The Olneyville tribune. (Providence, R.I.) 1893-189?, 1893-09-09

4 sphere. would do that. III / could have
lived in the time OF Martin Luther. il could
have been Paurs travelling companion, IL /
had some great and resounding work 10 do,
then should put into application all that
you say" must admit that the romance
and knight errantry have gone out OF life.
There is but very little OF il left in the world.
The temples of Rouen have been changed
into smithies. The classic mansion at Ash
land has been cut up into walking sticks.
The muses. have retreated before the emil
grarts AK and the trapper's gun, and a Yer
monter might go over the Alleghany and the
Rocky mountains and see neither an Dread
nor Sylph.
The groves where the gods used 10 dwell
have been cut up for flrewood, and the man
who Is looking for great spheres and great
scenes for action will not find them. And
yet there are Alps to scale and there are
Tablespoons TO swim, and they are in COM
mon life. 1t is absurd for you to say that you
would serve God IL you had n great sphere.
IL you do not serve Him ON small scale, you
would not on large scale. II you cannot
stand the bite OF a midge, how could you en-
dure the breath of "a basilisk?
Our national government does not think II
belittling to put a tax on pins and a tax on
buckles and a tax on shoes. The individual
taxes do not amount 10 much. but in the
aggregate TO millions and millions OF dollars.
And would have you, oh Christian man. put
a high tariff on every annoyance and yexa-
tion that comes through your soul. This might
not amount to much in single cases, but in
the aggregate il would be IA great revenue of
spiritual strength and satisfaction.
A bee can suck honey even out OF n nettle,
and IL 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 COM
pany of adventures, rowing up the Ganges,
were stung to death by flies that infest that
region at certain seasons. 1 have seen the
earth strewn with the carcasses OF men slain
by insect annoyances. The only way TO get
prepared for the greactroubles of life Is 10
conquer these small troubles.
Suppose soldier should say, 'This is only
n skirmish, and there are only few enemies
Il won't load my gun wait until get into
some great general engagement" That
man is a coward and would be coward In
any sphere. II a man does not serve his
| country In skirmish, he Will not in
Waterloo. And II you are not faithful going
out against the single-handed misforunes OF
this life you would not be faithful when
great disasters with their laundering
artillery came rolling down over the soul.
| This brings me to another point. We
ought to bring the religion of Jesus Christ
into our trials. IL we have a bereavement, IL
we lose our fortune, II some great trouble
blast like the tempest, then we go to God for
comfort, but yesterday in the little annoy
ances of your store or office, or shop or fac
y,
for comfort2 You did not.
My friends, you need to take the religion
OF the Lord Jesus Christ into the most ordi-
nary trials OF your life. You have your mis-
| fortunes, you have your anxieties. you have
your vexations. sob" you say, ''they don't
shape my character. Since l lost my child.
since L have lost my property, have been a
very different man from what | was" My
brother, it is the little annoyances of your
| life that are souring your disposition, clip
ping your moral character and making you
less and less of man.
| You go into an artists studio. You see
him making n piece OF sculpture. You say,
"Why don't you strike harder?" With his
malet and his chisel he goes click, click,
click and you can hardly see from stroke 10
stroke that there is any impression made upon
the stone, and yet the work is going on. You
say, "Why don't you strike harder" ''Oh J.
he replies, "that would shatter the statue. L
must make it in this way, stroke by stroke. !"
And he continues on by week and month
until after awhile every man that enters the
studio Is fascinated. -.
Well, find God dealing with some man.
He is shaping him for time and shaping him
for eternity. / say, so Lord, why not with
one tremendous blow of calamity shape that
man for the next world2" God says, That's
not the way deal with this man it is stroke
after stroke, annoyance after annoyance, ir-
ritation after irritation, and after awhile he
%
and men,"
Not by one great stroke, but by ten thou
sand little strokes OF misfortune are men
fitted for heaven. You know that large for
tunes can soon be scattered by being paid out
in small sums ofmoney, and the largest estate
Of Christian character is sometimes entirely
lost by these small depletions.
We must bring the religion OF Jesus
Christ TO help us in these little annoy
ances. Do not say that anything Is too
insignificant TO affect your character.
Rats may sink a ship. One lucifer
match may destroy a temple. queen
got her death by smelling OF poisoned
rose The scratch of sixpenny nail
may give you the lockjaw. Columbus, by
asking for piece OF bread and drink OF
water ut Franciscan convent, came to the
discovery Of "a new world. And there is a
great connection between tri1es and i'm
mensities, between nothings and every
things.
Do you not suppose that God cares for
your insignificant sorrows2 Why, my friends,
there is nothing Insignificant in your life.
How dare you take the responsibility OF say
ing that there is? Do you not know that
the whole universe is not ashamed to take
care of one violet? / say: ''What are you
doing down there in the grass, poor little
violet? Nobody knows you are here. Are
you not afraid nights? You will die with
thirst. Nobody cares for you. You will
suffer you will perish" "No," says a star,
'Tll watch over 1t tonight" NO" says
the cloud, ''Ill give II drink" "No," says
the sun, ''I'll warm 1t in my bosom" And
then the wind rises and comes bending
down the grain and sounding its
psalm through the forest, and L say
''Whither away, wind on such swift
wing?" and 1t answers, 81 am going TO cool
the cheek OF that violet" And then 1 see
pulleys at work in the sky, and the clouds
are drawing water, and say, what are you
doing there. o clouds?" They say, "We are
drawing water for that violet" And then
look down into the grass, and say, "Can 1t
be that God takes care of poor thing like
your and the answer comes up, eyes, yes.
God clothes the grass OF the field, and He has
never forgotten me, poor violet. Oh, my
friends, IL the heavens bend down to such In
significant ministry as that, tell you God Is
willing TO bend down to your care, since He
is Just as careful about the construction OF
spiders eye ss He is in the conformation OF
flaming galaxies.
Plato had fable which have now nearly
/ IL A. II.