Milford chronicle., 1893-09-01
GOD KNOWS OUR GRTEFs.


The text intimates that God has an inti-
mate acquaintance and perpetual remem-
brance of all our griefs, and vial, or lach-
rvmatory, or bottle, in which he catches
and saves our tears, and bring to you the
coincidence. of this Christian sentiment.
Why talk about grief? Alas, the world
has its pangs, and now, while speak, there
are thick darknesses of soul that need to be
lifted. There are many who are about to
break under the assault of temptation, and
perchance, if no words appropriate to their
case be uttered, their perish. l come on no
FOOLS errand. Put upon your wounds no
salve compounded by human quackery;
but. pressing straight to the mark, hail
YOU as a vessel midsea cries to a passing
craft. "Ship ahoyw and invite you on
board a vessel which has faith for rud-
der. and prayer for sails, and Christ for
captain, and heaven for an eternal harbor
Catherine Rheinfeldt, a Prussian, keeps
a boat with which she rescues the drown
ing. When a storm comes on the coast,
and other people go to their beds to rest,
she puts out in her boat for the relief of the
distressed, and hundreds of the drowning
has she brought safely to the beach. In
this Hfeboat of the gospel put out today,
hoping, by Gods help, to bring ashore at
least one soul that may now be sinking in
the billows of temptation and trouble. The
tears that were once caught in the lachry-
matories brought up from Herculaneum
and Pompeii are all gone and the bcttle is
as dry as the scoria of the volcano that sub
merged them, but not so with the bottle
in which God gathers all our tears.
First, remark that God keeps perpetu-
ally the tears Of repentance. Many man
has awakened in the morning so wretched
from the nights debauch that he has
sobbed and wept. Pains in the head, ach-
ing in the eyes, sick at heart and unfit to
step into the light. He grieves, not about
his misdoing, but only about its conse-
auences. God makes no record OF such
weeping OF all the million tears that have
gushed as the result of such misdemeanor,
not one ever got into Gods bottle. They
dried on the fevered cheek, or were dashed
down by the bloated hand, or fell into the
red wine cup as it came again to the lips
foaming with still worse lntOxication.
But when a man is sorry for his past and
tries to do better-when he mourns his
wasted advantages and bemoans his re-
lection of Gods mercy and cries amid the
lacerations of an aroused conscience for help
out of his terrible predicament-thenG God
listens; then heaven bows down; then scep-
tiers Of pardon are extended from the throne;
then his crying rends the heart of heavenly
compassion, then his tears are caught in
Gods bottle.
You know the story of paradise and the
peri. think it might be put to higher
adaptation An angel starts from the
throne of God to find what thing it can on
the earth worthy of being carried back to
heaven. 1t goes down through the gold
and silver mines of earth, but finds moth
ing worthy of transportation to the celes-
tial city. It goes down through the
depths of the sea, where the pearls lie, and
finds nothing worthy Of taking back to
heaven But coming to the foot of noun
tain it secs a wanderer weeping over his
evil ways. The tears of the prOdigal start,
but do not fall to the ground, for the
angels wing catches them, and with that
treasure speeds back to heaven. God sees
the angel coming and says, Behold the
brightest gem of earth and the brightest
Jewel of heaven-the tear of a sinners re-
pentance.
OH when I see the heavenly Shepherd
bringing a lamb from the wilderness; when
hear the quick tread Of the prodigal hast
enine home to find his father; when l see
sailor boy coming on the wharf and hurry
ing away to beg his mothers pardon Tor
long nee ct and unkindness; when 1 see
the houseless coming to God for shelter,
and the wretched, and the vile, and the sin
burned, and the passion blasted appealing
for mercy to a compassionate God, I ex-
claim in ecstacy and triumph, More tears
for Gods bother
BODILY AFFLICTIONs.
Again, God keeps a tender remembrance
Of ali YOUR sicknesses. How many Of you
are thoroughly sound in body2 Notone out
of tenl I do not exaggerate. The vast ma
iority of the race are constant subjects Of
ailments. There is some one form of dis
ease that you are particularly subject to.
| You have a weak side or back, or are sub
ieet to headaches or faintnesses or lungs
easily distressed 1t would not take avery
strong blow to shiver the golden bowl Of
iisc or break the pitcher at the fountain.
r. ~. Il.