Democratic messenger., 1889-11-02

Angelo 70 dash out his own Last
Judgment, "or q Handel TO discord his
Israel in Egypt" and you cannotex-
pect God 10 spoil the architecture and
music Of his own world. How then are
we TO be made willing to leayei Hero In
where trouble comes in. After O man
has had q good deal Of trouble, he says:
''Well, am ready TO 60. II there Is
= 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 IL II there Is q society
where there Ii no title
tattle, would like to live there.
II there Is q homo circle somewhere
where can find my lost friends, !
would like TO 20 there" He used 10
read the first part Of the Bible chiefly,
now he reads the last part of tho Bible
chiefly. Why has he changed Genesis
for Reyelationi Ahi he used to be
chiefly TO know how this
world was made, and all about its geo
logical construction. Now he Is chiefly
70 know how the next world
was made, and how IL looks, and who
live there, and how they dress. He
reads Revelation ten times now where
he reads Genesis once. Tho old story,
SIN the beginning God created the
heavens and the earth, does not thrill
him half as much as the other story,
81 saw q new heaven and o 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 If this house were o great ship,
and you all were passengers on board
IL, 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 than heaven.
Well, dear souls, ] do not blame you.
II is natural. But after while you
viii be ready to go. II was not until
Job had been worn out with bercave-
ments and carbuncles and pest OF q
wife that he wanted to see God. Il
was not until the prodigal got tired Of
living among the hogs that he wanted
to go 10 his Fathers house. II is the
ministry Of trouble TO make this world
worth less and heaven worth more.
OUR DEPENDENCE ON THE LORD.
Again, il is the use Of trouble to
make us feel our complete dependence
upon God. King Alphonso said that
IL he had been present at the creation
he could have made o better world
than this. What q 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 q 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
never feel our dependence upon God
until We get trouble. ! was riding
with my little child along the road,
and she asked il she might drive. !
said, Certainly"
] handed over the reins to her, and
Ihad to admire the glee with which
she drove. But after a while We met
q team and we had to turn out. The
road was narrow, and it was sheer
down ON both sides. She handed the
reins over 10 me, and said: II think
YOU had better take charge Of tho
horse" So we are all children; and
on this road Of life we like to drive.
Il gives one such an appearance Of
superiority and power. 1t looks big.
But after while wc meet some OBJ
stacle, aud We have TO turn 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.
Ahi 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 no has ever had
any troublei ! can. The cadence.
the phraseology indicate il. Why do
women pray better than meni Be.
cause they have had more trouble.
Before 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
DO highly gratifying. He then comes
ON down gradually over beautiful
tablelands to ''forever and ever,
amen" But after q man has had
trouble, prayer is with him a 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 chasm eighty feet
deep; and the men who, few minutes
before, had been swearing and bias.
pheming God, began to pull and jerk al
tho bell rope. and got up ON the backs
Of the seats and cried out, 20 God,
save usr Hlere was another time.
about eight hundred miles out at sea,
on a laundering steamer, after the last
lifeboat had been split finer than kim
ding wood. They prayed then. Why
Is It you 50 often hear people, Ia. re-
citing the last experience Of some
tiful prayer I ever heard9" What
makes il beautifulf Il Is the earnest
ness OF Il. Oh, tell you a man Is in
earnest when his stripped and naked
soul w,.des out In the soundless, shore
less. boitomless ocean OF eternity.
Il is trouble, my friends. that makes
Us feel our dependence upon God. We
do not know our own weakness on
Gods strength until the last plank