Daily Yellowstone journal., 1889-11-03


the morning in mire. You cannot ex-
pect a Christopher Wren to mar his
own st. Paul's cathedral, or a Michael
Angelo TO dash out his own Last
Judgment" or a Handel TO discord his
Israel in Egypt" and you cannote x.
pect God to spoil the architecture and
music of his own world. How then are
we to be m6de viking To leavel Here is
where trouble comes in. After a man
has had a good deal of trouble, he says:
well, | am ready TO go. If there is
"A house somewhere whose roof doesn't
leak, | would like 10 live there. Ii
there is an atmosphere somewhere that
does not distress the lungs, | would
like TO breathe ii. II there is n society
somewhere where there is no title
tattle. | would like To live there.
Ii there is a home circle somewhere
where | can lind my lost friends, |
would like 10 20 there He used to
read the first part of the Bible chiefly,
now he reads the last part of the Bible
chiefly. Why has he changed Genesis
for Revelationi All he used TO be
anxious chiefly TO know how this
world was made. and all about its geo
logical construction. Now he is chiefly
anxious TO know how tie next world
was made. and how it looks, and who
live there, aud how they dress. He
reads Revelation ten times now where
he reads Genesis once. The old story,
I'm the beginning God created the
heavens and the earth, does not thrill
him half us much as the other story,
Il saw a new heaven and a new
earth" The old mans hand trembles
as he turns over this apocalyptic leaf,
and he has TO take out his handker-
chief to wipe his spectacles. That
book of Revelation is prospectus now
of the country into which he is to
soon immigrate; the country in which
he has lots already laid out, and ave-
nues opened, and trees planted. and
mansions built.
The thought of that blessed place
comes over me nightly, and | declare
that II this house were a great ship,
and you all were passengers on board
it, and one hand could launch that
ship into the glories of heaven, /
should be tempted to take the response
bility and launch you all into glory
with one stroke, holding on to the side
of the boat until | could get in myself.
And yet there are people here TO whom
this world is brighter han heaven.
Well, dear souls, | do not blame you.
1t is natural. But after a while you
will be ready TO go. Ii was not until
Job had been worn out with bereave-
ments and carbuncles and a pest of a
wife that he wanted TO see God. II
was not until the prodigal got tired of
living among the hogs that he wanted
TO go TO his Fathers house. 1t is the
ministry of trouble TO make this world
worth less and heaven worth more.
OUR DEPENDENCE on THE LORD.
Again, it is the use of trouble to
make US feel our complete dependence
upon God. King Alphonso said that
If he had been present at the creation
he could have made a better world
than this. What a pity he was not
present! do not know what God
will do when some men die. Men
think they can do anything until God
shows them they can do nothing at
all. We lay our great plans and we
like TO execute them. Ii looks big.
God comes and takes us down. As
Prometheus was assaulted by his enc
my, when the lance struck him it
opened a great swelling that had
threatened his death, and he got well.
So it is the arrow of trouble that lets
out great swellings Of pride. We
lever feel our dependence upon God
until we get trouble. | was riding
with my little child along the road,
and she asked if she might drive. |
said, Certainly"
| handed over the reins to her, and
Ihad TO admire the glCe with which
she drove. But after Il while we met
a team and VIC had TO turn out. Tie
road was narrow, and il was sheer
down on both sides. She handed the
reIns owe 10 me, and said: II think
you had better take charge of the
horse SO We are all children; and
on this road of life we like 10 drive.
IL gives one such an appearance of
superiority and power. II looks big.
But after a while we meet some OBJ
staclc, and we have totuIn out. and the
road is narrow, and it is sheer down on
sides; and then we are willing that both
God should take the reins and drive.
Ali my friends, we get upset so often
because we do not hand over the reins
soOn enough.
Can you not tell when you hear a
man pray, whether he has even had
any troublel | can. The cadence,
the phraseology indicate il. Why do
women pray better than men2 Be.
cause they have had more trouble.
Before a man has any trouble, his
prayers are poetic, and he begins
away up among the sun, moon and
stars, and gives the Lord a great deal
of astronomical information that must
be highly gratifying. He then comes
on down gradually over beautiful
tablelands 10 forever and ever,
amen" But after a man has had
trouble, prayer is with him q taking
hold of the arm Of God and crying out
for help. have heard earnest pray
ers on two or three occasions that /
remember.
Once, on the Cincinnati express
train, going at forty miles the hour,
and the train jumped the track, and
we were near a chasm eighty feet
deep; and the men who, a few minutes
before, had been swearing and bias
pheming God, began to pull and jerk at