Milford chronicle., 1892-01-29

YoG say, "Since lost my child, since
lost my property, have been a different
man" But you do not recognize the archi
lecture Of little annOyanees that are hew
ing, digging. cutting, shaping splitting and
interiolning your moral qualities Rats
may sink a ship. One lucifer match may
send destruction through block Of store
houses. Catherine de Medieis got her
death from smelling u poisonous rose. Co
lumbus, by stopping and asking for piece
OF bread and drink Of water at a Francis
can convent, was led to the discovery Of the
New World And there is an intimate con.
nection between tribes and immensities
between nothings and everythings.
Now, be careful to let none Of those an
noyances go through your soul uner
raigned. Compel them to administer tc
your spiritual wealth. The scratch Of a
sixpenny nail sometimes produces lock.
law, and the clip Of u most inhnitesiInal
annoyance may damage You forever. Dc
not let any annoyance or perplcxity cOme
across your soul without its making you
better
PUT HIGH TARIFF on LITTLE FITS OF
TEMPER.
Our national government does not think
Il belittling to put tax on pins and a tax
vidual taxes do not amount to much, but
in tho aggregate to millions and millions
of dollars, And / would have You, c
Christian man, put high tariff ON every
annoyance and vexatiOn that comes
through your soul. This might not amount
to much in single cases, but in the aggre
gate it would be "A great revenue Of spirit
ual strength and satisfaction.
A bee can suck honey even out OF
nettle, and II you have the grace Of God
in your heart you can get sweetness out
OF that which would otherwise irritate and
annoy. A returned missionary told ME
that a company Of adventures rowing up
the Ganges were stung to death by flies
that infest that region ct certain seasons,
1 have seen the earth stTewed with the
oaruasses Of men slain by insect annoy
ances. The only way to get prepared fol
the great troubles Of life is to conquer
these small troubles. What would you
say of a soldier who refused to load his
gun or to go into the conflict because II
was only a skirmish saying; II am not
going to expend' my ammunition on
skirmish. Wait until there comes gen
eral engagement and then you will see
how courageous am and what battling
will do?"
The general would say to such a man
"If you are not faithful in a skirmish, you
would be nothing in general engage
ment." And have to tell you, o Chris
tian men, if you cannot apply the princi.
ples of Christ's religion on u small scale,
YOU will never be able to apply them on
large scale If you cannot successfully
contend against these small sorrows that
come down single handed, what will you
do when the greater disasters of life come
down with laundering artillery, rolling
over your soulg
FoR EVERY GOOD TING GIVE THANKS.
Again, we must bring the religion OF
Christ into our commOnest blessings.
When the autumn comes and the harvests
are in. and the governors make prOclama.
tion. we assemble In churches and we are
verv thankful. But every day ought tc
be a thanksgiving day. We do not recoS-
nfze the common mercies Of life. We have
to see a blind man led by his dog before
we begin to bethink ourselves Of what
grand thing it is to have eyesight. We
have to see some one afflicted with st.
Vitus' dance before we are ready to thank
God for the control Of our physical 5ener-
uies. We have to see some wounded man
hobbling on his crutch OF with his 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 our 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 pas
ture up to its eyes in clover, yet never
thinking who makes the clover, and IA the
the bird picks up the worm from the fur
row not knowing that it is God who makes
everything, from the animalcula in tine
sod to the seraph on the throne, so we go
on eating, drinking and enjoying, but never
thanking or seldom thanking; or, If thank
ing at all, with only half heart.
/ compared our indifference to the brute;
Int perhaps wrOnged the brute. l do not
know but that, among its other instincts,
IL NAV have an instinct by which 1t recOg-
nizes the divine hand that feeds it. dc
not know but that God is, through it, hold
ing communication with what we call ''tr-
rational creation" The cow that stands
under the willow by the water course
chewing its cud looks very thankful, and
who can tell how much a bird means by its
songf
cense, and the mist arising from ths river
looks like the smoke Of amorning sacrifice
Oh. that we were as responsive! 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, aud tina,
matters in the showers, and that claps its
hands in the scar Who thanks God for the
Air. the fountain Of life, the bridge Of sun
beams. the path Of sound, the great fan on
a hot gumuer's day? Who thanks God for
this wonderful physical oFganism-this
SweeD of the vision, this chime OF harmony
struck into the ear, this soft tread Of a
mvriad delights over the 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 blessingsl Your body would be-
r.,ne am iiiuiiisitiOn Of torture, the cloud
wonld refuse rain, every green thing would
crumple up, and the earth would crack
omen under your feet The air would cease
its bealthful circulation. pestilence would
swoop. and every house would become n
nlaee Of skulls. Streams would first swim
with vermin and then dry up, and thirst
and hunger and anguish and despair
would lift their scepters. Oh, compare
aueh a life as that with the life you live
this morning with your families about
voui Is It not time that, with every word
Of our lips and with every action Of our
life. we began to acknowledge these every
dav mercies? "Whether ye cat or drink, or
whatsoever ye do, do ali to the glory of
God" Do address a man or u woman
this morning who has not rendered to God
one single offering Of thankss
THE sIs OF INGGATITUDE.
/ was preaching one Thanksgiving day
and announced my text, ''Oh, give thanks
unto the Lord. for he is good; for his
mercy end1Feth forever" do not know
whether there was any blessing on the ser
mon or not, but the text went straight to
Young mans heart He said to himself,
ss l read the text: oh, give thanks unto
the Lord, for he is good Why, have
never rendered him any thanks. Oh, what
Al migrate / have beenw Can it be, my
brother, that you have been fed by the
rood hand Of God all these days--that you
have had clothing and shelter and all
benefcent surroundings, and yet have
never offered your heart to Godi
Oh, let a sense Of the divine goodness