The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1889-11-13

MAXI tnIo Woiiu VIVA ASSc 90" AoovSA
worth more.
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 better world than this.
What pity he was not present! do
not know what God will do when some
men die, Men think they can do any
thing until God shows them they can do
nothing at all. We lay our great plans
and we like to execute them. 1t looks
big. God comes and takes us down. As
Prometheus was assaulted by his enemy,
when the lance struck him 1t opened
great swelling that had threatened his
death, and ne got we'll. So 1t is the ar
row of trouble that let's out great swell
lings of pride. We never feel our de-
pendence upon God until we get into
trouble. l was riding with my little
child along the road, and she asked if
she might drive. I said: "Certainly."
handed over the reins to her, and l
had to admire the glee with which she
drove. But after awhile we met team,
and we had to turn out The road was
narrow, and it 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 APP
pearance of superiority and power. 1t
looks big. But after while 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 not tell when you hear man
pray, whether he has. ever had any
| trouble? ] can. The cadence, the
phraseology indicate it. Why do women
pray better than men? Because they
have had more trouble. Before 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 crafty
| ing. He then comes down gradually over
beautiful tablelands to forever and ever
amen" But after man has had trouble,
prayer is with him q taking hold of the
arm of God and crying out for help. 1
have heard earnest prayers 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 q chasm eighty feet deep; and the
| men who, a fewminutes before, had been
swearing and disappearing God, began
to pull and jerk at the bell rope, and got
up on the back of tho seats and cried
out, 20 God, save us!'' sTher6 was an.
other time, about eight hundred miles
out at sea, on fOundering steamer,
after the last lifeboatf had been split
finer than kindling wood. They prayed
then. Why is it you so often hear peo-
pie, in reciting the last experience of
some friend, say: HE made the most
beautiful prayer ever heard?' What
makes it beautiful? 1t is the earnest
ness of it. Oh, tell you a man is in
earnest when his stripped and naked
soul wades out in the soundless, shore
less, bOttOmless ocean Of eternity.
1t is trouble, my friends, that makes
us feel our dependence upon God. We
do not know our own weakness or God s
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 unfor-
tunate in business. He has to raise a
good deal of money, and raise it quickly.
He borrows on word and note all he can
borrow. After awhile he puts mort
gage on his house. After awhile he puts
second mortgage on his house. Then
he puts 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 every
body and every thing, now help me out
of this financial trouble" He makes
God the last resort instead of the first
resort. There are men who have paid
ten cents on dollar who could have
paid hundred cents on dollar If they
had gone to God in time. Why, you dc
not know who the Lord is. He is not
an autocrat seated far up in palace
from which He merges once year, pre-
coded by heralds swinging swords to
clear the way. No. But Father, will
ing at our CALL to stand by us in every
crisis and predicament of life.
| Ucll YOU WudU oOlllo VI yOu UuSllSSs
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 bu'
he wants to make his own fortune. He
goes far away, falls sick, gets out o.
money. He sends for the hotel keeper
where he is staying, asking for lenience
and the answer he gets is: ST you dom
pay us Saturday night you will be re
moved to the hospital" The young mar
sends to comrade in the same building
! No help. He writes to banker wht
was friend of his deceased father. NJ
relief. He writes to an old schoolmate
but gets no help. Saturday nightcomes
and he is moved to the hospital.
Getting there he is frenzied with grief
and he borrows sheet Of paper and ;
postage stamp and he sits down and HI
writes home, saying: Dear mother,
am sick unto death. Come" It is tel
, minutes of ten o'clock when she get
the letter. At ten o'clock the trail
, starts. She is five minutes from tn,
J depot. She gets there in time to hav,
five minutes to spare. She wonders VIII,
train that can go thirty miles an hou
can not 60 sixty miles an hour. Sh,
, PUSHES into the hospital: She says: "M!
, son, what does all this mean? VIII,
!, didn't you send for me? !. You sent Il
everybody but me. You knew coul,
! and would help you. Is this the rewar,
( 1 get for my Kindness to you always?
: She. bundles him up, takes him home
| and gets him well very soon. u
r Now, some of you treat God Just a
, that young man treated his mother
: When you get into financial perplex
4 ity, you call on the banker, you call o.
! the broker, you call on your creditors
J you call on your lawyer for legal com
co1., Won 90 II uro, avarvho1x- and who