Democratic messenger., 1892-12-17

moved. IL stands in the sunlight. in the
presence Of ten Thousand applauding
people. rs they greet the statue Of the
poet. or the prince. or the conqueror.
"Ah. SAYS the stone. now | under
stand it. | am great deal better off
now standing as Il statue of "A conqueror
than | would have been down in the
quarry" So God finds "A man down in
the quarry of ignorance and sin. How
to get him up: He must be bored and
blasted and chiSelcd and secured and
stand sometimes i'll the darkness.
But after awhile the mantle Of afflic-
fion will fail off. and his soul will be
greeted by the one hundred and forty
four thousand and the thousands of
thousands as more than conqueror.
Oh. my friends, God. our Mother. is just
as kind in our Affections as in our pros
perities. God never touches us but for
our good. If a field clean and cultured
is better off than ii barren field, and if a
stone Il NJ has become a statue is better
off than the marble in the quarry. then
that soul that God chastens may be his
favorite
Oh. the rocking Of the soul is not the
rocking of nm earthquake. but the rock
ing of Gods cradle. ''As one whom his
mother comforteth. so will | comfort
YOU" have been told that the pearl in
an oyster i merely the result of "A wound
or a sickness inflicted upon it. and do
not know but that the brightest gems of
heaven will he found TO have been the
wounds Of earth kindled into the jeweled
brightness of eternal glory.
remark that God has n mothers ca
pacity for attending TO little hurts. The
father is shocked at the broken bone of
the child or ut the sickness that sets the
cradle on fire with fever, but il takes
the mother 10 Sympaihize with all the
little ailments and little bruises of the
child. Ii the child have splinter in its
hand it wants the mother To take il ont
and not the father. The father SAYS.
"Oh. that is nothing" but the mother
knows it is something, and that little
hurt sometimes Is very great. So with
God, our Mother; all our annoyances are
important enough To look at and sympa-
thize with.
Nothing with God is something. There
are no ciphers in Gods arithmetic. And
if we Were only good enough of sight
we could see as much through Il micro
scope rs through telescope. Those
things that may be palpable and iniini-
tesimal To us may he pronounced and in-
finite To God. \ mathematical point Is
defined ns having no parts. no magni-
tt.lc. II is 50 small you cannot imagine
ii, and vet a mathematical point may be
"a starting point for a great eternity.
Gods surveyors carry Il very long chain.
A scale must be very delicate that can
weigh grain. but Gods scale is 81 deli
cate that he can weigh with il that which
is 50 small that Il grain is Il million times
heavier.
When John kitto. poor boy on a
back street of Plymouth, cut his foot
with piece of glass God bound il up 81
successfully that lie became the great
Christian gcoSrapher and commenta-
tor known along all nations. So every
wound of the soul. however insignificant.
God is willing 10 bind up. As at the
first cry OF the child the mother rushcs
To kiss the wound, so God. our Mother.
takes the smallest wound of the heart
and presses it to the lips of divine sym
pathy. ''As one whom his mother com
forteih. 81 will | comfort you.'
DIVINE AND MoTHERLY PATIENCE.
/ remark further that God has moth
er's patience for the erring. If one does
,,.r.,,., E,.. bi. as.l,ia,.s i, l;fa caer
him off: il h. goes on i'll the wrong WAY
his business partner casts him off: If he
goes on his best friends cast him off
his father casts him off. But after all
others have cast him off. where does he
90: Who holds 10 grudge and fOrgives
the last time a. well rs the first: Who
sits by the murderer's counsel all
through the long trial: Who tarries
the longest al the windows of a culprit's
cell: Who. when all others think i'll of
a man, keeps on thinking well of him:
IL is his mo her God bless her gray
hairs if she be still alive, and bless her
grave if she be gone. And bless the
rocking chair in which she used To sit.
and bless the cradle that she used to
rock. and bless the Bible she used TO
read.
So God. our Mother, has patience for
all the crring. After every BODY else has
cast man Oft Iiod. our Mother, comes
TO the rescue. God leaps to take charge
of bad case. After all the other doc
tors have got through the heavenly
Physician comes in. Human sympathy
at such time does not amount 10 much.
Even the sympathy of the church. am
sorry TO say, often does not amount 10
much. | have seen the most harsh and
bitter treatment on the part of those who
professed faith in Christ toward those
who We're wavering and erring. They
tried on the wanderer sarcasm and bill
linSsgate and caricature. and they tried
title tattle. There was one thing they
did not try, and that was forgiveness.
y soldier in England was brought by
"A sergeant tothc colonel. What" says
the colonel, bringing the man here
again. We have tried everything with
him." ''Oh. no. says the sergeant:
"therc is one thing you have not tried.
| would like You 10 try that" What is
that" said the colonel. Said the man.
forgiveness. The case had not gone
so far but that il might take that turn.
and so the colonel said: We'll. Young
man, you have done so and So. What is
your excuse" Il have no excuse, but
am very sorry" said the man.
We have made up our minds 70 for
give you.' said the colonel. The tears
started. He had never been accosted in
that way before. His life was reformed,
ami that was the starting point for II
positively Christian life. q church Of
God. quit your sarcasm when man
falls. Omit Your irony, quit your little
tatte, and try forgiveness. God. your
Mother. tries it all the time. \ mans
sin may be- like continent, but Gods
forgiveness is like the Atlantic and Pa
cific oceans. bounding il on both sides.
TIE DIVINE HAND.
The Bible often talks about Gods
hand. wonder how il looks. You re-