Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1889-03-06

manding of presence, resolved tnat ne Wouit
take care of his fathers household. but un
der the swoop of yellow fever at Fernandina
Fla, be suddenly expired. So you know
good men and women who have had enongr
trouble, You think, to crush fifty people
No worldly philosophy could take such 6
trouble and set it to music, or play it OF
violin or flute or dulcimer or sackbut, but
dare to open that dark saying ON gospe
harp.
You wonder that very consecrated people
have trouble? Did you ever know any very
consecrated man or woman who bad nol
had greattrouble? Never, 1t was through
their troubles sarctifed that they were
made very good. you find anywhere in
this city man who has now and always hae
had perfect health, and never lost child,
and has always been popular, aud never had
business struggle or misfortune, who is dis
tingnished for goodness, pull your wire for
Ia telegraph messenger boy and send me
word snd l will drop everything and go
right away to look at him. There never has
been man like that. and never will be.
Who are those arrogant, selfconceited crea-
lures who move about without sympathy
for others and who think more of St.
Bernard dog, or an Alderpy cow, or a
Snutbdown sheep, or Berkshire pig than
the trouble was aevar sancti1ed. Who ara
those men who listen With moist eye as you
: tell them of suffering and who have q
pathos in their voice and kindness in their
manner and an excuse or an alleviation for
those gone astrsy? They are the men who
have graduated at the Royal Academy of
Trouble aud they have the diploma written
in wrinkles on their own couutenanoes.
Nv! ny! What heartaches they had! What
tears they have wep,! What injustice they
have sufferedi The mightiest influence for
publication and salvation is trouble. No
diamond ct for q crown until it is cut. M
wheat fit for br ad until it is ground off
There are only three things that can break
chain-a hammer. file or a fire; and
trouble is all three of them. The greatest
writer's, orators aud refnrmers get much of
their force from trouble. What gave to
Washington Irving that exquisite tender
ness and pathos which will makes his books
favorites while the English language con-
tinues to be written and spoken? An early
heart-break that he never once mentioned,
aud when. thirty years after the death of
| Matilda Hnff man, who was to have been
| his bride, her father picked up a piece of
| embroidery and said: THAT is piece of
poor Matilda's workmanship Washing
ton Irving sank from hilarity into silence
and walked away. Out of that lifetime
grief the great author dipped his pens
mightiest re enforcement. "Calvin's In
stitutes of Religion" than which a more
wonderful book was never written by hu-
man hand, was begun by the author at
t~enty-fve years OF age because of the per-
secution by Francis. King of France. Fara-
day toiled for all time on salary of 80
pounds year and candles. As every brick
of the wall of Babylon was stamped with
the letter N, standing for Nebuohadnezzar,
SO every part of the temple of Christian
achievement is stamped with the letter T,
standing for trouble.
When in olden time man was to be
honored with knighthood, be was struck
with the fiat of the sword. But those who
have come to the honor of keighthood iu
the kingdom of God wsro first struck, not
With the flat Of tho sword, but with the
keen edge of tho cimster. To build this
magnifcence Of character, Paul could not
have spared one Lash, one prisoo, one ston-
ing, one auathema, uae poisonous viper
from the hand, one shipwreck. What is
true of individuals is true OF nations. The
horrors of the American revolution gave
this country this. side of the Mississippi
river to independence. and the conflict be
tween England and France gave the most
of this country west of the Mississippi to
the Uoited States. France owned it, but
N .poleon. fearing that England would take
Vt, practically made present tn the United
States-for be received only SIS 600 600
for Louisiana, Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas
Nebraska. Iowa, Minnesota. Colorado, Da
kota, Montana, Wyoming and the Indian
Territory. Out of the fire of the American
Revolution came this country east of the
Z
tt.at west Of the Mississippi river. The
British empire rose to its present over
towering grandeur through guupowder plot
and Guy Fawkes's conspiracy, and North
ampton iusurrecGion, and Water Rsleigh's
bah+ading. aud Bacon's bribery, and Crom-
wells dissolution of Parliament, aud the
battles of Edge Hill, and Gran ham, aud
Newberry, and Mavston Moor, and Naseby,
aud Dunbar. and Sedgemonr aud execution
of Charles the First, aud London plague,
and London fire, aud London iusurrection,
aud Ryehouse plot, and tee vicissitudes Of
centuries. So the earth itSs before it
could become appropriate and beautiful
residence for the human family had. ac-
eording 70 geology. to ba Washed by univer
sal deluge, and scoIched and made incan-
descsnt by universal fires, and pounded by
sledge hammer of Icsbergs, and wrenched
by earthquakes that split coutinents. and
shaken by volcanoes that tossed mountains,
and passed through the catastrophes of
thousands of years before Paradise became
possible and the groves could shake out
their green banners aud the first garden
pour its carnage of color between the Gihon
and the Hiddekel. Trouble good thing
for the rocks, good thing for nations, as
we'll as good thing for individuals So
when you push against me with sharp H.
tetrogasion point, Why do the good suffer?
| open the dark saying on a harp, and,
though | can neither play an organ, or
cornet, or hautboy, or bugle, or clarinet. /
have taken some lessons on the Gospel
harp, aud if you would like to hear me, I
will play you these: ''All things work
together for 60 I'd to those who love God"
Now no Christening for the present SEEM
eth to be iogous, but grievous; ;nevertbeless,
afterward it yieideth all possible fruits OF
rghteousne ess unto them wh ,eh are oxercis.
ed tberaby." "Weeplng may endure for g
night, but joy oometh in the morning."
What sweet thing is a sharp, and l won
der not that 10 Wales, the country of my
ancestors, the harp has become the national
instrument, and that they have festivals
where great prizes are offered in the com
petition between harp and harp; or that
weird Sebastian Erard was much of bis time
bent over this ohOrded and vibrating triau-
gle aud was not satisfied until he had given
it compass of six octaves from Z to E,
with all the semi tones, or that when King
Saul was demenfed the sou of Jesse came
before him, and, putting his fingers among
the charmed strings Of the harp, played the
devil out of the eraAsd monarch, or that in
heaven there shall be barpers harping with
their harps. So you will net blame me for
opening the datk saying on the gospel harp.
Your harps. ye trembling saints.
Down from the willows take;
Loud to the praise of love divine
Bid every striag awake!
Interrogation third: Why d d a good God
let sin and trouble come into the world
when he might have kept them out? My
reply is, He bad good reason. He had
reasons that be has never given US. He
had reasons which He could no more MAKE
us undersra and in oIlr finite state than tho