Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1892-02-04


send destruction through block Of store
houses Catherine de Medicis got her
death from smelling a poisonous rose. Co
lumbus, by stopping and asking for piece
Of bread and drink Of water at Francis.
can convent. was led TO the discovery Of the
New World. And there Is an intimate con-
nection between triles and immensities,
between nothings and everythings.
Now, be careful to let none Of those an
noyances go through your soul unar-
raigned Compel them to administer tc
your spiritual wealth. The scratch of a
sixpenny nail sometimes produces lock-
jaw, and the clip OF a most infnitesimal
annoyance may damage you forever Do
not let any annoyance or perplexity come
across your soul without its making you
better.
PUT A uIGH TARIFF on LITTLE FITS OF
TEMPER.
Our national government does not think
it belittling to put tax on pins and tax
on buckles and a tax on shoes. The indi-
vidual taxes do not amount to much, but
in the aggregate to millions and millions
of dollars. And l would have you, o
Christian man, put a high tariff on every
annoyance and vexation that comes
to much in single cases, but in the aggre-
gate it would be great revenue Of spirit
ual strength and satisfaction.
A bee can suck honey even out Of
nettle, and IL you have the grace of God
in your heart you can get sweetness out
of that which would otherwise irritate and
annoy. A returned missionary told me
that company Of Adventures rowing up
the Ganges were stung to death by flies
that infest that region at certain seasons.
have seen the earth strewed with the
carcasses Of men slain by insect annoy
ances The only way to get prepared for
the great troubles of life is to conquer
these small troubles. What would you
say Of soldier who refused to load his
gun or to go into the conflict because it
was only a skirmish, saying: II am not
| going to expend my ammunition on a
skirmish. Wait until there comes gen.
eral engagement and then you will see
how courageous am and what battling l
| will do?"
The general would say to such man,
"f you are not faithful in a skirmish, you
would be nothing in a general engage
ment." And l have to tell you, o Chris
tian men, if you cannot apply the princi-
| Piles of Christ's religion on a small scale,
you will never be able to apply them on a
| large scale. If you cannot successfully
| contend against these small sorrows that
come down single handed, what will you
| do when the greater disasters of life come
/ down with laundering artillery, rolling
| over your soul?
FOR EVERY GOOD THING GIVE THANKS.
Again, we must bring the religion of
| Christ into our commonest blessings.
| When the autumn comes and the harvests
are in, and the governors make proclama-
| tion, we assemble in churches and we are
very thankful. But every day ought to
be thanksgiving day. We do not recog:
| nize the common mercies Of life. We have
| to see blind man led by his dog before
| we begin to bethink ourselves Of what a
| grand thing it is to have eyesight. We
| have to see some one afflicted with st.
| Vitus' dance before we are ready to thank
| God for the control Of our physical ener-
| gies. We have to see some wounded man
| hobbling on his crutch or with his empty
| coat sleeve pinned up before we learn to
| think what grand thing God did for US
| when he gave us healthy use of our limbs.
| We are 80 stupid that nothing but the
I
| our blessings. AS the OK grazes in the pas
ture up to its eyes in clover, yet never
thinking who makes the clover, and as the
| the bird picks up the worm from the fur
row not knowing that it is God who makes
everything, from the animalcula in the
sod to the seraph on the throne, SO we go
on eating, drinking and enjoying, but never
thanking or seldom thanking; or, if thank
ing at all, with only half heart
| compared our indifference to the brute;
| but perhaps I wronged the brute. do not
know but that, among its other instincts,
it may have an instinct by which it recog-
nizes the divine hand that feeds it. do
not know but that God is, through it, hold
| ing communication with what we call sir
rational creation" The COW that stands
under the willow by the water course
chewing its cud looks very thankful, and
| who can tell how much bird means by its
song?
The aroma of the flowers smells like in
cense, and the mist arising from the river
looks like the smoke of amorning sacrifice.
| Oh, that we were as responsive Yet who
thanks God for the water that gushes up
| in the well, and that foams in the cascade,
| and that laughs over the rocks, and that
patters in the showers, and that claps its
hands in the sea2 Who thanks God for the
air, the fountain of life, the bridge of sun
beams, the path of sound, the great fan on
a hot summers day2 Who thanks God for
this wonderful physical organism-this
sweep of the vision, ,this chime of harmony
struck into the ear, this soft tread of a
myriad delights over the nervous tissue,
this rolling of the crimson tide through
artery and vein, this drumming of the
heart on our march to immortality? We
take all these things as a matter of course.
But suppose God zhould withdraw these
common blessingsl Yeur body would be-
tome an inquisition of torture, the cloud
would refuse rain, every green thing would
rrumple up, and the earth would crack
open under your feet. The air would cease
Its healthful circulation, pestiience would
Bwoop, and every house would become
| place of skulls. Streams would first swim
with vermin and then dry up, and thirst
and hunger and anguish and despair
would lift their scepters Oh, compare
such life as that with the life you live
this morning with your families about
you'll Is it not time that, with every word
of our lips and with every action of our
life, we began to acknowledge these every
day mercies? whether ye eat or drink, or
whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of
God" Do address a man or woman
this morning who has not rendered to God
one single offering of thanks?
THE SIN OF INGRATITUDE.
Twas preaching one Thanksgiving day
and announced my text, "Oh, give thanks
unto the Lord, for he is good; for his
mercy endureth forever" I do not know
whether there was any blessing on the SER
mon or not, but the text went straight to
a young mans heart. He said to himself,
as read the text: "'Oh, give thanks unto
the Lord, for he is good Why, have
never rendered him any thanks. Oh, what
an migrate have beenl' Can it be, my
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