The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-09-20
I Rocky mountains and see neither an Dread

Tablespoons to swim, ana they are III coh-
mon life 1t is absurd for YOU to SAY that you
would serve God If you had great sphere.
fyou do not serve Him on small scare, you
world not on q 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 1t
belittling to put tax on pins ana q tax on
buckles and tax on shoes. The individual
taxes do not amount to much, but In the
aggregate to millions and millions OF dollars.
And I would have you, oh Christian man. put
\ high tariff on every annoyance and vexa.
tion that comes through your soul. This might
not amount to much in single cases. but in
the aggregate it would be a great revenue OF
spiritual strength and satisfaction.
A bee can suck honey even out OF nettle.
and if 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 lnfest tnat
region at certain seasons. I have seen the
earth strewn with the carcasses OF men slain
by insect annoyances. The only way to get
prepared for the great troubles OF lie Is 10
conquer these small troubles.
Suppose'a soldier should say, ''This Is only
a skirmish, and there are only few enemies
Il won't load my gun wait until get into
some great general engagement. That
man 1s q coward and would bs coward in
any sphere. II man does not serve his
country in a skirmish, he will not In
Waterloo. And il you are not faithful going
out against the single-handed misfortunes 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 anotasr point. We
ought to bring the religion OF Jesus Christ
into our trials. II we have bereavement, II
we lose our fortune, If 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.
tory, or banking house, did you go to God
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 anxletles. you have
your vexations. son." you say, 'they don't
shape my character. Since lost my child.
since have lost my property, have been a
very different man from what I 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 a man.
You go into an artists studio. You see
him making piece Of sculpture, You say,
.'Why don't you strike harder?" With his
mallet and his chisel he goes click, click,
click and you can hardly see from stroke to
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
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, I find God dealing with some man.
He is shaping him for time and shaping him
for eternity. say, 20 Lord, why not with
one tremendous blow Of calamity shape that
man for the next world?" God says, That's
not the way deal with this mar it is stroke
after stroke, annoyance after annoyance, ir.
ritation after irritation, and after awhile he
will be done and glad spectacle for angels
and men,
Not BY one great stroke, out 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 OF money, 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 q temple. A queen
got her death by smelling OF q poisoned
rose. The scratch of sixpenny nail
may give you the lockjaw. Columbus, by
asking for piece of bread and drink OF
water at Franciscan convent. came to the
discovery OF u new world. Aud there is
great connection between trifes and i'm
mensities, between nothings and every
things.
Do YOU not suppose that God cares for
YOUR insignificant sorrows? 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 violet2 say what are you
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 it tonight" 'No," says
the cloud, .'In give it drink" NO" says
the sun, I'll warm it in my bosom" AMI
then the wind rises and comes bending
down the grain and sounding its
psalm through the forest, and l say.
''Whither away. D wind, on such swift
wing?" and it answers, Il am going to cool
the cheek OF that violet" And then L soc
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 I say. Can 1t
be that God takes care OF poor thing like
your and the answer comes up, "fes. yes.
God clothes the grass Of the field. and He has
never forgotten me, q poor violet. Oh, my
friends, if the heavens bend down to such in
significant ministry as that, tell you Col is
willing to bend down to your care. since H.
is just as careful about the construction OF q
spiders eye as He Is in the conformation o
flaming galaxies.
Plato had fable which have now nearly
forgotten. but it ran something like this He
said spirits OF the other world came back to
this world to And 4 body and flnda sphere oil
WORK One spirit came and tookthe bo 1y ol
king AMI did his work. Another spirit cams
and took the body of 4 post and did his work
After awhile Ulysses came, and he said
why, all the fine bodies are taken, and al
the grand work is taken. There is nothing
left for me-" And some one replied. ''Ah
the best one has bean left for you" Ulysses
slid, Whats that?" AMI the reply was,
The body Of a common man. doing a con-
mon work and for 4 common reward"
good fable for the world and just as goo
fable for the church.
But. l remark again, we ought to bring the
religion Of JESUS Christ into our ordinary
blessings. Every autumn the President o!
the United States and the governors maxi
proclamation. and We are called together in
our churches to give thanks to God for His
goodness. But every day ought to bethanSs-
giving day. We take most OF the blessings
OF life as matter Of course. We have had
ten thousand blessings this morning 70;
which We have not thanked God. Before the
night comes We will have q thousand more
blessings you will never think OF mentioning
before God.