Democratic messenger., 1892-12-17


will pay it," Picture-"The Good Sa-
maritan, or Who Is Your Neighhor:"
GODS MoTHERI.Y LOVE.
Does God. our Mother. want to set
forth what foolish thing il is To 90
away from the right. and how glad di-
vine mercy is 10 take back the wanderer!
How is it done: By Il picture. a good
father. Large farm with fat sheep and
oxen. Fine house with exquisite ward
robe. Discontinued boy. Goes away.
Sharpers fleece him. Feeds hogs. Gets
homesick. Starts back Sees an old
man running. 1t is father! The hand,
torn Of the husks. gets ring. The foot.
infiamed and bleeding. gets a sandal.
The bare shoulder. showing through the
tatters. gets robe The stomach,
gnawing its,if with hunger, gets full
platter smoking with meat. The father
cannot eat for looking AT the returned
adventurer Tears running down the
face until they come To "a smile--the
night dew melting into the morning.
No work on the farm that day. for
when a bad boy repents and comes
back promising 10 do better. God knows
that is enough for one day. And they
began To be merry" Picture 'Prodigal
Son Returned from the Wilderness" So
God, our Mother. teaches Us everything
by pictures. The sinner is lost sheep.
Jesus is the bridegroom. The useless
man a barren Zig tree. The Gospel is a
great supper. Satan. Il sower of tares.
Truth. mustard seed. That which we
could not have understood in the alb
stract statement God. our Mother. pre-
sents 10 us in this Bible album Of pic
lures, God engraved. Is not the divine
maternity ever thus teaching us:
remark again that God has moth
er's favori;ism. y father sometimes
shows Il sort of favoritSn. Here is "A
boy-strong. well. of high forehead and
quick intellect. The father says. Il
will take that boy into my firm yet" or,
Il will give him the very best possible
education" There are instances where,
for the culture of the one boy. all the
others have inen robbed. a sad favor
litiSm. but that Is not the mothers favor
ite. | will tell you her favorite.
There is child who at two wears of
age had fall. He has never got over
lit. The scarlet fever mufficd his hear
ing. He is not what he once was. That
child has caused the mother more anx-
ions nights than all the other children
If he coughs i'll the night she springs
out of sound sleep and goes to him.
The last thing she does when going ont
of the house is Ia give a charge in regard
to him. The first thing ON coming in is
to ask i'll regard To him.
Why. the children of the family all
know that he is the favorite and say:
Mother. you let him do just as he
pleases, and Won give him great many
things whici you do not give us. He is
your favorite." The mother smiles; she
knows it is So. So he ought to be. for if
there Is any one in the world that needs
sympathy more than another il is an in
valid child. weary on the first mile of
life's lourney-carrying an aching head.
a weak side, an irritated lung. So the
mother ought to make him a favorite.
God. our Mother. has favorites. Whom
the Lord loveth he chasteneth"-
is, one whom he especially loves he chas-
teneth
God loves MS all, but is there one
weak and sick and sore and wounded
and suffering and faint: That is the
one who lies nearest and more perpetual
Ily on the great loving heart of God.
Why. il never coughs but our Mother
God-hears it. Ii never stirs weary
limb in the bed but our Mother-God-
knows of it. There is no such watcher
as God The best nurse may be over
borne by fatigue and fall asleep in the
chair but God, our Mother, after being
up a year OF nights with suffering
child. never slumhers nor sleeps
IN THE FURNACE OF AFFLICTIoN.
"Oh." says one. Il cannot understand
all that about affiiction." \ refiner of
silver once explained it to Christian
lady. II put the silver in the fire. and
keep refining it and trying it till | can
see my face in it, and then take it ont"
just SO it i that God keeps his dear
children in the furnace till the divine
image may be seen in them: then they
are taken ont of the fire. Well. says
some one. ''if that is the way that God
treats his favorites. do not want to be
"a favorite."
There is a barren field on an autumn
day just wanting To he let alone. There
is bang at the bars and rattle of
whifiletrees and cleviSes. The field saws.
What is the farmer going to do with
me now: The farmer puts the plow i'll
the ground. shouts 10 the horses, the
Golfer goes tearing through the sod.
! .4.,I fh., frtr -,
fence. Next day there is bang nj the
bars and rattle Of whifiletrees again.
The field says. II wonder what the farm
er is going 10 do now The farmer
bitches the horses to the harrow. and it
goes bounding and tearing across the
field.
Next day there is rattle at the bars
again. and the field says, What is the
farmer going To do now" He walks
heavily across the field. scattering seed
as he walks. After awhile a cloud comes.
The field says. What. more trouble.
1t begins To rain. After awhile the
wind changes to the northeast. and il he
gins to snow. Says he field: lis ii not
| enough that ha = Iccn torn and tram
pled upon and drowned: Must now be
showed UNDER After awhile spring
comes ont Of the gates of the south, and
warmth and gladness come with il. \
green scarf hanlagcs the cash of the
wheat field. and the July morning drops
a crown of gold ON the head of the grain.
"Oh." says the field. 'now know the
use of the plow. of the harrow. of the
heavy foot of the shower and of the
snowstorm. 1t is well enough 10 be trod-
den and irampled and drowned and
showed under if i'll the end | can yield
such Il glorious harvest" He that go
eth forth and weepeth. bearing precious
seed. shall doubtless come again with re-
joicing. bringing his sheaves with him.
THROUGH GREAT TRIBULATIoN.
When see God especially busy in
troubling and trying Christian. know
that ont Of that Christians character