Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1889-04-11

.. I YOU WdICIIIIIF5
wonders unrolling from the heavens and the
earth. God has classified them, whether
calamitous or pleasing. The divine purposes
are harnessed in traces that cannot
break, and in girths that cannot slip.
and in buckles that cannot loosen, and
are driven by reins they must answer. l
preach no fatalism A swarthy engineer at
one of the depots in Dakota said: when will
you get on the locomotive and take a ride
with usgi ''Wel,n | said now if that
suits you:a SO | got on one side the loco
motive, and a 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 stoker shoveled in the coal and
shut the door with a 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 the locomotive: my brother, why
should Presbyterians and Methodists quarrel
about the DEGREES and free agency You see
that track that firm track, that iron track;
that is she decree. You see this engineers
arm? That is free agency. How beautifully
they work together They are GO
ing to take us through. We could
not do without the track, and we could not
60 WITHOUT ID6 engineer. 90 rejoice QdN DIV
day. Work for us 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 remembers
it, laid by the hand of Almighty God in sock
cts that no terrestrial or satanic pressure can
ever affect. 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 TINT for iOl0lpupp tod will dis
chargeus 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. II
things seem to turn out right, give wings to
your joy If things seem to turn out wrong,
throw out the anchor of faith end hold fast.
There is house in London where Peter
the Great of Russia lived awhile when he
was moving through the land incognito
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 ne safd
70 the owner of the house: Whats in
that boxW The owner said II don't
know; that box was there when ! got the
house and it was there when my father got
it, We haven't had any curiosity TO look at
it, | guess there's nothing in it" 'Well.
said the stranger. "Ill give YOU two pounds
for il" well DONE The two pounds are
paid, and recently the contents OF that box
were sold to the Car OF Russia for fifty thou
sand dollars. In it the lathing machine OF
Peter the Great. his private letters ana oocu-
ments of value beyond all momentary CON
sideration. And here are the events that
seem very insignificant and unimportant, but
they increase treasures OF Divine Providence
and etsrnities OF meaning which after a while
God will demonstrate before the ages as being
of stupendous value. As near as can tell
from what / see, there must be God some
where about
When Titans play quoits they pitch mount
aims but who owns these gigantic forces You
have been reading about the last two months
Whose hand is on the throttle valve of the
volcanoes Whose foot suddenly planted ON
the footstool makes the continents quiyerg
God Cod He looketh upon the mountains
and they tremble. He touch.th the hills and
they smoke God God ! must be at
peace with Him Through the Lord Jesus
Christ this God is mine and He is yours. |
put the earthquake that shook Palestine at
the crucitixion against all the down bookings
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 50 many won
drous things: but there are people here to-
day VINO viii see the Twentieth century.
Things obscure to us viii be plain to YOU yet.
The Twentieth century Will be rs far ahead
of the Nineteenth as the Nineteenth is ahead
Of the Eighteenth and as you Carl
coture the habits and customs and Is
noranee of the past. Others VIII carl
cature this age Some Of YOU may live to see
the shimmering veil between the material
and the spiritual world lifted. Magnetism, "a
word with which we cover up our ignorance,
viii yet be an explored realm. Electricity.
the fiery courser Of the sky, that Benjamin
Franklin lassoed and Morse and Bell and
Edison have tried to control viii be-
come completely manageable, and
locomotion will he switched. and
a 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 century. We will see these
things II docs not make much difference
where we stand, but the higher the stand
point 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 ! went up in the cupOla
from which they telegraph 10 New York the
approach OF vessels hours before they come
into port. There is an opening in the wall,
and the operator puts his telescope through
that opening and looks out and sees vessels
far out at sea. While / was talking with
him he went up and looked ont He said
I'VE are expecting the Arizona tonight
said: us it possible YOU know al
those veSselsg Do You know them as Won
know a mans face?n He said: Yes, / never
make mistake; before / see the hulks, /
often know them by the masts; | know them
ALL l have watched them SO long Oh what
a grand thing it is to have ships tele-
graphed and heralded long before they
come to port that friends NAV come
down TO the wharf and welcome their long
absent loved ones. So to-day we take our
stand in the watch tower and we look off
and through the glass Of inspiration or
Providence we look off and see whole fleet
of ships coming in. That is the snip Of
Peace, flag With one star Of Bethlehem
floating above the top galiclts That is the
ship OF the church, mark Of salt wave
high up on the smoke stack, showing
she has had rough weather, but the Captain
of salvation commands her and all is well
with her The ship of heaven, migntiest
craft ever launched, millions of passengers (
waiting for millions more, prophets and
apostles and martyrs in the cabin, con-
querers at the foot of the mast, while
from the rigging hands are waving this
way as they knew Us, and we wave
back again. for they are ours; they went out
from our own households. Ours Hail, Hail
Put off the black and put on the white. Stop
tolling the funeral bell and ring the wedding