National Republican., 1888-05-21


battles TO fight. How do know iG Know II,
J know II because God says 50; "They shall
hunger no more, neither thirst any more,
neither shall the sun light on them, nor any
heat, for the lamb which Is In the midst of the
throne shall lead them to living fountains Of
water and God shall wipe all tears from their
eyes"
II was very hard for Noah to endure the
scofling of the people IN his day while he was
trying TO build the ark, and was every morn.
ing qui2zcd about his old boat that would
never lie of any practical use: but when the
delugc came and the tops Of the mountains
disappeared like the backs of sea monsters,
and the elements, laShCd mp In fury. clappc1
their hands oyer II drowned world, then Noah
IN the ark rcloiCcd IN hs own safety and IN
the safety Of his familyand looked ont on the
wreck OF ruined earth.
Christ, bounded of prosecutors, denie u
pillow, worse maltrCatCd than the thieves on
either side of the cross. human hate slnacking
Us lips ~ satisfaction after " had been drain.
Ing Ills last drop of blood, the shcatCd dead
bursting from the scpulchrcs nj His cruel
llSOn. Tell me, q GOtliscmanc and Golgotha.
were there ever darker times than thDses
Like the booming Of the midnight sea against
the rock, the surgCs of Christs anguish beat
against the gates of eternity, to be echoed
back by all the thrones Of heaven and all the
dungeons of hell jut the day Of reward
comes for Christ; all the pOmp and dominion
of this world are to be hung on His throne,
nncrowned heads are TO bow before Him on
whose head are many crowns, and all the
like the hummlng Of the forest, like the rush
ing of the waters. like the laundering of the
Seas While az heayen aver, rising on ter t,,o99es
for the Lord God omipotent rcigncth, Halle
Ejah the Kingdoms of this world have be.
come the kingdoms Of cur 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 goldon.spired Apocalypse
w. Again: I learn from my subject that
events which seem to be most insignificant
A o. IN mn
thing more unimportant than the coming of a
poor woman from Moab 10 Judahy Can you
imagine anything more trivial than the fact
that this Ruth Just happened 10 alight as they
say-1ust happened TO alight on that field of
BoaZ; Yet all ages, all generations, have an
interest In the fact that She was To become an
ancestor of the Lord Jesus Christ, and all
nations and kingdoms must look at that one
little incident with thrill Of unspcakable and
eternal satisfaction SO II is in your, history
importance at all have been of very great
moment. That casual conversation, that ac
cidcntal meeting YOU did not think of II again
for long Mli!r; but how II CHANGED all the
II seemed TO be OF 10 Importance that Jubal
invented rude instruments of music, calling
them harp and organ; but they We're the intro
you hear the vibration of "A .stringcd instru
ment, even after the fingers. have been taken
away from II, so all music now of lutte and
drum and cornet Is only the long continued
strains. of Jubals harp and Jubal's organ II
seemed to be matter Of very little Import.
ance that Tubal cain learned the uses of cop.
per and iron; bnt that rude foundry of ancient
days has its echo In the rattle of Birmingham
machinery, and the roar and bang of factories
on the Merrimac.
II seemed to be q matter Of no Importance
but as he onencd that, Bible, and the brass.
bound lids fell back, they Jared everything,
FROM the vatican to the furtherest convent IN
Germany, and the rustlng, of the wormed
nt win off hn
angel of the Reformation; 1t seemed to be
matter of no Importance that woman, whose
name has been forgotten, dropped tract in
The way of a very bad man, by the name of
Richard Baxter. lie picked the tract and
read 1t, and II was the means of his salvation.
In after days that man wrote book called
the means Of bringing a naittude t to God, Sd
among others Philip Dodlridgc. Philip Dod
drldge wrote q book called The Rise and
Progress Of RELIGION which has brought
kingdom of God, and among Others the great
Wilberforce. Wilborforce wrote a book
called "A Practical View Of Christianity"
titude to Christ, among Others Leigh Rich.
mond. Leigh Richmond wrote tract called
'The Dairyman's Daughter" which has
converted muititudes. And that tide of
influence started from the fact that one
Christian. woman dropped q, tract In the
rolling on through Richard M Baxter, I through
Philip Doddridge, through the great Wilber-
force, through Leigh Richmond, on, on, on for
ever, forever So the insignificant events of
this world seem, after all, to be most mo-
mcntous. The fact that you came.up that
street or this street seemed To- be 81 no Inn
rortance TO you, and the fact that you went
inside OF some church may seem to be mat
ter of very, great insignidcance To you, but
you Will find 1t the turning point In your his
tory.
of the beauty of female industry,
Behold Ruth toiling in the harvest field un.
der me hot sun, or at noon taking pain bread
with the reapers, or eating the parched corn
which Boaz handed to her. The customs of
society, of course, have changed, and without
the hardships, and exposure to which Ruth
find something to do.
know there is sickly sentimentality on
this subject. In some families there are per.
sons 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 lqnguishing over a new pat
tern or bursting into tears at midnight over
the story of some lover who shot himself.
They would not ,deign to look ut Ruth carry
ing back the barley on her way home to her
m0ther.in-law Naomi. All this fastidiousness
may seem to do very well viii lie they are under
the shelter Of their fathers house, but when
| the sharp winter of misfortune comes, what of
| these butterflies? Persons under indulgent
| parentage may get upon themselves habits of
| Incidence but When they come out into prac.
and chasrin. They will feel in their hearts
| what the poet so severely satirized when he
| said;
Folks are so awkward, things so impolitc,
They're elegantly panied from morning until
Through that gate of Incidence how many
men. and women have marched, useless on
earth, to destroyed eternity, Spinola said
brother M ta dc of having Mothins MTi s to ES ESo
| was the answer "Ah," said Spinola, that's
enough to kill any general Of us" Oh can it
| much suffering to be allcviated, SO much
| darkness 70 be enlightened, and so many bur
dens to be carried, that there is any person
who cannot find anything to doy
| time, and one day, while she was. seated amid
| Instruments of music, all of which she had
| mastered, and amid manuscript books which
doyou find time TO attend to all these thlngs;"
on she replied, these, are, not, the
things am proud Of, Ny chief boast
trades, by any one of which | could
make a livelihood If necessary And if in
secular. spheres thereis SO much to be done,
want more Abigails, more llannahs, more
| RebeCcas, more Marys more DebOrahs conSe'
| crated-body, mind, soul-to the Lord, who
bought them.
| VI. once mOre | learn from my subject the
| value of cleaning.
Ruth going into that harvest field might have
| said: There is a straw, and there Is straw,
| but what is II straw: | can't get any barley
| for myself or my mOthcr'in.lnw cut of these
| separate strQws." Not so said beautiful Ruth.
SHE gathered two straws and she put them
| together and more straws until she got
! enough to make a sheaf, Putting that down
| she went and gathered more straws until she
| had another sheaf, and another, and another,
| and another, and then she brought them all
| together, and she thrcshed them out, and she
| had an ephah of barley, nigh bushel oh,
that we might all be cleaners
Elihu Burritt learded many things willie
| toiling In blaCksmith's shop. AberCrOm-
| bic, the word-renowned philosopher, was a
| philosopher In scotland, and he got his philos'
| Ophy or the chief part Of II, while, as Il ply
| sician, he was waiting for the door of the sick
| room to open. Yet how many there are In
| this day Who say they are so busy they have
| no time for mental or spiritual Improvement