Telegram-herald., 1891-08-03


spread oat their color IN the nsorning houri
But thsy are always asleep when tee san
kses dawn JOB bad pleaty ef fFseaes
when he was tae richest man II Jz, but
when bis property went aud the tris.s
cane. than there .ere nols 50 mach that
gestsred as Ehphaz TIE Temanits, aai
bsldad the shahtts and ZoshaT the SaAaar
ataits.
Life a>rn seems TO Be . mere game.
where tae successful player pulls down al
the other men into his owa lap. Let sus-
pici0ns arise about q inan 5 character, aad
ne 5ecomes lke bank in q panic aad sll
the imputations rush on hin and break
down IA q day that character which ia due
time would have had strsagth ~ defend
itself There are repatations that have
been half esntury ia building which 60
down under some moral exposure, as a
vast temple Is consumed by the touch Of a
salphGrous match A hog can aproot a
century plant.
Ia this world. 50 fun OF heartiessness aud
/ hypocrisy. how thrilling IL IS 60 and some
/ frierd a. faithful In days of adsersity as in
( days Of prosperity. David had such a
/ friend ia Hushai; the Jews had such a
/ friend ia Nordecai. who never forgot their
cause. Paul had such = friend In Onesiph-
orus. who visited him In jail; Christ had
such ia tho Marys, who adhered TO him on
/ the cross. Naomi had such a one In Ruth.
/ who. cried out, "Entreat me not to leave
thee. or TO return from following after
/ thee; for whit her thou goest, will 20; and
where thou lodsesr viii lodge. thy peo-
I pie shall oe my people, and thy God my
/ God. where thou diest will die. and there
/ will be buried; the Lord DO so TO me and
more also. II aught bat death part thee
aad me-"
FROM DARKNESS TO DAT.
Again, | learn from this subject that
paths which open In hardship and dark ness
often come Out ia places OF JOY. When
Rlthstarted from Moab toward Jerusalem,
10 go along with her mother-in- law, sup
pose the people said; 'Oh. what a foolish
creature TO 70 away from her fathers
house, TO go OF with poor old woman
toward the land OF Judeal They won't
live TO get across the desert. They will be
drowned in the sea. or the jacksis Of the
wilderness will destroy them" IL was a
very dark morning when Ruth started of
| with Naomi, but behold her in my text in
the harvest field OF Boaz. TO he affianced to
one of the lords OF the land. and become
one OF the grsndnothers OF Jesus Christ,
the Lord Of glory. And 20 1t often is that
a path which starts very darkly ends very
brightly.
When you started out for heaven, OH
how dark was the hour Of conviction-how
Sinai thundered and devils tormented and
the darkness thickenedl All the sins of
your life pounced upon you, and it was the
darkest hour you ever saw when you frst
found out your sins. After awhile you
- L. Ct 4 a
you began To CLEAN In the fields OF divine
promise. and you had more sheaves than
you could carry as the voice of God ad-
dressed you. saying, blessed is the man
whose traiSsressions are forgiven and
whose sins are covered" A very dark
starting in conviction. very bright end.
ing in the pardon and the hope and the
triumph OF the Gospel.
So, very often in our worldly business or
in our spiritual career we start Oft on a
very dark path. We must go. The flesh
may shrink back, but there is voice
within, or a voice from above, saying
You must CO." and we have To drink the
gall, and we have 10 carry. the cross. and
we have TO traverse the desert and we are
pounded and failed Of misrepresentation
and abuse, end we have 60 edge our way
TO be slain / our own right arm. We
have to fons Ire river, we have to clint
the mountain. W haze to storm the castle
but, blessed be God. the day of rest and re-
ward will come On the tiptop Of Tho
captured battlenerts We will shout the
victory; /; not in this world. then in tha,
world where there is no gall to drink, nc
burdens to carry, no battles to fight. How
do know it1 Know It'll know it because
God says so-"They shall hunger no more
neither thirst any more. neither shall the
sun light on them. nor any heat, for the
Lamb which is in the midst of the throne
shall lead them to living fountains oi
water, and God shall wipe all tears from
their eyes"
IL WAS very hard FOR Noah to endure ths
scofling Of the people in his day, while hs
was trying to build the ark. and was every
morning quixzed about his old boat thai
would never he Of any practical use. But
when the deluge came, and the tops of tho
mountains disappeared like the backs o
sea monsters. and the elements. lashed ul
in fury, clapps1 their hands over drowned
world, then Noah In the ark rejoiced in hi,
own safety and in the safety of his family
and looked ont on the wreck of ruined
earth.
THE sCFFERISGs oF JESUS.
Christ, bounded of prosecutors, denied l
pillow, worse maltreated than the thieve:
On either side Of the cross, human hate
I smacking its lips In satisfaction after Il
had been draining his last drop OF blood
the sheeted dead bursting from the sepul
chers az his crucifxion. Tell me, d Geth
semane and Golgotbai were there eve
darker times than those9 Like the boom
ing Of the midnight sea against the rock
the surges OF Christ's anguish beat agains
the gates Of eternity. TO be echoed back b,
sll the thrones Of heaven and all the dun
geous Of he'll.
But the day Of reward comes for Christ
all the pomp and dominion OF this worlt
are 20 be hung on his throne, uncrownet
heads are to bow before him on whose beaf
are many crowns. and all the celeStia
worship is % como mp at his feet like th'
humming OF the forest, like the rushing o
the waters. like the laundering of the seas
while all heaven, rising on their thrones
heat time with their scep,ers: "Hallelujah
for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth
Haleiuish, the kingdoms Of this worl'
have become the kingdoms of our Lor,
Jesus Christi"
That song % love. acw iow and far.
Ere long shall swell from star 10 star:
That light. the breaking day which tips
The golden spired Apocalypse.
Again, | learn from my subject tha
events which seem TO be most insignid
cant may he momentous Can you imag
ire anything more unimpoTtant than TIA
coming Of a poor woman from Moab q
Judesi Csn yeu imagine anything NOR
trivial than the fact that this Ruth jus
happeosd TO alight-ss they say-just nap
I uened to alixht on that field Of Boaz' Ne