Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1891-10-16

velop until quite late. When Philip bod
bridge, whose sermons and BOOKS nave mar
vested uncounted souls for glory, began TO
study the ministry, DIR. Calamy, one or the
wisest AMI best men, advised bin TO turn his
thoughts to some other work. isaac barrow
an eminent clergyman and Christian scien-
tist-his books standard now, Thought ne
had been dead over two hundred years
the DISAGREEMENT OF his father. who USED
IN saw TINT il it pleased God to take any or
his children way he hoped it might be his
son Isaac. So some OF those who have been
chara cterizad for their stupidity in boyhood
or girlhood have turned out the mightiest
benefactors or benefactresses Of the human
race.
These things being so, am I not right in
saving that in many cases God only knows
what is the most appropriate thing for you
to do. and He is the One to ask: And let all
parents and all schools and all universities
and all colleges recognize this. and large
number of those who spent their best years
IN stumbling about among businesses and
occupations, now trying this and now trying
that, and failing in all, would be able to &C
Gus purpose, saying, ITO this end was ]
born"
But my subject DcsV mounts into the
momentous. Let me say that you are made
for usefulness and heaven. judge this from
the way you are built. You go into shop
that by workmans foot on treadle,
and say to yourself, ''Here is some
thing good being done, yet on a small
scale;" but If you go into factory covering
many acres, and you find thousands of bands
pulling on thousands Of wheels, and shut
ties flying, and the whole scene bewildering
with activities, driven by water, or steam,
or electric power, you conclude that the fac
tory was put up to do great work and on
vast scale. Now, I look at you, and If
should find that you had only one faculty of
body, only one muscle, only one nerve, *
you could see but could not hear, or could
hear and not see. If you had the use Of only
one foot or one hand, and, as to your higher
nature. if you had only one mental faculty,
and you had memory but no judgment, or
judgment but no will, and il you had a soul
with only one capacity, [ would say not
much is expected of you.
But stand up, man. let me look YOU
squarely in the face! Eyes capable of see
ing everything Ears capable of hearing
everything. Hands capable Of grasping
everything. Mind with more wheels than
any factory ever turned, more power than
Corliss engine ever moved A soul that will
outlive all the universe, except heaven. and
would outlive all heaven If the life of other
lmmortals were moment short or the
eternal. Now, what has the world right
to expect from you? What has God right
to demand of you? God is the greatest of
economists in the universe. and He makes
nothing uselessly, and for what purpose did
He build your body, mind and soul as they
are builtS
There are only two beings in the universe
who can answer that question. The angels
do not know. The schools do not know.
Your kindred cannot certainly know. God
knows and you ought to know. A factory
running at an expense OF 5000, OOO year,
and turning out goods worth seventy cents
a year would not be such an incongrulty
as you, man, with such semi-ininite
equipment doing nothing, OF next to moth
ing, in the way OF usefulness. What shall
do" you ask. Ny brethren, my sisters, do
not ask me. Ask God.
There's some path of Christian usefulness
open. It may be rough path. or it may be
a smooth path, long path or a short path.
It may be on mount Of conspicuity or in
valley unobserved, but it is a path
which you can start with such faith and
such satisfaction and such certainty that
you can cry out in ..t the 81 face OF
I born" Do not wait for extraordinary
qualifications. Philip the Conqueror gained
his greatest victories seated on a mule, and
if you wait for some caparisone1 Bucephalus
to ride into the conflict you will never get
into the world wide fight at all. Sampson
slew the Lords enemies with the jawbone Of
the stupidest beast created. Shamgar slew
SIX hundred OF the Lords enemies with an
OK goad. Under God spittle cured the blind
mans eyes in the New Testament story. Take
all the faculty you have and say: 80 Lord,
here is what have. Show me the field and
BACK me up by onnipotent power. Any
where, anyhow, any time for God"
Two men riding on horseback came to
trough to water the horses. While the
horses were drinking one of the men said to
the other few words about the value Of the
soul, and then they rode away, and in oppo-
site directions. But the words uttered were
the salvation of the one to whom they were
uttered, and he became the Rev. Mr. Cham
pion, one of the most distinguished mission
aries in heather lands, for years wondering
who did for him the Christian kindness, and
not finding out until. in bundle of books
sent him to Africa, he found the biography
of Bralnerd Taylor and a picture of him, and
the missionary recognized the face in that
book as the man Who at the watering trough
for horses, had said the thing that saved his
soul. What opportunities you have had in
the past. What opportunities you have
now What opportunities you will have in
the days to come!
Put on your hat, oh, woman, this after
noon, and go in and comfort that young
mother who lost her babe last summer. Pat
on your hat, oh, man, and go over and see
that merchant who was compelled yesterday
to make an assignment, and tell him Of the
everlasting riches remaining for all those
who serve the Lord. Can you sing? Go and
sing for that man who cannot get we'll, and
you will help him into heaven. Let it be
your brain, your tongue. your eyes, your
ears. your heart, your lungs, your hands,
your feet, your body, your mind, your soul,
your life, your death, your time, your eter-
nifty for God, feeling in your soul, TO this
end was born
1t may be helpful to some if l recite my
own experience in this regard. started for
the law without asking any divine direction.
/ consulted my own tastes lIkei lawyers
and courtrooms and judges and juries, and
l reveled in hearing the Frelnghuysens and