Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1892-01-29

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 a hopper, the first turn of the crank
would make the chaff fly, i 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 attend 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 their fire proof safe; that
he has counted every dishonest dollar
they have in their pocket,
and that day of judgment will come.
| These inconsistent Christian men will
sit on the Sabbath night in the house
of God singing, at the close OF the serv-
ice, Crock of Ages Cleft for Me-" and
then, when the benediction is pro-
nounced, shut the pew-door, and say,
as they go out, Goodbye, Religion.
I'll be back next Sunday"
I think that the Church of God
and the Sabbath are only an armory
where we are to get weapons.
When war comes, if u man wants
to fight for his country lie does
| 70 rGnl6 10
do battling, but he goes there
for swords and muslzets. l look upon
the church Of Christ and the Sab
bath day as only the place and time
where and when we are to get
armed Christian conflict; but the battle
field is on Monday, Tuesday, Wednes-
day, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
asst. Martins" and "LenoX," aud "Old
Hundred" do not amount to anything
unless they sing all the week. A SER
mon is useless unless we can take it
with us behind the plough and the
counter. The Sabbath day is worth
less if it last only twentyfour hours.
There are many Christians who say
eve 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 PauPs travelling companion, if we
could serve god on great scale, we
would do it; but we can't in this every
day life" l admit that great deal
OF the romance and knight-errantry
of life have disappeared before
the advance OF this practical age.
The ancient temples of Rouen have
been changed into store-houses and
smithies. The residences of poets and
princes have been turned into brokers'
shops. The classic mansion of Ashland
has been cut up into wallIing-stic
The groves where the poets said the
gods dwelt have been carted out for
fire-wood. The muses. that we used to
read about have disappeared before the
migrants axe and the trapper's gun.
and that man who is waiting for life
bewitched of wonders will never find it..
Again, we need TO bring the religion
of Christ into our commonest trials.
For severe losses, for bereavement, for
trouble that shocks like an earthquake
and that blasts like storm, we pre-
scribe religious consolation; but, bust
ness man, for the small annoyances of
last week, how much of the grace of
God did you apply? "Ohr' you say,
"these trials are too small for such APP
plication." My brother, they are
shaping your character they are
souring your temper, they are wearing
out your temper, they are wearing out
your patience, and they are making
you less and less a man. l 10 into a
sculptor's studio, and see him shaping
statue. lie has chiscl in one hand
and mallet in the other, and he gives
very gentle stroke-click, click,
click! / say, "Why don't you strike
harder?' "Oh!" he replies, "that
would shatter the statue. can't do
it that way; l must do it this
way" So he works on, and
after a while the features come out, and
everybody that enters the studio is
charmed and fascinated. Well, God
has your soul under process OF develop
ment, and it is the little annoyances
and veXations of life that are chiseling
out your immortal nature. 1t is click,
click, click wonder why some great
providence does not come, and
with one stroke prepare you for
heaven. All, no. God says that is
not the way. And so he keeps
on by strokes of little annoyances, little
sorrows, little vexations, until at last
you shall be glad spectacle for angels
and for men. You know that large
fortune may be spent in small change,
and vast amount of moral character
may go away in small depletion. 1t
is the little troubles of life that are
having more effect upon you than
great ones. A swarm of locusts
will kill grain-feld sooner
that the incursion of three or four cat
tie. You say, "Since lost my child,
since / lost my property, have been
n different man." But you do not rec
ognize the architecture of little annoy
ances that are hewing, digging, cut
ting, shaping, splitting and interjoin-
ing your moral qualities. Rats may
sink ship, One lucifer-inatch may
| capd Iact rot;op fbrourb N b1oolx ~