The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1892-01-21
management OF the sunshine. We stand

in the glow of bright morning and we
say in oul feelings if not with so many
words, This life is from God, this
warmth is from God" Or, we have a
rush of prosperity and we say, ssThese
successes are from God. What q pro-
vldential thing it was L bought that lot
Just before the rise OF real estate! How
grateful to God 1 am that made that
investment Why, they have declared
10 per cent. dividend! What a mercy II
was that l sold out my shares before
that collapsed" Oh, yes; we acknowledge
God in the sunshine of a bright dav Or
the sunshine OF great prosperity. But
suppose the day is dark? You have to
'lght The gas at noon. The sun does
not show himself all day long. There
Is nothing but shadow. How slow we
are TO realize that the storm is from God
and the darkness from God and the chill
from God. Or we buy the day before
the markets retreat, or we make an in
Vestment that never pays, or we pur-
chase goods that we cannot dispose Of,
or crop OF grain we sowed is ruined by
drought or treshet, or when we took ac-
count of stock on the 1st of January we
found ourselves thousands Of dollars
worse OIL than we expected. Who un-
der alch circumstances says, "Thls loss
is from God. l must have been allowed
10 90 into that unfortunate enterprise
Tor some good reason; God controls the
cast wind as we'll as the west wind?"
My friends, 1 cannot look for one mo.
ment on that retrograde shadow on
Ahaz's dial without learning that God
controls the shadows and that lesson
we need all to learn. That he controls
the sunshine is not so necessary les
son, Tor anybody can be happy when
things go right. But for those in just
opposite circumstances my text comes
IN with an omnirotence of meaning.
The Shadow! Oh, the shadow! Shad.
ow OF bereavement! Shadow of sick.
ness! Shadow Of bankruptcy! Shadow
81 mental depression! Shadow Of per-
Secutlon! Shadow Of death! Speak,
out, oh, SUI dial Of Ahaz, and tell ali
The people that God manages the shad.
ow! AS Iezekiah sat in his palace
window wrapped in invaldism and sur
rounded by anodynes and cataplasms
and looked out upon the black hand of
The only clock known a. that time and
saw 1t move back ten degrees, he learned
IL lesion that ma ajOrty Of the hum an
race need this hour to lcarn-tbat the
best friend man ever had controls the
shadow. The setbacks are sometimes
the best things that can happen. The
"reat German author, Schiller, could not
work unless he had in his room the scent
OF rotten apples, and the decay of the
fruits of earthly prosperity may become
an inspiration instead Of q depression
Robert Chambers lame feet shut hlm
up from other work, and he becume the
world renowned publisher, and helped
fashion tie best literature of the ages.
The painful disorder like that of IIeZekiah
called a carbuncle is spelled exactly the
same as the precious stone called the
"arbuncle, and the pang of suffering NAV
become the jewel of immortal value.
our setback, like that of Ahaz's sun
dial, may be recovery and triumph. I
never had setback but it turned out to
be set forward. You never would
have become a Christian if you had not
had setback. The highest thrones in
heaven are for the sctbacks.
But L pr )mlse to show YOU how the
shadows might be turned back. First.
by going much among The young people.
In most family circl' there are grand
children. BY this divine arrangement
most OF the people who have passed the
meridian Of life can compass themselves
by juvenilitY. 1t is bad thing for an
Old man or old woman TO sit looking at
the vivacity Of their grandchildren shodt-
ing, stop that racket" Better oin in
the fun. Let the eighty year-old grand
father join the elght-yeal young grand
son or granddaughter. Remain young.
Hang up your stockings in Christmas
Time. Help the boys fly the kite. Teach
The girls how to dress their dolls. Bet
ter than arnica for your stiff Joints and
catnlp tea 'or your sleeplcss nights will
bc a large dose of youthful companion
ship.
Set back The clock of human life.
Make the shadow of the sundial of Ahaz
retreat ten degrees. People make them
selves old by always talking about be.
ing old and wishing for the good old
days, which were never as good as these
days. From all l can hear the grand.
children arc not halfas bad rs the grand
parents were. Matters have been
hushed up. Revive your remembrance
OF what you were between live and ten
years OF age, and with patience capable
OF every thing join with the young. Put
back tie shadow of the dial not ten ,lc-
yrees, but fifty and sixty and seventy
degrees.
Set back you clocks also by entering
on new and absorbing Christian work. .
In our desire to inspire the young we
have in 0m essays had much to saw
about what has been accomplished by
The young. Young men for action, old
men for counsel. lpstead Of any of you
beginning TO fold dup your energies, arouse
anew your energies. With The expert
ence you lave obtained and the oppor tu-
mites OF observation you have had dur
Ing long life. you ought to be able to
40 IN one year now more than you did
IN ten years right after you had passed
out OF your teens. Physical power less,
your spiritual power ought to be more.
Let me say to those in the afternoon of
illc: Don't be putting of the harness;
when God wants it off he will take it
off. Don't be frightened out of life by