The southern argus., 1892-01-28

cannot get out of town during the
week. He stays in town over Sunday,
goes into some church to get Christian
consolation, when what is his amaze
ment to find that the very man who
hands him the poor box in the church
| is the one who relieved him of his
money. But never mind; the deacon
| has his black coat on now. He looks
solemn and goes home talking about
.the blessed sermon" If the wheat in
the churches should be put into hop
per the first turn Of the crank would
make the chaf fly, l tell you. Some
OF these men are great sticklers
for gospel preaching. They say:
"You stand there in bands and
surplice and gown, and preach
preach like an angel and we will
stand out here and attend to business.
Don't mix things. Don't get business
and religion in the same bucket. You
attend to your matters, and we will at
tend to ours" They do not know that
God sees every cheat that they have
practiced in the last six years; that he
can look through the iron wall of his
freproof safe; that he has counted
every dishonest dollar they have in
their pocket, and that day of judg-
ment will come.
/ think that the Church of God and
the Sabbath are only an armory where
we are to get weapons. When war
comes, il man wants to fight for his
country he does not go to Troy or
Springfield to do battle, but he goes
there for swords and muskets.
look upon the church Of Christ and
the Sabbath day as only the place and
time where ani when we are to get
armed for Christian conflict; but the
battle field is on Monday, Tuesday,
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and
Saturday. "St Martins" and "Lenox"
and 'Old Hundred do not amount to
anything unless they sing all the week.
A sermon is useless unless we can take
it with us behind the plow and the
counter. The Sabbath day isworthless
if it lasts only twenty-four hours.
There are many Christians who say:
1--WE are willing to serve God, but we
do not want to do it in these spheres
about which we are talking; and it
seems SO insipid and monotonous. If
we had some great occasion, if we had
lived in the time of Luther, if we had
been Paurs travelling companion, if we
could serve God on great scale, we
would do it; but we can't in this every
day life" / admit that a great deal of
the romance and knight errantry OF
life have disappeared before the adj
vance Of this practical age. There is,
: however, a field for endurance and
great achievement but it is in every
day lite. There are Alps to scale, there
are Hellespoints to swim, there are
fires to brave; but they are all around
, rs now. This is the hardest kind OF
martyrdom to bear 1t took grace to
lead Latimer and Ridley through the
fire triumphantly when their armed
enemies and their friends were looking
on; but it requires more grace now to
bring men through persecution when
) nobody is looking on
Do not think that any work Goo
l oiyes YOU to do in the world is on toe
\ small a scale for you to do. The whole
! universe is not ashamed to take care OF
one little flower, | say: What are
II YOU doing down here in the grass, yor
, Door little flower? Are you not afraid
2 nights? You will be neglected, yor
a viii die Of thirst, You will not be fed
Poor little fiower!'' 'No," says star
"rll watch over it tonight" mo.
? saws a cloud. ''Tll give it drink,
! nc" says the sup, 'I'll warm it in my
bosom" Then see the pulleys going
I and the clouds are drawing water, ant
| say: "What are you doing there, 0
clouds?" And they reply: "We are Civ
ing drink to that flower" Then tn
wind rises and comes bending down th'
!. wheat, and sounding its psalm througl
!, the forest, and cry: "Whiter ava.
on such swift wing, o, wind?" And
4 replies: 1--WE are going to cool th
i cheek of that flower" And then | bov
i down and saw: "Will God take care o
4 4 the grass Of the field?" And a flowe
y at nv foot responds: "Yes; he clotl c
! the lilies Of the field, and never yet ha
4 forgotten me, poor little flower" O
4 when I see the great heavens bendin!
2 themselves to what seems insignifican
y ministration, when find out that Coz
does not forget any blossom of tn
/ spring or any snow flake of the winter
/ come to the conclusion that we ca
y afford to attend to the minute things c
\ life, and that what we do we ought t
do well, since there is as much perfet
;, ton in the construction of spider
q eve as in the conformation of famin
i galaxies-
Il Again, we need to bring the religio
: of Christ into our commonest trial:
For severe losses, for bereavement fc
n trouble that shocks like an earthquak
and that blasts like storm, we pr
!. scribe religious consolation, but, bus
4 ness man, for the small annoyance
y last week, how much of the grace
II God did you apply? '0h!" you sa.
N .these trials are too small for such al
le nlication.'' My brother, they al
n shaping your character, they are sou
2 mo your temper, they are wearing OF
4 vour patience. and they are making ye
less and less Of a man.
II Iro into q sculptor's studio and Sc
4 him shaping statue. He has chls'
q II one hand and mallet in the othe
4 4 and he gives very gentle seroke
II aI;c,x click, clickl say, why don
i von strike harder?" or he replte'