The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1892-02-06

che graces or TOD did you apply?
"Ohl" you say, "these trials are
too small for such application." My
brother, they are shapingyour charac-
ter, they are souring your temper they
are wearing out your patience, and
they are meaningless ndless of a man.
I 60 into a sculptor's studio, and see
him shaping a statue. He has
g. chisel in one hand and a
mallet in the other, and he gives a.
very gentle stroke-click, click, click!
1 say, "Why don't you strick hard.
err" "Oh!" be replies, chat would
shatter the statue. I can't do it that
way; I must do it this way" So he
works on, and after a while the feat
IRE come out, and everybody that
enters the studio is charmed and fas-
cinated. Well, God has your soul un-
der process of Development, and it is
the little q annoyances and vexations
of life that r chiseling out your i'm
mortal nature. 1t is click, click,
click! I wonder why some great provi-
dence 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 lit
tie a~nnoyances, little SORROWS, little
vexations, until at last you shall be a
glad spectacle for angels and for mon.
You know that a large fortune may
be spent in small change, and a vast
amount of moral character may
20 away in small depletion.
It is the little troubles of
life that are having more effect upon
you than great ones.
Now,b be careful and let none ofthose
annoyances 60 through your soul I'M
a%rraigned. Compel them to admins
ter to
YOUR SPIRITUAL WEALTH.
The scratch of a sixpenny nail some
times produces lockedjaw, and the
clip of a most infnitesimal annoyance
may damage you forever. Do not let
annoyance or perplexity come across
your soul without it's makingyou bet
ter.
Our national government does not
think it belittling to put tax onpins,
and a tax on buckles, and on shoes.
The individual taxes do not amount to
much, but in the aggregate to millions
and millions of dollars. And I would
have you, Christian man, put a high
tariff on every annoyance and vexa-
ton that comes through your soul.
This might not amount to much, in
single cases, but in the aggregate it
would be a great revenue of spiritual
strength and satisfaction. A bee can
suck honey even out of a nettle; and
if you have the grace of God in your
heart, you can get sweetness out of
that which would otherwise irritate
and annoy.
Again, we must bring the rligion of
Christ into our commonest blessings.
When the autumn comes, and the
harvests are in, and the governors
make proclamation, we assemble in
churches and we r very thankful.
but every day ought to be a thanks
giving day. We DO not recognize the
common mercies OF life. We have to
see a blind man led by his dog before
we begin to think ourselves of what q
grand thing it isto have eye-sight. W.
have to see some one afflicted with
st. Vitus's dance before we are ready
to thank God for the control of our
physical energies. We have to see
some wounded man hobbling on his
crutch, OF with empty coat sleeve
pinned up, before we learn to think
what a grand thing God did for us
when he gave us healthy use Of Jul
limbs. We are so stupid that nothing
but the misfortunes of others can
rouse us up to our blessings. As the OK
grazes in the pasture up to its eyes in
clover yet eve thinking who makes
the clover, and as the bird picks up
the worm from the furrow not know
ing that it is God who makes every
thing, from the animalcula in the sod
to the seraph on the throne, so we 90
on eating, drinking, and enjoying, but
never thanking, or seldom thanking;
or, if thanking at all, with only half
g. heart.
COMPARED OUR INDIFFERENCE
to the brute; but perhaps I wronged
the brute. do not know but that,
among it's other Instincts, it may
have an instinct by which it recognizes
the Divine hand that feeds it. I do
not know but that God is, th1 ough it,
holding communication with what we
call Irrational creation" The COW
that stands under the willow by the
water course, chewing it's cud, looks
very thankful; and who can tell how
much bird means by it's song? The
aroma of the flowers smells like in
cense, and the mist arising from the
river looks like the smoke of a morn
ing sacrifice. Oh, that we were as re-
sponsive! Yet who thanks God for
the water that gushes up in the we'll,
and that foams in the cascade, and
that laughs over the rocks, and that
patters in the showers, and that claps
it's hands in the sea? Who thanks
God tor the air, the fountain of life,
the bridge of sunbeams, the path
of sound, the great fan on q
hot summers day? Who thanks
God for this wonderful physical or
ganism-this sweep of the vision-this
chime OF harmony struck into the ear
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 should withdraw
these common blessings! Your body
would become an Inquisition of tort
ure, the cloud would refuse rain,
every green thing would crumble up,
and the earth would crack open un-
der your feet. The air would cease
It's healthful circulation, pestilence
would swoop, and every house would
become .. place of skulls. Streams
would first swim with vermin. and