Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1892-12-15

~ - iANtAAtt- y r-obA AtAAbA4. LAT III
with fat sheep and oxen. Fine house with
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, inflamed and bleeding, gets sandal
The bare shoulder. showing through the
tatters, gets a robe. The stomach, gnaw-
ing Itself with hunger. gets a full platter
smoking with meat The father cannot
eat for looking at the returned adventurer
Tears running down the face until they
come to smile-the night dew melting
into the morning.
Nowork ON the farm that day. for when
a bad boy repents and comes back promis-
( ing TO do better, God knows that is enough
/ for one day, And lhey began TO be merry"
Picture" Prodigal Son Returned from the
I Wilderness" So God, our Mother, teaches
us everything by pictures The sinner is
a lost sheep. Jesus is the bridegroom
/ The useless man a barren fig tree. The
i Gospel is a great supper Satan, a sower
of tares Truth, a mustard seed. That
which we could not have understood in
the abstract statement God our Mother
presents to us in this Bible album Of pic
Maternity ever thus teaching us9
SYMPATHY FOR THE WEAK.
| remark again that God has mothers
fayoritism. A father sometimes shows
sort Of favoritisn. 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, 81 viii give him the very
best possible education" There are in
stances where for the culture of the one
boy all the others have been robbed A
sad favortism, but that is not the mothers
favorte. | will tell you her favorite.
There is a child who at two years of age
had fall He has never got over it, The
scarlet fever mufiied his hearing. He is
not what be once was. That child has
caused the mother more anxious nights
than all the other children. Ii he coughs
in the night she springs out of a sound
sleep and goes TO him. The last thing she
does when going out of the house is 20
give a charge in regard to him. The first
thing on coming in is to ask in regard 20
him
Why, the children of the family all know
that he is the favorite, aud say; Mother,
you let him do just rs he pleases, aud you
give him a great many things which 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 an
other it is an invalid child weary ON the
first mile Of lifes journey; carrying ar
aching head, weak side, an irritated lung.
So the mother ought TO make him favor
lite.
God, our Mother, has favorites. Whom
the Lord loveth he chasteneth"-that is,
one whom he especially loves he ehasten-
eth. God loves us all, but is there one
weak and sick and sore and wounded and
suffering and faint2 That is the one who
lies nearest and more perpetually on the
great loving heart of God. Why, it never
coughs but our Mother-God- it. Ii
never stirs weary limb in the bed but
our Mother od-knows Of it. There Is
no such a watcher as God. The best nurse
may be overborne by fatigue and fall
asleep in the chair; but God, our Mother,
after being up year Of nights with suf
fering child, never slumbers nor sleeps
"Oh." says one, II cannot understand all
that about afiiiction" A refner OF silver
once explained it to Christian lady, Il
put the silver in the fire, aud / keep rein
ing it and trying it till / can see my face in
it. and then | take it out" just so it IS
that God keeps his dear children in the
furnace till the divine image may be seen
in them; then they are taken out 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 barren field on an autumn day
lust wanting to be let alone There is a
bang at the bars and rattle of whifile
trees and clevises. The field says, What |
is the farmer going TO do with me now"
The farmer puts the pillow in the ground, |
shouts to the horses, the Golfer goes tear
ing through the sod, and the furrow reaches |
from fence To fence. Next day there is a
bang at the bars and the rattle of whiffie |
trees again. The field says, II wonder what |
the farmer is going to do nowt' The farm |
err bitches the horses to the harrow, and it 1
goes bounding and tearing across the field. |
Next day there is a rattle at the bars
again, and the field says, what is the
farmer going to do nowi" He walks heav
lily across the field. scattering seed as he
walks. After awhile cloud comes. The
field says, What, more troubled IL be
gins to rain. After awhile the wind
changes to tine northeast, and it begins to
snow. Says the field: rs it not enough
that have been torn and trampled upon
and drownedi Must be showed underg
After awhile spring comes out Of the gates
of the south, and warmth and gladness
come with it. A green scarf bandages the
cash of the wheat field, and the July morn
ing drops crown of gold on the head Of
the grain.
ooh" says the field, 'now / know the
use of the pillow, of the harrow, Of the
heavy foot, of the shower and of the snow
storm. II is well enough TO be trodden
and trampled and drowned and showed
under if in the end / can yield such a
glorious harvest He that goeth forth
and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall
doubtless come again with rejoicing,
bringing his sheayes with him."
MADE PERFECT THROUGH SUFFERING.
When l see God especially busy in trou-
bling and trying Christian know that
out Of that Christians character there is
TO come some especial good. A quarry
man goes down into the excavation, and
with strong handed machinery bores into
D