Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1892-10-28


that week. Do you know what made the
great revival OF 1851, when more people
were converted to Col problbly than IN
any wear slnes Christ was born? " was tue
defaicltions AMI bankruptcy that sweep
American prosperity so fat taat 1t couli TAU
no hatter
am speaking Of whole Solle1 men. Sucl
men as ara so broken by calamity that taey
are humbled and fly to Col for relief Men
VINO have no spirit and nsver expect any
thing are not much afr sc,e1 by financial
changes. They are as apt to 90 into the
kingdom under one set o. Circumstances as
another. Tasy are deadbsats waet they
are This only way to get rid OF them Is TO
lend them dollar and you Will never see
them again. have tried that plan AMI 1t
works well. But am speaking OF the ensc'
of misfortune on high spiritei men Notn-
ing but trial will turn such men from eart1
to heaven. IL is only through clou Is and
darkness and whirlwin1 Of disaster such
man can see the finger OF God.
A most interesting as well as most use
full stuly is to watci the pointing Of the
fin ger Of God. In the seventeenth century
South Carolina was yielding rosin aud tur-
pentine aud tar as her chief productions:
But Thomas Smith noticed that the ground
near bis house in Charleston was very mucn
like the places in M11agascar where he had
RAISED rice. and some Of the Madagascar rice
was soxn there and grew 50 rapidly tnat
South Carolina was led to make rice her
chief production Can you not see the finger
OF God in that incident:
Rev. John Fletcher, Of Enyianl many
will know, was one Of the m1st useful min
istsrs Of the Gospel w1o ever prelchel. Be
fore conversion he joine the army aud hat
bought his ticket on tae ship for Scutl
America. The morning he was to sail som)
one spilled on him a kettle OF water, ani he
was 50 soaldsd he could not go. H, was
very much disappointed but the ship ne was
going to sail on went out aud was never
heard OF again. Who can doubt that Col
was arranging the life OF Joan FLETCHER!
Was It merely accidental taat kichari
Roida. a Cornish miner, WHO was on his
knees praying, remlinol unhurt, though
heavy stones fell before him AMI bshinf
him and on either side Of him and another
fell on the top OF these 50 as to make ROOF
over him.
A missionary in Jamaicl lost his way an
in the night was wandering about whel
FREELY hsshed and revealed q precipico over
which In O moment moro he would have been
dashed. F. W. Robertson, the great
preacher Of Brighton, England, had his life
work decided by the barking OF his dog. A
neighbor. whose daughter was i'll, was dis
This brought the nelgnbo: into com nunicl-
tion with Robertson. That acquaintance.
ship kept him from joining the dragons ant
going 10 India aud spen ling his lie ia milf
tary service aud reserved him for pulpit
the influence of which for Gospszltion will
resound for all time and all eternity.
WHY did not Columbus sink when in early
manhood he was aaolt six miles from the
beach with nothing 70 sustain hlLa gu ne
could swim 70 land but boats oary won
der il his preservation had anything to do
with America. Hal the storm that diverted
the Mayfower from the mouth OF ths hu !
SON. for which It was sailing AL sent It
ashore at Cape Col, no divine supsrvisli:
Does anarchy rule this world, or Godf
ST. Felix escaped maStyrdom by crawling
through a hole In the wall across w1ich the
sniders Immediately attsrwari wove web.
/ His naYsecutors saw tho hole in toe wall, but
the spilers web put thom on tae tracS' a
how was lost 10y his drunken father and could
not for years find his way no ne. Nelrly
crown he went into 4 FULTON street prayer
msating and asked Tor prayers that he might
And his parents. His mother was in the room
and rose an 4 recognized her long lost son.
Do Won say that thess things only happens
sow Tell that to thoss VINO do not believe
ina God and have no faita in the Bible. ID
not tell It to me.
/ said 70 an aged minister OF much expert
.nce. WAll the events Of my life seem TO
nave been divinely connected. ID yon sup
no,e il is 50 in AL livesF de answered. ~ es
mt most people DO not notice tne
Jivina leading.T | stln1 here tbs
morning to say from my o own e1p3lF -, 4 :
that ths safest -hiny in all the world to Do
is TO trust the Lord nsTer hal mis-
fortune or a pers .cution, or trial or a
dIsannointment however eXcruciating az
the time that Col did not make turn ouo
+ for NV cool. Nv oae wish is - follow the
divine Fading / want 70 watch tue mayer
OF Col. -, g..
! the finger OF COL What does IA, cnoiera
scare in America man; S)ma say 10 III AUS
that the playu, will sweo) Our Land next
summer. | do not believe worl OF Il.
There will be no cholera here max su inner.
Four or five summers ago there vera thos
who said Il would surely bs here the follow
ing summer becauIs 10 was Oh the way
But It did not coma. Tho sanitary
precautions established here will MAKE
next summer unusually healthful. Cholera
never starts from where 10 stopped
the season before but always starts In Ia.
filth Of Asia, and IL II starts next su inner, II
will start there again-it will not start from
New York quarantine. But it Is evident Z
me that the finger of Col Is 10 this choler'
scare. and that He is pointing this Natioi
to something higher and better. 10 la
been demonstrated as never before that W
are In the hands Of God. He allowed tn
plague to come 10 our very gates and thei
halted it,
TIE quarantine was right and necessary
but oh, how easily the plague could have
leaped the barriers lifted against II, Thank
TO the president OF the United States, anC
thanks to the health odicsrS aud thank
10 the Thirteenth regiment, and thanks e
all who stood between this evil aud on
national health but more than all, anC
higher than all, thanks to God! Out o
that solemuity we ought 70 pass up. Z
something better than anything that ha'
aver vet charactsrizad US as nation
We ought to quit our national sins
or Sabbath breaking, and our drunken
ness and our impurities. and our corrup
tons OF all sorts as a people. The tendency
is in self graduation at our prosperity e
forget the mercy Of Col that has kept
from being blotted ont for our crimes, an
that still multiplies our TEMPORAL prosper
tiles. Forward AMI upward SEE you M
the finger OF Go in this protecting mercy
IL we love the Lord AMI trust Him-an
YOU NAV all love Him AMI trust Him froI
this moment On-ws no more understan
the goo things aheat or us tnan Tue cdu
at school studying his A b c can unde'
stand what thathl to do with his readin
John Ruskin's ''Ssvea Lamps OF Arcnlte'
ture.n or Dantes "Divina Commedia.' Tn
satisfactions AMI joys we have as yet ha
are ike the muse a hoy makes with NJ
first lesson on the violin compared wit
what was evoked fro hi, great orchestr
BIZ nv dear and illustriOus and transcend
ent but now departed friend Patrick Gilt
more. when b. lifted his baton and all tn
strings yibrateI. and all the trumpet
naalsl forth, aud all the flutes caroled, an'
all the drums rolled and al the hoofs OF tn'
cavalry charge which be iraitatei were II
full beat. Look ahead! The finger OF TO
points forward.
"Oh. but" says some one II am gettlnf
old. aud hays a touci o. rheumatism l
that foot and believe something is the mat
ter with my heart, AMI cannot stand a
much as | used to- Well ] congratulate
YOU. for that shows you are getting nearer
20 the time when you are going to enter IN
mortal youth and be strong enough 10 hur
off the battlemeuts Of heaven any bandit wn
by unheard OF burglary might break into tn
Golden City. But says some one, Il Zee
so lonely. The most OF my friends are gone
and the bereavementso OF life have multiphe'
until this world that was once 50 bright
me has lost its charm"