The national leader., 1889-04-20

depots In Dakota said: "When will you
| get on the locomotive. and take ride
with us?' "Well," I said. ''now, if
that suits you?" So got on one side
of the locomotive, and Methodist
minister, who was also invited. got
on the other side, and between us
were the engineer and the stoker. The
train started. The engineer had
his hand on the agitated pulse of
the great engine. The st0ker shov-
eled In the coal, and shut the door with
loud clang. A vast plain slipped
under us, and the hills swept by, and
| that great monster on which we rode
| trembled and bounded and snorted and
ragged as it hurled us on. said to the
| Methodist minister on the other side of
| the locomotive: ''My brother, why
should Presbyterians and Methodists
quarrel about the DEGREES and free
| agencyP You see that track. that firm
decree. You see this engineers arm?
That is free agency. How beautifully
they work together. They are going
to take US through. We could not do
without the track, and we could not
| do without the engineer. So rejoice
day by day.
WORK FOR ALL TO DO,
and we may turn the crank of the
| Christian machinery this way or that,
for we are free agents; but there is the
track laid SO long ago no one remem-
bers it, laid by the hand Of Almighty
God in sockets that no terrestrial or
| nroouura aon ounr offoot And
| along that track the car of the worlds
redemption will roll and roll to the
Grand Central Depot of the millennium.
have no anxiety about the track.
am only afraid thas for our Incidence
God will discharge US and get some
other stoker and some other engineer.
The train is going through with us or
without us. So, my brethren. watch
all the events that are going by. If
| things seem to turn out right, give
wings to your JOY. If things seem to
turn out wrong, throw out the anchor
of faith, and hold fast.
There is a house In London where
Peter the Great of Russia lived awhile
when he was moving through the land
lncOgnitO and in workman's dress,
| that he might learn the wants of the
people. A stranger was visiting at
that house recently, and saw in dark
attic an old box, and he said to the
owner of the house, "What's in that
box?' The owner said, 81 don't know:
that box was there when l got the
house, and it was there when my
father got it. We haven't had any
curiosity to look at 1t; l guess there's
nothing IN it. "Well," said the stran-
ger. "Ill give you two pounds for it,"
"Well, done" The two pounds
paid, and recently the contents Of that
box was sold to the cZar of Russia for
fifty thousand dollars. In it the lath-
ing machine of Peter the Great, his
private letters, and documents Of value
beyond all monetary consideration.
| And here are the events that seem very
insignificant and unimportant, but they
incase treasures of divine providence
and eternities Of meaning which after
while God will demonstrate before
the ages as being of stupendous
value.
When Titans play quOits they pitch,
mountains; but who owns these gigan-
tic forces you have been reading about
the last two monthsp Whose hand is
ON the Unbelievable of the volcanoes?
Whose foot. suddenly planted on the
fOOtstOol, makes the continents quiverp
God! Godl He looketh upon the
mountains, and they tremble. He
toucheth the hills, and they smoke.
Godl God! I must be at peace with
Him. Through the Lord Jesus Christ
this God is mine and He Is yours.
put the earthquake that shook Pales-
tine at the crucifxion, against all the
down rockings of the centuries. This
God on our side. we may challenge all
the centuries of time and all the cycles
of eternity.
Those of us who are In mid life may
well thank God that we have seen 80.
MANY woNDRoUs THINGS;
but there are people here to-day who
may have to see the shimmering veil
between the material and the spiritual
world lifted. Magnetism. a word with
which to cover up our ignorance, will
yet be an explored realm. Electricity,
the fiercy courser Of the sky, that Ben
! jamln Franklin lassoed, and Morse, Bell
and Edison have tried to control. will
become completely manageable. and
locomotion will be swiftened. and
world of practical knowledge thrown
| in upon the race. Whether we depart
In this century, or whether we see the
open gates of a more wonderful cen.
tury, we will see these things. 1t does
not make much difference where we
stand, but the higher the standpoint
the larger the prospect. We will see
them from heaven If we do not see
them from earth.
was at Fire Island, Long Island,
and 1 went up in the cupola from
,1rhinh fhau falonranh To NaW Ynrl tho