The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-08-03

ally, and in the family. and IL the church
and in the world, that through darkness
and storm and trouble men, women
churches, nations, are developed
Again I see in my text the beauty OF I'M
faltering friendship. | suppose there were
plenty Of friends for Naomi while she wa:
in prosperity; but Of all her acquaintances
how many were willing to trudge off witt
her toward Jud8a, when she had to make
that lonely Journey? One-the heroine OF
my text. One-absolutely one. / suppose
when Naomi's husband was living and they
had plenty of money, and all things went
we'll, they had a great many callers; but
/ suppose that after her husband died. and
her property went, and she got old aud
poor, she was not troubled very much with
callers. All the birds that sang III the
bower while the sun shOne have gone tc
their nests. now the night has fallen.
On, these beautiful sun~howers that
spread out their color in the morning hour
but they are always asleep when the sun Is
going down Job had plenty OF friends
when he was the richest man in u; but
when his property went and the trials came,
then there were none SO much that pestered
as Eliphaz the Temanite. and Bildad the
Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathlte.
Life often seems TO be a mere game,
where the successful player pulls down all
the other men into his lap. Let suspicious
arise about a mans character, and he be-
comes like a bank in panic, and all the I'M
putations rush on him and break down III
day that character which in due time would
have had strength TO defend itself lhere
are regulations that have been half cent
ury in building, which go down under some
moral exposure, as a vast temple Is con-
sumed by the touch of a sulphurous
match. A hog can uproot a century plant.
In this world, so full of heartlessness and
hypocrisy, how thrilling It is to find some
friend as faithful in days of adversely as in
days Of prosperity! David had such a
friend in Hushai; the Jews had such a
friend in Mordecai, who never forgot their
cause; Paul had such a friend in Onesi-
phorus, who visited him in Jail; Christ had
such in the 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 whittier thou goest | will go, and
where thou lodgest / will lodge; thy people
shall be 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 if aught but death part thee and me.
Again, learn from this subject that paths
which open in hardship and darkness often
come out in places of joy. When Ruth
started from Moab toward Jerusalem to 60
along with her mother-in-law, | suppose the
people said: 30. what foolish creature to
go away from her fathers house, to go off
with poor old woman toward the land of
Jud8al They won't live to get across the
desert. They will be drowned IN the sea, or
the jacksls of the wilderness will destroy
them" 1t was a very dark morning when
Ruth started off with Naomi; but behold
her IN my text In the harvest-field of Boaz,
to be affianced to one of tho lords of the
land, and become one of the grandmothers
of Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. And so
it often is that path which starts very
darkly ends very brightly.
When you started out for heaven, o, how
dark was the hour OF conviction-how
Sinai Numbered, 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 first
found out your sins. After awhile you
went into the harvest field of Gods mercy ;
you began to CLEAN in the fields of divine
promise. aud you had more sheaves than
you could carry, as the voice of God ad-
dressed you, saying, blessed is the man
whose transgressions are forgiven and
whose sins are covered" A very dark start
ing in conviction, a very bright ending 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 off on a
very dark path. We must 60 The flesh
may shrink back, but there is a voice within,
or a voice from above saying you must
GO" and we have to drink the gall, and we
have to carry the cross, and we have to
traverse the desert, and We are pounded and
failed of misrepresentation and abuse and
we have to urge our way through ten thou
sand obstacles that have to be slain by our
own right arm. We have to ford the river.
we have to climb the mountain, we have
to storm the castle; but, blessed be God, the
day Of rest and reward will come. On the
tip-top of the captured battlements we will
shout the victory if not in this world, then
In that world where there is no gall to drink.
no burden to carry, no battles to fight How
do know it, Know it! 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 the living fountains of
water, and God shall wipe all tears from
their eyes,"
1t was very hard for Noah to endure the
soothing of the people in his day while he
was trying to build the ark, and was every
morning quizzed about his old boat that
would never be of any practical use: but
when the deluge came, and the tops of the
mountains disappeared like the backs OF
sea monsters, and the elements. dashed m
in fury, clapped their hands over a
drowned world, then Noah in the ark re-
joiced in his own safety and the safety of
his family. and looked out on the wreck of
a ruined earth.
Christ, bounded of prosecutors. denied a
pillow, worse maltreated than the thieves
on either side of the cross, human hate
smacklng It's lips In satisfaction after it had
been draining his last drop of blood, the
sheeted dead bursting from the sepulchers
at his cruclhxion. Tell me, o Gethsemane
ana Golgotha! were there ever darker times
than those. Like the booming of the mid
night sea against the rock, the surges of
Christ's anguish beat against the gates of
eternity, to be echoed back by all the
thrones OF heaven and all the dungeons of
hell. But the day Of reward comes
Tor Christ; all the pomp and domin-
ion of this world are to be hung on
his throne, uncrownod heads are to how be-
fore him on whose head are many crowns
and all the celestial worship is to come up
at bis feet, like the humming of the forest
like the rushing of the waters, like the
laundering of the seas, while all heaven
rising on their thrones, beat time with their
scepters: Rallelujah, for the Lord God
omnipotent reigneth! Haileluiah, the king
doms OF this world have become the king
doms of our Lord Jesus Christi"
That song of love, now low and far.
Ere long shall swell from star TO star;
That light. the breaking day which tips
The golden spired Apocalypse.
Again, l learn from my subject that
events which seem to he most insignificant
may be momentous Can you imagine any,
thing more unimportant than the coming
Of poor woman from Moab to Judaea5
Can you imagine anything more trivial
fhan the fart that this Ruth met ba,,o.oI