The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1893-12-08

UPON tHo nibtoTiCdi GYMS VI Hdtiouny
whether the jewel be called the Noun
tain of Glory. or the Sea of Light, or the
Crown Of the Moon, or the Eye of Allah,
or the Star of Sarawak, or the Kohl
moor, ! implead You study the jewels
strewn all round your wintry home and
realize that "by the breath of God frost
Is given!"
But go step farther and speak Of
the frost as an evangelist, and text Of
Scripture is not of much use to me I'M
less can find the gospel in it. The Is
raelites in the wilderness breakfasted on
something that looked like frozen dew.
The mama fell on the dew. and the dew
evaporated and left pulverized ma
terial, white and looking like frost,
but 1t was mamma, and of that they ate.
So now this morning, mixed with the
frozen dew of my text, there is mama
on which we may breakfast our souls.
You say the frost kills. Yes, it kills
some things, but we have already seen
that it gives health and life to others.
This gospel is the SAVIOR Of lie unto life
or Of death unto death.
AS the frost is mighty, the gospel is
mighty. AS the frost descends from
heaven, the gospel descends from heav-
en-. By the breath of God frost is given.
By the breath of God the gospel is given.
AS the frost purifies, SO the grace Of God
purifes. AS the frost bestars the earth,
so grace bejewels the soul. As the frost
prepares for food many things that tGh-
erwise would be inedible, so the frost of
trial ripens and prepares food for the
soul. In the tight grip of the frost the
hard shells of walnut and chestnut and
hickory open, and the Injuries of the
woods come into our laps or upon our
tables; so the frost of trial takes many
hard and prickly shell and brushes it I'M
til that which stung the soul now
feeds it.
There are passages of Scripture that
once were enigmas, puzzles, riddles and
impossible for you to understand, but
the frosts of trouble after awhile exposed
the full meaning to your soul. You said,
II do not see why David keeps rolling
over in his Psalms the story of how he
was pursued and prosecuted" He de-
scribes himself as surrounded by bees.
He says, They comprised me about
like bees; yea, they compassed me about
like bees" You think what an exag-
gerating thing for him to exclaim, "Out
of the depths of hell have ! cried unto
thee, o Lord!"
And there i5so much of that style of
lamentation i'll his writings you think
he overdoes it. but after awhile frost
comes upon you in the shape of persecu-
ton, and You are stuck with this CEN
sure, and stuck with that defamation,
and stuck with some faisehood and lies
in swarlns are buzzing. buzzing about
your ears. and at last you understand
what David meant when he said,
They comrassCd me about like bees;
yea, they comprised me about like bees"
and you go down under nervous prostra-
ton and feel that you are as far down
as David when he cried. "Out of the
depths of hell!'
What opened all those chapters that
hitherto had appropriateness? Frosts!
For long while the Bible seemed lop-
sided and disproportionate amount of
it given up to the consolatory. Why
| page after page and chapter ;.fter chapter
and book after book in the Bible taken
up with alterations, with pacifcations,
with condolences? The book seems like
an apothecary store with onc-half of the
shelves occupied with balsams. Why
such superfuity of balsams? But after
awhile the membranous Group carries off
your child, or your health gives way I'M
der the grir, or your m operty is swept
off by bad investment. or perhaps all
three troubles come at once-bankruptcy,
sickness and bereavement. Now the con-
solatory parts of the Bible do not seem
to be disproportionate. You want some
thing off almost all the shelves of that
sacred dispensary. What has uncovered
and exposed to you the usefulness of SO
|
much Of the Bible that was before hit
den? The frosts have been fulfilling theil
mission.
Put down all the promises Of the Bible
on table for study, and put on one side
the table man who has never had any
trouble, or very little of it, but pile upor
the table beside him all encyclopedias
and all dictionaries. land all archaologies
and all commentaries, and on the othcl
side of the table put man who has hnt
trial upon trial, disaster upon disaster
and let him begin the study of tn,
promises, without lexicon, without com
mentary, without any book to explain
or help, and this latter man will under
stand far more of the height and deptl
and length and breadth of those prom
Uses than the learned exegete opposite
almost submerged in sacred literature
The one has the advantage over tn
other because he has felt the mission o
the frosts. o, take the consolation O
this theme. We to whom life is a strug
gle, and disappointment, and u gantlet
and pang. That is a beautiful proverl
among the Hebrews which says, "Whel
the tale of bricks is doubled. then Nose
comes"
Mild doses of medicine will do TO
mild sickness, but violent pains nee,
strong doses, and so l stand over yo1
uAu Souho ouV ooLliC uIokS tlltt Will dllt
viate your worst troubles if you will
only take the medicine, and here it is
I'm the world We shall have tribulation
but be of good cheer. have overcom
the world" Weeping may endure TO
a night, but joy cometh in the morn
ing" Thank God for frosts! Wha
helped make Milton the greatest of poets
The frost of blindness. What helpe,
make Washington the greatest of gen
erals? The frosts of Valley Forge. Wha
made it appropriate for one passing j OH
Bunyan's grave to exclaim, "Sleep on
thou prince of dreamers?" The frosts O
imprisonment.
The greatest college from which W
can graduate is the college of frosts. Els
pecia trial fits for especial work. Jus
now watch, and you will see that trou
BILE is preparative and educational. Tha
is the grindstone on which battle axe
are-sharpened. l have always notices
in my own case that when the Lord ha
some especial work for me to do it wa
preceded by especial attack upon me