The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1891-08-27

them, lor you know they are honest: but
II an entire stranger come by the safe
you keep your eye on him, for you do
not know his designs. So some men
treat God; not as father, but a stran-
ger, aud act suspiciously toward him. as
though they we're afraid lie would steal
something.
THANK GOD FOR WHAT YOU HAVE.
1t is high lime you bega II to thank God
for your present blessing. Thank him
for your children, happy, buoyant and
bounding. Praise him for your home,
with its fountain OF sony and laughter.
Adore him for morning light and even.
ing shadow. Praise him for fresh, cool
water bubbling from the rock, leaping in
the cascade, soaring in the mist. falling
in the shower, dashlng against the
rock and clapping its hands in the
tempest. Love him for the grass
that cushions the earth, and the clouds
that curtain the sky, and the foliage
that waves in the forest. Thank him
for Bible to read, and cross to gaze
upon, and Saviour To deliver.
Many Christians think it bad sign
to he jubilant, and their work of sell
examination is hewing down of their
brighter experiences. Like Il boy with
a new iackknite, hacking everything he
comes across. so their self examination
s Il religious cutting to pieces of the
grecncst things they can lay their hands
on. They imagine they are doing Gods
service when they are going about bor-
rowing trouble, and borrowing it ut thir-
ty per cent, which is always a sure
precursor of bankruptcy.
Again, the habit of borrowing trouble
is wrong because the present Is sulli-
GENTLY taxed with trial. God sees that
we all need certain amount of trouble,
and so he apport0ns 1t Tor all the days
and years Of our life. Alas for the pol
icy OF gathering it all up for one day or
year! Cruel thing to put upon the back
of one camel all the cargo intended for
the entire caravan. | never look at my
memorandum book to sec what engage
ments aud duties are far ahead. Let
every week bear Its own burdens.
WHY BRING NEW SORROWS?
The shadows Of today are thick
enough, why implore the presence of
other shadows? The cup ls already dis
tasteful, why halloo to disasters far dis
tant to come and wiring out more gall
into the bitterness? Are we such cham
pions that, having won the belt In form
er cncou lters, we can 60 forth to chal-
| lenge all the future?
Here are business men Just able to
manage affairs as they now are. They
can pay thoir rent, and meet their notes,
and manage affairs as they now are, but
what if there should come panic? Go
tomorrow and write on your daybook,
ON your ledger. on your money safe,
Sufficient unto the day is the evil
| thereof" Do not worry about notes
that are far from due. Do not pile up
on your counting desk the financial anX-
ietles of the next twenty years. The
God who has taken care of your worldly
occupation, guarding your store from
the torch of the incendary and the key
| OF the Burglar, will be as faithful in 1891
as in 1881. Gods hand IS mightler than
the Vaccinations of stock gamblers, or
the plots Of political demagogues, or the
red right arm Ofrevolutiol, and the dark
ness will fly and the storm fall dead at
his feet.
So there are persons in feeble health,
and they are worried about the future.
They make out very we'll now, but they
are bothering themselves about future
pleurisics and rheumatlsms and neural
gias and tevers. Their eyesight is fee
Bile, and they are worried lest they en-
trely lose it. Their hearing is inds-
tinct, and they are alarmed lest they be-
come entirely deaf. They ielt chilly to-
day, and are expecting an attack OF ty.
phoid. They have been troubled for
weeks with some perplexlng malady,
and dread becoming lifelong invalids.
'Hakn nf hnnlfI,
God for the future.
BE not guilty Of the blasphemy of ask
ing him to take care of you while YOU
sleep with your windows tight down, or
eat chicken salad at | O'Clock at night,
or sit down on cake Of ice TO cool of.
BE prudent and then be confident. Some
OF the sickcst people have been the most
useful. 1t was so with Payson, who
died deaths daily, and Robert Hall, who
used to stop in the midst of his sermon
and lie down on the pulpit sofa to rest,
and then go on a2uln. Theodore Frc-
lln9huyscn had a great horror of dying
llil the time came, and then went peace
fully. Take care of the present and let
the future look out for itself. 'Suniclent
unto the day is the evil thereof"
ROBs US OF WHAT STRENGTH WE
HAVE.
Again, the habit of borrowing misfor.
tune is wrong because it units us for it
when it actually does come. We cam
not alw lys have smooth sailing. IAc's
path will sometimes tumble among de.
cllvties and mount steep and be thorn
pierced. Judas will kiss our cheek and
then sell us for thirty pieces of silver.
Human scorn will try to cruelty US be-
tween two thieves. We will hear the
iron gate of the sepulcher creak and
Grind as it shuts in our kindred. But
we cannot get ready for these things by
torebodings. They who fight imaginary
woes will come, out of breath, into con-
ilct with the armed disasters OF the tu-
ture. Their ammunition will have been
wasted long before they come under the
guns of real misfortune. Boys IN at
tempting 10 jump wall sometimes go
so lar back ia order to get impetus that
when they come up they are exhaustcd;
and these long races in order to get
spring enough To vault trouble bring us
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