The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1889-07-11

On, what a glorious p. teofthings to have
the friendship OF God! Why, we could afford
TO have all the world against US aud all 9th.
er worlds against US II we had God for us.
he could in a minute blot out this universe
and in another minute make q better uni
when be made all things. The most brilliant
thing known to US is light and for
the creation OF that lie only used q word OF
command. As out Of flint a frontiersra an
strikes a spark so out Of one word God
struck the MONDAY sun. For the making of
the present universe I do not read that God
lifted 40 much as q finger. The bible fire.
arm and Gods shoulder and Gods foat'
then suppose he should put hand and arm
and shoulder and foot to utmost tension.
what could he not make? That God, oil
such demonstrated and ~undemonstrated
strength, You may have for yOur present
and everlasting friend. But O stately and
reticent friend, hard to get at. but as ap-
proachable as q country mansion OF a sum
mer day when all the doors and windows are
wide open. Christ said: II am the door,"
And he is q wide door, q high door, n palace
door, an always open door. My 4-year-old
child got hurt and did not cry until hours
after, when her mother came home, and then
she burst into a At Of weeping, and some of
the domestics, not understanding human ma
ture, said to her, "Wby did you not cry
before?" She answered there was no one
to cry to-" Now I have to tell you that
while human sympathy may be absent.
divine sympathy is always accessible. Give
God your love and get his love: your service
and secure help; your repentance and have
his pardon. God q friend? Why, that means
all your wounds medicated, all your sorrows
soothed, and il some, sudden catastrophe
should hurl you out of earth it would only
hurl you into heaven. food is your friend,
you can not go out of the world too quickly
or suddenly, SO far as your own happiness is
concerned. There were two Christians Lust
Tuesday who entered heaven: the one was
standing at a windowin perfect health watch
ing q shower and the lightning instantly
slew him, but the lightning did not fash down
the sky as swiftly as his spirit flashed up
ward. The Christian man who died on the
same day next O had been for a year or
two failing in health, and for the last three
months had suffered from a disease that
made the nights sleepless and the days an.
case OF the one who went instantly was
more desirable than the one who entered the
shining gate through a long lane of insomnia
and congestion? In the one case it was like
your standing YEARLY at a door, knocking
and waiting, and wondering fit will ever
open, and knocking and waiting again,
while in the other case it was O swinging
oPCA Vi II uooI az GHc AJbp UouCu - your
knuckle. Give your friendship to God. and
have Gods friendship for you, and even the
worst accident will be q victory.
How refreshing is human friendship, ard
true friends what priceless treasures! When
sickness comes and trouble comes and death
comes we send for our friends first of all, and
their appearance in our doorway in any
crisis is reinforcement, and when they have
entered we say: Nov it is all rightl' Oh,
what would we do without friends, family
frien.s? But we want something mightier
than human friendship in great exigencies.
When Jonathan Edwards in his final hour
had given his last good-by to all his earthly
friends he turned on his pillow and closed
his eyes confidently saying: Nov, where is
friend?" Yes, l admire human friendship as
seen in the case of David and Jona-
than, of Paul and O~nesipherous, of
Herder and Goethe. of Goldsmith
and Reynolds, of Beaumont and Flet-
cher, Of Cowley and Harvey, OF Erasmus and
Thomas More, of Leasing and Mendelssobn,
OF Lady Churchill and Princess Anne, of
Orestes and Pylades, each requesting that
himself might take the point Of the dagger
SO the other might be spared, of Epaminon-
das and Pelopidas, who locked their shields
in battle, determined to die together; but the
grandest, the highest, the tenderest friend
ship in all the universe is the friendship be-
after all 1 have said l feel l have only done
what James Marshall, the miner, did in
1S45 in California, before it's gold mines were
known. He reached in and put upon the
table of his employer, Capt. Sutton, q thin
bletul of gold dust. "Where did you get
that?" said his employer. The reply was!
u got it thus morning from anil race from
which the water has been drawn off," But
that gold dust which could have been taken
up between the finger and the thumb was the
prophecy and specimen that revealed Cali
.%fornia's wealth to all nations. And to-day
1have only put before you q specimen of the
value OF divine worship-only athimbleful Of
time and all eternity go on with the explora.
ton.