The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1892-11-09

and ruinous. There are wrong things
about US all, which makes me think
that $50 years ago there was some ter
rible crank in our ancestral line. Real
ize that, and it will be relief semi-in-
finite. Let us take ourselves as we are
this morning, and then ask (which
way?" Get all the direction you can
from careful and constant study of the
Bible, and then lock up and look out
and look around, and see if you can find
the finger of God.
1t is remarkable thing that some
times no one can see the finger but
yourself A year before Abraham Lin
coin signed the proclamation of eman-
cipation, the White House was thronged
with committees and associations, min
listers and laynen, advising the presi.
dent to make that proclamation. But
he waited and waited, amid scott and
apathema, because he did not himself
see the finger of God. After awhile and
at just the right time, he saw the divine
pointing and signed the proclamation.
The distinguished Confederates, Mason
and Slideil, were taken off an English
vessel by the United States govern
mcnt. Don't give them up" shouted
all the northern states. "Let us have
war with England rather than sur
render Them" was the almost unani-
nous cry of the north. But William
Seward saw the finger of God leading
in just the opposite direction, and the
Confederates were given up, and We
avoided war with England, which at
that time would have been the demoli-
ton of the United States government.
In other words, the finger of God as it
directs you may be invisible to every
body else. Follow the divine pointing,
as you see it, although the world may
call you a fool There has never been
man or woman who amounted to
anything that has not sometimes been
called fool. Nearly all the mistakes
that you and / have made have come
from our following the pointing OF
some other finger, instead of the finger
of God. But, now, suppose all forms OF
disaster close in upon man. Suppose
his business collapses. Suppose he
buys goods and cannot sell them. Sup
pose by a new invention Others can fur
nish the same goods at less price. Sup
pose cold spring or late autumn OF
the coming of an epidemic corners g
man, and his notes come due and he
| cannot meet them, and his rent mus
be paid and there is nothing with which
to pay it, and the wages of the employees
are due and there is nothing with which
to meet that obligation, and the banl
will not discount, and the business
friends to whom he goes for accommo
dation are in the same predicament, ant
he bears up and struggles on, until
after while, crash goes the whole con
Germ. He stands wondering and saying
81 do not see the meaning of all this.
have done the best could. God know
1 would pay my debts if l could
but here l am hedged in ant
stopped" What should that mai
do in that case? Go to the Scrip
lures and read the promise abeA
all things working togvAsa~a.s. ssyl
and kindred passages? Tha is well
But he needs to do something beside
reading the Scriptures. He needs +
look for the finger of God that is point
ing toward better treasures, that i
pointing toward eternal release, that /
urging him to higher realms No humal
finger ever pointed to the east or west
or north, or south, SO certainly as tn
finger of God is pointing that trouble
man to higher and better spiritual re
sources than he has ever enjoyed. Their
are men of vast wealth who are as ric
for Heaven as they are for this world
but they are exceptions. If ma
grows in grace. it is generally before h
gets 800, 900 or after he loses it If
man have plenty of railroad securitie
and has applied to his banker for more
if the lots he bought have gone up
per cent in value; if he had hard wor
to get the door of his fireproof safe shu
because of a new roll of securities he pu
in there just before locking up at nigh
if he be specializing in falling marke
or rising market and things take &c
him a right turn, he does not grow i
grace very much that week. Do yo
know what made the great revival {
1857, when more people were converte
to God, probably, than in any yea
since Christ was born? 1t was the d,
falcations and bankruptcy that sweI
American prosperity so fat that it coul
fall no tlatter. l am speaking of who'll
souled men. Such men are so broke
by calamity that they are humbled
fly to God for relief Men who have n
spirit and never expect anything al
not much affected by financial change
They are as apt to go into the kingdol
other. They are dead-beats wherev,
they are. The only way to get rid ,
them is to lend them dollar and yo
will never see them again. have trie
that plan and it works well. But al
speaking of the effect of misfortune @
high spirited men. Nothing but trii
will turn such men from earth
Heaven. 1t is only through clouds an
darkness and whirlwind of disaster sue
man can see the finger of God.
A most interesting, as well as mo
useful, study is to watch the pointin
of the finger of God. In the sevel
) teenth century South Carolina W;
! yielding resin and turpentine and t;
) as her chief productions. But Thom'
Smith noticed that the ground near h
house in Charleston was very muC
: like the places in Madagascar where /
had raised rice, and some of the Mad