Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1893-12-15

table man who has never had any trouble,
or very little of 1t, but pile upon the table
beside him all encyclopedias and all dictiOn-
aries and all archasOlOgies and all com
mentaries. and on the other side of the table
put a man who has had trial upon trial, dis
aster upon disaster, and let him begin the
study Ofthe promises without lexicon, with
out commentary, without any book to ex-
plain or help. and this latter man will under
stand far more of the height and depth, and
length and breadth Of those promises than
the learned exegef opposite, almost sub
merged IN sacred literature. The one has
tho advantage over the other because be has
felt the mission of the frosts. Oh, take the
consolation of this theme, We to whom life is
a struggle and a disappointment, and a
gantlet and pang. That Is beautiful
proverb among the Hebrews which says,
'When the tale Of bricks is doubled, then
Moses comes.
Mild doses of medicine will do for mild
sickness, but violent pains need strong doses,
and so l stand over you and count out some
drops that will alleviate your worst troubles
If you will only take the medicine, aad here
1t is "In the world ye shall have tribula-
tion but be of good cheer I have overcome
the world "Weeping may endure for
night, but JOY cometh il the morning"
Thank God for frosts! What helped make
Milton tho greatest of poets2 The frost of
blindness. What helped make Washington
the greatest of generals? The frosts of VAL
ICY OTSe. w lldt mdue appropriate IOI Olo
passing John Bunyan's grave to excla1m,
''Sleep on, thou prince of dreamers?" The
frOsts of imprisonment.
The greatest college from which we can
graduate is the college of frosts Especial
trial fits for especial work. just now watch
and you viii see that trouble is preparative
and educational. That is the grindstOne on
which battle axes are sharpened. have
always noticed in my own case that when the
Lord had some special work for me to do it
was preceded by especial attack upon me.
This is so prOverbial in my own house that if
for something l say or do l get poured upon
me n volley of censure and anathema, my
wife always asks 81 wonder what new OPP
portunity CT usefulness is about to open?
Something good and grand is surely COM
!ngr
What is true in my case is true on a larger
or smaller scale in the history OF every man
and woman who wants to servo the Lord.
Without complaint take the hard knocks.
You will see after awhile, though you may
not appreciate it now, that by the breath of
good and loving God frost is given. Let
the corners of your mouth. 80 long drawn
down in complaint, be drawn up in smiles Of
content.
For many years poets and essayists have
celebrated the grace and swiftness of the
Arabian horses. The most wonderful eXhi-
bition of horsemanship that | ever witnessed
was Just outside the city Of Jerusalem-an
Arabian steed mounted by an Arab. Do you
know where these Arabian horses got their
feetness and poetry of motion! Long cen
turies ago MOhammed. with 0.000 cavalry
on the march, could find for them not a drop
of water for three days. Coming to the top
of hill, a river was in sight. With Il wild
dash the 80. 900 horses started for the stream,
A minute after an armed host was seen ad-
vancing and at Mohammed's command 100
buges blew for the horses to fall in line, but
+ +I, y th,N Yr,iIl Cp,ll 70
the river except five, and they, almost dead
with thirst. wheeled into line of battle.
Nothing in human bravery and self Sacri-
fee eXces that bravery and self sacrifice OF
those five Arabian war horses. Those five
splendid steeds NIOhammed chose for his own
use. and from those five came that race of
Arabian horses for ages tho glory of the
equestrian world. And let me say that in
this great war of truth against error, Of hOli-
ness against sin and heaven against he'll the
best war horses are descended from those
who, under pang and self denial and dtrou5le.
answered the gospel trumpet and wheeled
into line. Out Of great tribulatiOn, out of
great fires, out of great frosts, they came.
And let me say it will not take long for
God to make up to you i'll the next world for
all you have suffered i'll this. As you enter
heaven He may say, "Give this man one of
those lowered and colonnaded palaces on
that ridge of gold overlooking tho sea OF
glass. Give this woman a homo among
those amaranthine blooms and between those
fountains tossing in the everlasting sunlight.
Give her a couch canOpied with rainboWs to
pay her for all the fatigues of wifehOOd and
motherhood and housekeeping. from which
she had no rest for forty years.
"CupbearerS of heaven, give tneaa newly
arrived souls from earth the cOstl1eet bever.
ages, and roll to their door the ,srandest
chariOts, and hang on their walls the sweet
est harps that ever thrummed to fingers
seraphic. Give to them rapture on rapture,
celebration on celebration, jubilee On iuhi-
lee, heaven on heaven. They had n hard
time on earth earning q livelihoo /. or nurs-
old age, or battling falsehoods that were told
about them, or were compelled to work after
they got shortbreathed and rheumatic and
Chambertains Of heaven Keepers of the
kings robes BanquetCrS of eternal royalty!
Make up to thcm Il hun1redfOid, athOusand-
fold. a milliOnfOld for all they suffered from
SwaddlinS clothes to ShrOu1, and let all
those who, whether OH the hills. or in the
temples. or on the thrones. or on jasper wall,
were helped and sanctified and prepared for
this heavenly realm by tho mission of the
frOSts stand up and wave their scepters?'
And looked and behold !nine-tenths of the
rose to their feet, AMI nineteenth:
of the scepter5 swayed to and fro in the light
of the sun that never sets, and then [ under
stood far better than [ ever did before that
trouble comes for bFneticent purposes, and
that on the cOldest nights the aurora is
brightest in the north 3rn heavens, and that
''bS the breath OF Go ! frost is given