The Globe-republican., 1892-11-11
around. and see if you can find tho iiuger

Of God.
t!nes no one can see that finger but
yourself. A year before Abraham Lin
coin signed the proclamation of emanci-
patton the White House was thronged
with committees and associations, min
listers and laymen, advising the President
to make that proclamation. But he
waited and waited amid scott and
anathema, because he did not himself
see the finger OF God. After awhile and
at just the right time he saw the divine
pointing and signed the proclamation.
The distinguished Confederates, Mason
and Slidell, were taken off an English
vessel by the United States Government.
Don't give them up" shouted all the
Northern States. LET US have war
with England rather than surrender
them" was the almost unanimous cry Of
the North. But William II. Seward saw
the finger of God leading in just the OPP
posite direction ard the COnfederates
were given up, and We avoided war
with England which at that time would
have been the demolition Of the United
States Government
In other words, the finger of God as it
directs you, may be invisible to every
body else. Follow the divine pointing.
as you see it, although the world may
call you fool. There has never been a
man or q woman who amounted to any,
thing that has not sometimes been called
a fool. Nearly all the mistakes that
you and have made have come from our
following the pointing of some other
finger, instead of the finger of God.
But, now. suppose all forms Of disaster
close in upon man. Suppose his busi-
ness collapses. Suppose he buys goods
and cannot sell them. Suppose by a
new invention others can furnish the
same goods at less price. Suppose
cold spring or a late autumn or the COM
ing of an epidemic corners a man, and
his notes come due and he cannot meet
them, and his rent must be paid and
there is nothing with which to pay it,
and the wages of the employees are due
and there is nothing with which to meet
that obligation, and the bank will not
discount. and the business friends to
whom he goes for accommodation are in
the same predicament, and he bears up
and struggles Oh. until. after awhile,
crash goes the whole concern.
He stands wondering and saying: 81
do not see the meaning Of all this. l
have done the best l could. God knows
I would pay my debts if l could, but here
I am hedRed in and stopped" What
should that nan do in that caSe-gO to
the scriptures and read the promise
about all things working together for
good and kindred passages? That is
WELL But he needs to do something be-
sides reading the Scriptures. He needs
to look for the finger of God that is point
ing toward better treasures; that is
pointing toward eternal release: that is
urging him to higher realms. M human
finger ever pointed to the east or west or
north or south so certainly as the finger
of God is pointing that troubled man to
higher and better spiritual resources
than he has ever enjoyed. There are
men of vast wealth who are as rich for
heaven as they are for this world, but
they are exceptions
If man grows in grace it is generally
before he gets 100000 or after he loses
1t. If man has plenty of railroad Sc
curitieS and has applied to his banker
for more; if the lots he bought have gone
up so per cent. in value; if he had hard
work to get the door of his tireproOf safe
shut because of new roll of securities
he put in there just before locking up at
night; if he be specializing in falling
market or rising market and things
take for him right turn, he does not
grow in grace very much that week. Do
you know what made the great revival
of 1857, when more people were con-
verted to God probably than in any year
since Christ was born? 1t was the de-
falcatioEs and bankruptcy that swept
American prosperity so fiat that it could
tall no ilatter.
am speaking of whole souled men.
Such men are so broken by calamity that
they arc hum bled and fly to God for re-
lief. Men who have no spirit and never
expect anything are much affected by
financial changes. They are as apt to go
into the kingdom under one set OF
circumstances as another. They are
deadbeats wherever they are. The only
way to get rid of them is to lend them
dollar and you will never see them again.
I have tried that plan and it works
well. But am speaking OF the effect of
misfortune on high spirited men. Moth
ing but trial will turn such men from
earth to heaven. 1t is only through
clouds and darkness and whirlwind of
disaster such men can see the finger Of
God.
Nations also would do well to watch
for the finger of God. What does the
cholera scare in America mean? Some
say it means that the plague will sweep
our land next summer. l do not believe
word of it. There will be no cholera
here next summer. Four or five sum-
mers ago there were those who said it
would surely be here the following sum-
mer because it was on the way. But it
did not come. The sanitary precautions
established here will make next summer
unusually healthfuL Cholera never
starts from where it stopped the season
before, but always starts in the filth Of
Asia, and if it starts next summer. it
will start there again-it will not start
from New York quarantine. But it is
evident to me that the finger Of God is in
this cholera scare, and that He is point
ing this nation to something higher and
better. 1t has been demonstrated as
never before that We are in the hands Of
God. He allowed the plague to come to
our very gates then halted it.
rejoice that there are many encour-
aging signs for our nation. and one is