Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1892-02-13

boxes are the steps on which men
come down as often as they so up.
Of those who were a few years ago
successful in the accumulation of
property how few have not met with
reverses of fortune, while many of
those who then were straitenetl in
circumstances now hold the bonds
and the bank keys of the nation and
win the most bows on the exchange.
Of all tickle people in the world
Fortune is the most tickle Every
day she changes her mind, and woe
to that man who puts any confidence
in what she promises or proposes.
She cheers when you go up and she
laughs when you come down. Oh,
trust not a moment your hearts af-
fections to this changeablc world.
Anchor your soul in God. FROM
Christs love gather your JOY. Then
come sorrow or gladness. success or
defeat. riches or, poverty, honor or
disgrace, health or sickness, life OF
death, time or eternity, all are yours
and we are Ch1ist's and Christ is
Gods.
Learn also from my subject the
comforting truth that affections are
arrested as soon as they have accom-
plished their mission. For seven
wears did NebuchadneZzar dwell
among the beasts of the field, but at
the expiration of that time his rea-
son returned, and as soon as with
proper humility he acknowledged the
God of heaven he was brought back
to his palace and reinstated in his
former afduence and power. Now
it does seem that when heavy trials
come upon us it is as, though they
had no limit. We exclaim, ''All thy
waves and thy pillows have gone
over me, but forget that the depth
of that sea and the power of that
billow are definitely determined.
God sees how much our pride is
and he sends just enough adversely
to humble it. He sees just how
worldly minded we are and pulls us
just hard enough to detach us from
our follies. He sees how hard our
heart is and s1nites just hard enough
to break it. He sees how our eyes
have been blinded and be cuts only
lust 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
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 valley OF
tears.
But perhaps God has a special
throne in heaven that no ordinary
| saint can occupy, and by extraor-
binary trials he 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 will 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 violent
thunderstorm that first set Martin
Luther seriously thinking, and the
thunder of this worlds disaster has
started many reformation. James
~. Simpson went from 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 anpsthetic.
and the story of distress has almost
always been followed by the story of
rescue.
Formany years after Shakespeare's
death his work was so little appreci-
ated that in 1865 there was only one
edition Of his works. and that of only
three hundred copies, in existence,
and that edition was nearly all burned
in 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 good while.
but for all you are worth you viii
yet shine out on earth or in heaven.
Again, learn from my subject thai
onnected with the most distressing
judgments of God there are displays
of divine mercy. God might justly
have left Nebuchadnezzar in the
field, but infinite compassion brought
him back to the palace. No sooner
was Eden blasted than a 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 Egyp
| for the smiling of the first born. bu