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


veloved.
II. Again, see In my text the beaut
Of unfaltering friendship. suppos
there were plenty Of friends for Naom
while she was in prosperity, but Of al
her acquaintance, how many were will
ing to trudge of with her toward Judah
when she had to make that lonely jour
ney2 One the heroine Of my text. ON
absolutely one suppose whel
Naomi's husband was living, and they
had plenty of money, and all things wen
well, they had great many callers; bu
! suppose that after her husband died
and her property WENT and she got ole
and poor, she was not troubled very
much with callers All the birds thai
sung in the bower while the sun shone
have gone to their nests, now the night
has fallen.
Oh, these beautiful sunhowers that
spread out their color in the morning
hourl but are always asleep when the
sun is going down! Job had plenty of
friends when he was the richest man in
w; but when his property went and the
trials came, then there were none so
much that pestered as Eliphaz the Tema-
mite, and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar
the Naamathite
Life often seems to be mere game,
where the successful player pulls down
all the other men into his own lap. Let
suspicious arise about a mans character
and he becomes like bank in panic,
and all the imputations rush on him and
break down in a day that character
which in due time would have had
strength to defend ITSELF There are rep
utations that have been half century
in building, which 60 down under some
moral exposure, as vast temple is con-
sumed by the touch of a sulphurous
match. A hog can uproot a 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 Mordecai, who never
forgot their cause; Paul had such friend
in Onesiphorus, who visited him in jail;
Christ had such in the Marys, who adj
hered to him on the cross; Naomi had
such one in Ruth, who cried out: EN-
treat me not to leave thee, or to return
from following after thee;f for whittier thou
goest, will go; and where thou lodgest,
will lodge; thy people shall be my peo-
pie, and thy God, my God where thou
diest will die, and there will be buried:
the Lord do so to me, and more also, if
aught but death part thee and me-"
I'LL Again: 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
Jeruralem, to go along with her mother
in-law, I suppose the people said: "Oh,
what a foolish creature to 60 away from
her fathers house, to go off with poor
old woman toward the land of Judah!
They 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 a very dark morning
when Ruth started off with Naomi; but
behold her in my text in the harvest
field of Boaz, to be affianced to one of
the lords of the land, and become one of
the grandmothcrs of Jesus Christ, the
Lord of glory. And so it often is that
path which starts very darkly ends very
brightly.
When you started out for heaven, oh,
how dark was the hour of conviction
how Sinai Numbered, and devils tor
mented, and the darkness thickened!
All the sins of your life bounced upon
you, and it was the darkest hour you
ever saw when you first found out your
sins. After while you went into the
harvest field of Gods mercy; you began
to CLEAN in the fields 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 start
ing in conviction, very bright ending
in the pardon and the hope and the
triumph Of the Gospel
So, very often in our worldly business
or in our spiritual career. we start off on
a very dark path. We must CO. The
flesh may shrink back, but there is a
voice within, or voice from above, say
ing: "You must co." and we have to
drink the gall, and we have to carry the
cross, and we have to traverse the desert
and we are pounded and failed of mis-
representation and abuse. and we have to
urge our way through ten thousand OBJ.
stacles that must be slain by our own
right arm. We have to ford the river
we have to climb the mountain, 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 battlenents
we shall shout the victory; if not in this
world. then in that world where there is
no gall to drink. no burdens to carry, no
battles to fight. How do / know it9
Know it! know it because God says so:
''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"
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 practi-