The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1891-07-10

Gods dealings? Hath the rain a
father?''
Again, my text makes me think that
the rain of tears is of divine origin
Great clouds of trouble sometimes
hover over US They are black, and
they are gorged. and they are thunder
Gus They are more pOrtentOus than
Salvador or Claude ever painted-clouds
Of poverty, or persecution. or bereaye-
ment- They hover over Us, and they
get darker and blackeF, and after
awhile tear starts, and we think by
an extra pressure of the eyelid to stop
it Others follow and after awhile
there is a shower of fearful emotion.
Yea, there is "a rain of tears Hath
that rain a father?"
80" you say, "a tear is nothing but a
drop of limpid fluid secreted by the
lachrymal glands only sign Of weak
eyes" Great mistake. 1t is one of the
Lords richest beuedictiOns to the
world There are people in Blaclzwell's
Island insane asylum, and at L tica, and
at all the asylums OF this land VINO
were demented from the fact that they
could not cry at the right time. There
have been times in your life when
you would have given the world, If you
had possessed it, for one tear. You
could shrek, you could blaspheme, but
you could not cry. Have you never
seen q man holding the hand of a dead
wife, who had been all the world to
him? The temples 1ivid with excite
ment, the eye dry and frantic, no moist
ure on the upper or lower lid You
saw there were bolts of anger in the
cloud, but no rain. To your Christian
comfort. he said: Don't talk to me
about God, there is no God; or if there
is hate Him; don't talk to me about
God; would He have left me and these
mOtherless children2"
But a few hours or days after, coming
across some lead pencil that she owned
in life, or some letters which she wrote
when he was away from home, with an
Outcry that appals, there bursts the
fountain of tears, and as the sunlight
of Gods consolation strikes that fOun-
tain of tears, you find out that it is a
tender hearted, merciful, pitiful and all
compassionate God who was the father
of the rain.
Have you never heard an old man in
delirium of some sickness call for his
mother? The fact is we get so used to
calling for her the first ten years of our
life we never get over it, and when she
goes away from us it makes deep sOr-
row. You sometimes, perhaps, in
days Of trouble and darkness, when the
able to take care of yourself" you
wake up from your dreams finding
yourself saying: 20, mother. mOtherr'
Have these tears no divine origin?
Why, take all the warm hearts that
ever beat, in all lands and in all
| ages, and put them together, and
their united thrOb would be weak
compared with the thrOb of Gods
! eternal sympathy. Yes, God also
is Father Of all that rain Of repentance.
Did you ever see a rain of repentance?
| Do you know what it is that makes a
man repent? 1 see people going around
| trying to repent They cannot repent.
| Do you know, no man can repent until
| God helps him to repent? How do I
know? BY this passage: ''Him hath
| God exalted to be a Prince and a
Saviour to give repentance" o! it is a
| tremendous hour when one wakes up
and says: ~ am a bad man; I have not
sinned against the laws of the land, but
| I have wasted my life; God asked me
for my services, and I haven't given
those services. o! my sins, God forgive
me-" When that tear starts
| it thrills all Heaven An angel
cannot keep his eye off it, and the
| church of God assemblies around, and
there is a commingling of tears, and
/ God is the Father OF that rain, the Lord,
| long, suffering, merciful and gracious.
The king of Carthage was dethrOned
! His people rebelled against him. He was
l driven into Punishment his WlE8 and
1 children were Outrageously abused.
| Years went by, and the king OF Car
/ thage made many friends. He gath
cred up a great army. He marched again
| toward Carthage Reaching the gates
| of Carthage, the best men of the place
| came out bare footed and bare headed,
and with ropes around their neclCs, cry
/ ing for mercy. They said; I'VE abused
you and we abused your family, but we
/ cry for mercy" The king OF Carthage
/ looked down upon the people from his
| chariot and said: ~ came to bless;
didn't come to destroy. You drove me
out, but this day I pronounce pardon
/ for all the people. Open the gate and
| let the army come in" The king
marched in and took the throne. and
| the people all shouted: Long live the
kingl''
My friends, you have driven the Lord
Jesus Christ, the King of the church,
I away from your heart you have been
maltreating Him all these years; but
I He comes hack TO-DAY He stands IN