
der some moral exposure, as q vast temple
is consumed by the touch of sulphurous
match. hog can uproot o century plant.
In this world, so full of heartlessness
and hypocrisy, how thrilling it is to find
some friend as faithful in days of adver.
sity as in the days of prosperity. David
had such friend in Hushai the Jews had
such friend in Mordecia, who never for.
got their cause; Paul had such friend in
Onesiphorus, who visited him in Jail;
Christ had such in the Marys, who nd:
hered to Him on the cross; Naomi had
treat me not to leave thee, or return from
following after thee; for whittier thou
goest, l will 90; and where thou lodgest. 1
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 me, and more also, it 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 Je.
rusalem, to go along with her mother.in-
law, suppose the people said: "Oh, what
foolish creature to so away from her
fathers house, to go off with q poor old
won't live to get across the desert. They
will be drowned in the sea, or the jackals
of the wilderness will destroy them" 1t
was very dark morning when Ruth
started off with Naomi; but behold her in
my text in the harvest field of Boaz, to be
afianced to one of the lords of the land.
and become one of the grandmothers of
Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. And SO
it etten is that path which starts very
darkly ends very brightly.
When you started out for Heaven, oh,
how dark was the hour of convicton-how
Sinai Numbered, and devils torn ented.
and the darkness thickened. All the sins
of your life bounced upon you, and it was
first found out your sins. After a while
you went into the harvest field of Gods
mercy; you began TO CLEAN in the field of
divine promise, and you had more sheaves
than you could carry, as the voice of God
addressed you, saying: BLESSED is the
man whose transgressions are forgiven,
and whose sins are covered" A very dark
starting in conviction, very bright ending
in the pardon and the hope and the tri-
umphof the Gospel!
So, very often in our worldly business
or in our spiritual career, we start off on a
very dark path. We must go. The flesh
may shrink back, but there is voice
within, or voice from above, saying: "You
OF and hor tn i~1> f1,n
and we have to carry the cross, and we
have to traverse the desert, and we are
pounded and failed of Misrepresentation
and abuse, and we have to urge our way
through ten thousand obstacles that must
be slain by our right arm. We have to
ford the river, we have to climb the mount
ain, we have to storm the castle. but,
blest be God, the day of rest and reward
will come. On the tip-top of the captured
battlements we shall shout the victory;
if not in this world, then in that world
where there is no gall to drink, no bur.
dens to carry, no battles to fight. How do
I know it? Know it! I know it because
God says so: "They shall hunger no more,
light on them, or any heat, for the Lamb
which is in the midst Of the throne sha II
lead them to living fountains of water,
and God shall 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 was every
morning quizzed about his old boat that
would never be of any practical use; but
when the deluge came, and the tops of the
mountains disappeared like the backs of
sea monsters, and the elements, dashed up
in fury. clapped their hands ever the
4 uorl6 thon Nnoh in tho
joiced in his own safety and in the safety
Of his family, and looked out on the wreck
of q ruined earth.
Christ, bounded of prosecutors, denied q
pillow, worse maltreated than the thieves
on either side of the cross, human hate
smacking it's lips in satisfaction after it
had been draining his last drop of blood,
the sheeted dead bursting from the sepul-
cheers at his crucifxion. Tell me. 0 Geth-
semane and Golgetha! were there ever
darker times than those? Like the BOOM
ing of the midnight sea against the rock,
the surges Of Christs anguish beat against
all the thrones of Heaven and all the dun
geons of hell. But the day of reward
comes for Christ; all the pomp and domin-
ion of this world are to be hung on His
throne, uncrowned heads are to bow before
Him on whose head are many crowns, and
all the celestial worship is to come up at
his feet, like the humming of the forest,
like the rushing of the waters, like the
laundering of the seas, while all Heaven,
rising on their thrones, beat time with thei1
scepters: "Hallelujah, fer the Lord God
omnipotent reigneth! Hallelujah, the
Kingdoms of this world have become king
doms 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
The golden spired Apocalypse.
Nv. Again: learn from my subject
| that events which seem to be most insig.
nifcant may be momentous. Can you
imagine anything more unimportant thar
the coming of a poor woman from Moat
to Judah? Can you imagine anything more
trivial than the fact that this Ruth just
happened to alight-as they say--just hap.
pened to alight on that field of Boaz. Ye,
oil ages, all generations have an interest in
the fact that she was to become an ancesto,
of the Lord Jesus Christ, and oil nations
and kingdoms must look at that one little
incident with thrill OF unspeakable and
eternal satisfaction. So it is in your his.
tory and in mine; events that you thought
of ne importance at.all have been of very
| great moment That casnal copvorco%;o,,