The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1893-08-30


appealing for mercy to compassion
ate God, exclaim in ecstasy and tri.
umph: "More tears for Gods bottleF'
Again, God keeps q tender remem-
brance Of all your sicknesses HOW
many of you are thoroughly SOUND ln
body? Not one out Of ten! do not
exaggerate. The vast majority OF the
race are constant subjects of ailments.
There is some one form OF disease tnat
you are particularly subject to. You
have a weak side or back, or are suo-
iect TO headaches, or faintncss, or lungs
easily distressed 1t would not take
very strong blow to shiver the goioen
bowl Of life, or break the pitcher AT
the fountain. Many Of you have kept
on in lie through sheer force OF VIII.
You think no one can understand your
distrcsses. Perhaps You look strong
and it is supposed that you are hypo-
chondriac They say you are nervous
AS II that were nothing! God nave
mercy upon any man or woman that ID
nervous! At times you sit alone In
your room Friends do not come. You You
feel an indescribable loneliness in your
sufferings; but God knows; God feels;
God compassionates. He counts the
sleepless nights He regards the acute
ness Of the pain; He estimates the hard'
ness of the breathing. While you pour
out the medicine from the bottle, ana
count the drops, God counts all your
falling tears AS you look at the walls,
filed with nauseous draughts, and al
bottle of distasteful tonic that stands
on the shelf, remember that there is a
larger bottle than these, which is filled
with no mixture by earthly apotheca-
carries, but it is Gods bottle, in which
He hath gathered all our tears.
Again: God remembers all the sor-
rows of poverty. There is much want
that never comes TO inspection. Inc
deacons of the church never see IT,
The comptrollers of almshouses never
report it. II comes not to church, Tor
it has no appropriate apparel IL
makes no appeal for help, but chooses
rather to suffer than expose its bitter
ness. Fathers who fail to gain liveli-
hood so that they and their children
submit to constant privations; sewing
women, who cannot ply the needle
, , quick enough to earn them shelter and
bread But whether reported or I'M
complaining, whether in seemingly
comfortable parlor, or in damp cellar,
or in hot garrett, Gods angels OF mercy
= are on the watch. This moment those
griefs are being collected. Down or
the back streets, in all the alleys, amid
shanties and log-cabins the work goe:
!, on. Tears of want-seething in sum
= mer's heat, or freezing in winters colo
. they fall not unheeded. They are
, Jewels for heavens casket. They arr
L pledges of divine sympathy. They are
q tears for Gods bottle.
i Again: the Lord preserves the re
& membrance Of all paternal anxieties
l. You see man from the most infamou
u surroundings step out into the king
y dom of God. He has heard no sermon
II He has received no startling providen
u tial warning. What brought him 7
II this new mind? This is the secret Go
S, looked over the bottle in which II
ID gathers the tears Of His people, and II
H. saw a parental tear in that bottl
u which has been for forty years unar
~ swered. He said: 60 toSnow; and le
n Me answer that tear" and forthwit
~ the wanderer is brought home to Goo
Vc O, this work of training children fc
ne God. II Is a tremendous work. Som
~ people think 1t easy. They have nev'
e tried II. A child is placed in. the arm
A' of the young parent. 1t is beautif'
~ plaything. You look into the laughin
nc ewes. You examine the dimples in u
ne feet. You wonder at its exquisite o
ie' ganism. Beautiful plaything! But
mt some nightfall as you sit rocking thi
er little one, a voice seemed to ia
ie, straight from the throne of God, sa
oi ing: "That child is immortal II
u, stars shall die, but that is an immorts
90 Suns shall grow old with age al
perish, but that is an immortalP
err Now know with many Of you th
ny is the chief anxiety. You earnei
ng ly wish your children to grow up rigt
ch ly, but you find IL hard work to nal
In them do as you wish. You check the
at temper. You correct their waywar
ht. ness; in the midnight your pillow
'ut wet with weeping. You have wrestl
iod with God in agony for the salvation
oi your children. You ask me II all tn
led anxiety has been Intellectual a
or, swer: No. God understands 20
.le' heart. He understands how hard y
OF have tried to make that daughter
ted right though she is so very petula
SIT and reckless; and what pains you ha
IT'D bestowed in teaching that son 10 wa
in the path of uprightness, though
dc has such strong proclivities for dis
ad. patton. / speak cheerful word. G
o, heard every counsel you ever offer
'er Him. God has known all the sleepl'
for nights you have ever passed God
mt, seen every sinking Of your distress
'wa spirit God remembers your praye
ex' He keeps eternal record Of your al
'ry' ieties; and In his lachrymatory, !
om' such as stood In ancient tomb, but
In one that glows and glftters beside
throne Of God, he holds all those
and hausting tears The grass may be ra
70 upon your graves, and the letters uI
'om your tombstone defaced with the {
~ ments before the divine response v
car come; but He who hath declared,
'wn will be a God to thee, and to thy 81
OF after thee" will not forget; and so
OF day, In Heaven, while you are rang
IL the fields Of light, the gates OF pc
the will swing back and garlanded W
nds glory, that long wayward one v