The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1892-02-12

s OF that sea and the power of thai
: billow are definitely determined.
9 God sees how much our pride is
0 and he sends just enough adversely
to humble 1t. He sees Just how
t worldly minded we are and pulls us
q just hard enough to detach us from
!, our follies, He sees how hard our
. heart is and smites Just hard enough
D to break 1t. He sees how our eyes
I have been blinded and he cuts only
+ just enough to remove the scales
from our spiritual vision. AS soon
; as Abraham's faith is sufficiently
| tried the lamb is provided AS soon
, as Pharaoh consents to let the chill
, dren of Israel depart the plague
pauses, AS soon as the Israelites
J have been sufficiently disciplined by
their wanderings they find their way
into Canaan But to some the limit
is not set in this life. Their whole
: pilgrimage is through the wilderness
and the world is to them a valley Of
tears.
But perhaps God has a special
throne in heaven that no ordinary
saint can occupy, and by extraor-
binary trials lie has prepared that
Christian soul for Extraordinary
glory. God will not keep you in the
furnace one moment too long. Just
as soon as Paul had met with enough
imprisonment and scourgings he
reached up and plucked his eternal
crown. God viii keep us no longer
under the hammer and on the stocks
than is necessary to fit us for en-.
trance into the haven of eternal rest.
Glory be to the divine grace that as
soon as our Affections have accom-
plished their mission, they are ar
rested.
DEFEAT OFTEN A DIVINE GUIDE.
The defeats and sorrows of life
have sometimes been the greatest
advantage It was because Dante
failed as statesman that he gave up
politics and wrote his immortal "Di- !
vinia Commedia." 1t was a violent
thunderstorm that first set Martin
Luther seriously thinking and the
thunder of Snis worlds disaster has
started many a reformation. James /
Y. Simpson went from a surgeons
operating table to experiment and
See If he could not find something
that would alleviate. human pain,
and he kept on until he had discov-
cred chloroform as an anasthetic,
and the story of distress has almost
always been followed by the story of
rescue.
For many years after Shakespeare's
death his work was so little appreci-
ated that in 1866 there was only one
edition of his works, and that of only
hree hundred copies, LII existence,
ind that edition was nearly all burned
Iii the great London fire. But forty
eight copies had been sold out of the
city, and those forty eight copies
saved Shakespeare for all nations
and all time. Your suppression on
smaller scale may last a good while,
but for all you are worth you will
yet shine out on earth or in heaven.
Again, learn from my subject that
connected with the most distressing
judgments Of God there are displays
of divine mercy. God might Justly
have left ACKNOWLEDGMENT in the
field, but infinite compassion brought
him back to the palace. No sooner ,
was Eden blasted than blessing fol
lowed on the heels of the curse !,
promising the coming of One who
would destroy sin and make the
whole world a paradise. The deluge
descends, but not until Noah had in
vited the people into the ark. The
destroying angel comes upon Egypt
for the shifting of the first born, but
left unmolested every house whose
door was sprinlxled with the blood of
sacrifice.
Fiery tempests bear down upon .
Sodon, but not until two angels !
have warned Lot and his family to ,
flee from the destruction. Jerusa- {
lem was utterly destroyed, but not ,
until jeremiah had sounded an alarm, Il
bidding them turn from their abomi- 6
nations. On the darkest cloud of :
wrath there is rainbow of mercy. :
zechariah in his prophetic vision be-
held four chariots, symbolical of
Gods government. :
The first chariot was drawn by red =
horses. They indicated the wars that !
were coming. The second chariot =
was drawn by black horses. They y
indicated the coming of a famine and
pestilence. The third chariot was :,
drawn by white horses. They indi- 4
Gated the spotless purity of his con- \
quests. But, mark well that the
fourth chariot was drawn by horses
'grisled and bay" denoting that
mercy was mixed with all the desc !,
ating judgments of God Sinai can ::
not thunder SO loud as to drown the =
invitations of Calvary. The Lord =,
ltters the admonition 1.-THE wages ).
Of sin is DEATH" but exhaustless =
mercy responds, Deliver him from 4
going down to the pit, for I have =
found ransom" -
Hide thee quick in the rock, Christ r
Jesus. Let not this insignificant \
Now" absorb thee more than the y
great hereafter. The path leading to
his side of the grave is only few :,
.urlongs but the path which COM y
nences at the other side of it is with =,
'ut end. The powers of darkness :,
gather about your soul, and the g,
Of an evil heart and the - -
of the world l know are :,
rying to drown the voice of the :,
preacher, but taking hold of the sill "
7er trumpet of the Gospel which
made Felix tremble, and at the PEN
ecost brought three thousand souls
tut of their sepulcher, l would blow fc
me long, loud blast, CRYING. 'Who- til