The Iola register., 1889-11-08

| We never feel our dependence upor
God until we get trouble. / was riding
with my little child along the road, and
she asked If she might drive. I said
Certainly" l handed over the reins
to her, and had to admire the glee
with which she drove. But after q
while we met team and we had to
turn out. The road was narrow, and IL
was sheer down on both sides. She
handed the reins over to me and said:
81 think you had better take charge OF
the horse" So we are all children; and
on this road of life we like to drive. 1t
gives one such an appearance of superb
ority and power. 1t looks big. But
after awhile we meet some obstacle, and
we have to turn out, and the road
is narrow, and it is sheer down on
both sides; and then We are willing
that God should take the reins and
drive. All! my friends, we get upset so
often because we do not hand over the
reins soon enough.
Can you tell me when you hear a man
pray whether he has ever had any
trouble? l can. The cadence, the
phraseology indicate it. Why do women
pray better than men? Because they
have had more trouble. Before q man
has had any trouble his prayers are
poetic and he begins away up among
the sun, moon and stars, and gives the
Lord great deal of astronomical in
formation that must be highly gratify-
ing. He then comes on down gradually
over beautiful tablelands to forever
and ever. amen, amen" But after a
man has had trouble prayer is with him
a taking hold of the arm of God and
| crying out for help. Ihave heard earnest
prayers on two or three occasions that l
| remember.
1t is trouble, my friends, that makes
us feel our dependence on God. We do
not know our own weakness or Gods
strength until the last plank breaks. 1t
is contemplate in us when there is
nothing else to take hold of that we
catch hold of God only. A man is un-
fortunate in business. He has to raise
great deal of money and raise it quick
ly. He bOrrows on word and note all he
can borrow. After while he puts a
mortgage on his house. Then he puts
second mortgage on his house. Then he
puts a lien on his furniture. Then he
makes over his life insurance. Then he
assigns all his property. Then he goes
to his father-in-law and asks for help.
Well, having failed everywhere, COM
pletely failed, he gets down on his
knees and says: SO Lord, have tried
hpl nd !, II
out of this financial trouble" He makes
God the last resort instead of the first
resort. There are men who have paid
10 cents on dollar who could have paid
100 cents on dollar if they had gone to
God in time. Why, you do not know
who the Lord is. He is not an autocrat
seated far up in a palace. from which he
energies once year, preceded by
heralds swinging swords to clear the
way. No. But Father willing, at our
call, to stand by us in every crisis and
predicament of life.
l tell you what some of you business
men make me think of. A young man
goes off from home to earn his fortune.
He goes with his mothers consent and
benediction. She has large wealth, but
he wants to make his own fortune. He
goes far away, falls sick, gets out Of
money. He sends for the hotelkeeper
where he is staying, asking for lem
ience, and the answer he gets is: "If
you don't pay up Saturday night you'll
be removed to the hospital" The young
man sends to comrade in the same
building. No help. He writes to a
banker who was friend to his deceased
father. No relief. He writes to an old
schoolmate, but gets no help Saturday
night comes and he is moved to the hos
pital.
Getting there, he is frenzied with
grief; and he borrows a sheet of paper
and a postage stamp, and he sits down,
and he writes home saying: Dear
mother, am sick unto death. Come" 1t
is ten minutes of ten when she gets the
letter. At ten o'clock the train starts.
She is five minutes from the depot. She |
gets there in time to have five minutes
to spare. She wonders why train that |
can go thirty miles an hour can not go |
sixty miles an hour. She rushes into |
the hospital. She says: MY son, what |
does all this mean? Why didn't you |
send for me? You sent to everybody but |
me. You knew l could and would help |
you. Is this the reward l get for my |
kindness to you always?" She bundles
him up, takes him home, and gets him
we'll very soon.
Now, some of you treat God just as
that young man treated his mother.
When you get into financial perplexi-
ty you call on the banker, you call on
the broker, you call on your creditors,
you call on your lawyer for legal coun-
sci, you call upon every body and when
you can not get any help then you go to
God. You say, so Lord, come to Thee.
Help me now out of my perplexity."
And the Lord comes, though it is the
eleventh hour. He says, "Why did you
not send for Me before? As one whom
his mother comforteth so will comfort
you" 1t is to throw us back upon an
all-comforting God that we have this
of tears.
Again, it is the use of trouble to ca
pacitate US for the Office of sympathy.
The priests under the old dispensation
we're set apart by having water
sprinkled on their hands. feet and head
and by the sprinkling of tears people
are now set apart to the Office of SYM
pathy. When we are in prosperity we like
TO have great many young people
around US, and we laugh when they
laugh, and we romp when they romp,
md we sing when they sing; but when
We have trouble we like plenty Of old
iolks around. Why? They know how
% talk. Take an aged mother, seventy