Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1893-09-07

who carries around the poor box is the very
one who swindled him. But never mind
the deacon has his black coat on now and
looks solemn and goes home talking about
that blessed sermonl Christians on Sun
day. Worldhngs during the week
That man does not realize that God
knows every dishonest dollar he has in his
pocket, that God is looking right through
The iron wall of his money safe, and that
the day of judgment is coming, and that
"as the partridge stitch on eggs and hatch
eth them not, so he that getteth riches and
bot by right shall leave them in the midst
if his days and at his end shall be fool "
But how many there are who do not bring
the religion of Christ into their everyday
occupation! They think religion is for Sun
! days.
Suppose you were to go out to fight for
your country in some great contest, would
you go to do the battling at Troy or at
| springfield? No, you would go there to get
your swords and muskets. Then you would
go out in the face of the enemy and contend
for your country. Now, | take the Sabbath
! day and the church to be only the armory
where we are to get equipped for the great
battle of life, and that battlefield is Mon
day, Tuesday Wednesday, Thursday, Fri
day and Saturday Antioch" and "St.
Martin's' and "Old Hundred" are not
worth much if we do not sing all the week.
A sermon is of little account if we cannot
| carry it behind the counter and behind the
plow. The Sabbath day is of no value if it
last only "a hours.
"Oh," says some one, "if had II great
sphere ! would do that, if could have
/ lived in the time of Martin Luther, if I
could have been Pnuls travelling compap-
ion, if | had some great and resembling
work to do-then | should put into applica-
ton all that You say | must admit that
the romance and knight errantry have gone
out of life. There is but very little of it
left in the world The temples of Rouen
have been changed into smithies: the classic
mansion al Ashland has been cut up into
walking sticks, the muses. have retreated
before the emigrant's aX and the trapper's
gun, and Nermonter might 90 over the
Allegheny and the Rocky mountains and
See neither an Dread nor Sylph
The groves where the gods used to dwell
have been cut up for frewood 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 if you had a great
sphere. If you 10 not serve him on a small
scale. you would not on large scale. If
you cannot stand the bite of a mdge, how
could you endure the breath of busilisk?
THE VALUE OF SMALL THINGS.
Our national government does not think
1t bclittEng to put tax on pins, and
tax on buckles, and a tax on shoes. The
individual taxes do not amount to much
but i'll the aggregate to millions and mil
lions of dollars. And would have you, oh,
Christian man, pu; high tariff on every
annoyance and veXation that comes through
your soul. This might not amount to
much in single cases, but III the aggregate
it would be q great revenue of spiritual
strength and satisfaction.
\ bee can suck honey even out OF net
tie, 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 company of Adventures rowing I'D
the Gauges were stung to death by flies
that infest that region at certain seasons
] have seen the earth strewed with the car
casses of men slain by insect annoyances.
Tine only way TO get prepared for the great
troubles of life is to conquer these small
troubles
u
only skirmish. and there are only few
enemies. ! won't load my gun. Wait until
l get into some great general engagementr'
That man is IA coward and would be Il cow
ard in any sphere. ii IA man does not serve
his country in IA skirmish, he will not in a
Waterloo. And if you are not faithful 90
ing out against the single handed misfor-
tunes of this life you would not he faithful
when great disasters, with their thunder
ing artillery, come rolling down over the
soul.
This brings me to another point. We
ought to bring the religion of Jesus Christ
into all our trials. If we have a bereave-
ment, if we lose our fortune, If some great
trouble blast like the tempest then we 90
to God for comfort, but yesterday, in the
little annoyances of your store or office or
shop or factory or banking house did you
go to God for comfort? You did not.
My friends you need to take the religion
of the Lord Jesus Christ into the most
ordinary trials of yourife. You have your
misfortunes; You have your anxieties; YOU
have your vexations Oh" you say. they
don't shape my character. Since | lost NV
child, since have lost my property | have
been Il very different man from what was"
My brother, it is the little annovances of
your life that are souring your disposition,
clipping your moral character and making
you less and less Of a man
You go into an artists studio. You see
him makinga 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 hard
err "Oh," he replies, that would shatter
the statue ! must make it in this WAY
stroke by stroke" And he continues on
by week and month until after awhile ey-
cry 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, 20 Lord, why not with
one tremendous blow of calamity shape that
man for the next world" God saws.
That's not the way l deal with this man.
1t is stroke after stroke, annoyance after an
noyance, irritation after irritation. and
after awhile he will be done and n glad
spectacle for angels and men"
Not DV one QrpAt stroke I'm, In IN OOn