Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1893-12-04

much of the Bible that was before M1-
den? The frosts have been fulfilling their
mission.
Put down all the promises of the Bible
on table for study, and put on one side
the table a man who has never had any
trouble or very little Of it, but pile upon
the table beside him all encyclopedias
and all dictionaries ,.and all archeologies,
and all commentaries, and on the other
side Of the table put a man who has had
trial upon trial, disaster unon disaste~,
and let him begin the isldy of the
promises, without lexicon, without cor
mentary, without any book to explail
or help, and this latter man will und. -
stand far more of the height and depth
and length and breadth Of those prom
ises than the learned exegete opposite,
almost submerged in sacred literature.
The one has the advantage over the
other because he has felt the mission of
the frosts. 0, take the consolation of
this theme, we to whom life is strug-
gle, and 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 / stand over you
and count out some drops that will allie
viate your worst troubles if you will
only take the medicine, and here it is:
SIN the world ye shall have tribulation,
but be of good cheer. l have overcome
fbo e.,
a night, but joy cometh in the morn
ing" Thank God for frosts! What
helped make Milton the greatest of poets?
The frost of blindness. What helped
make WashingtonAihe greatest of gen
erals? The frosts of Valley Forge What
made it appropriate for one passing John
Bunyan's grave to eXclaim, ''Sleep on,
thou prince of dreamers?' The frosts of
imprisonment.
The greatest college from which we
can graduate is the college of frosts. Es-
pecial trial fits for especial work Just
now watch, and you will see that trou-
BILE is preparative and educational. That
is the grindstone on which battle axes
are sharpened. l have always noticed
in my own case that when the Lord had
some especial 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 a volley of censure and
anathema, my wife always asks: II won
is about to open? Something good and
grand is surely coming!'
What is true in my case is true on
larger or smaller scale in the history of
every man and woman who wants TO
serve the Lord. Without complaint
take the hard knocks. You will see
after awhile, though you may not APP
preciate it now, that by the breath of
a good and loving God frost is given
Let the corners of your mouth, so 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 won
derful exhibition of horsemanship that l
ever witnessed was just outside of the city
of JerusalemAan Arabian steed mounted
by an Arab. Do you know where these
Arabian horses got their feetness and
poetry of motion? Long centuries ago
Mohammed, with 10000 cavalry on the
march, could find for them not drop of
water for three days. Coming to the
top Of a hill river was in sight. With
wild dash the 10000 horses started for
the stream. A minute after an armed
host was seen advancing, and at Mohaln-
med's command 100 bugles blew for the
horses to fall in line, but al the $4,000
continued the wild gallcp to the river,
except five, and they, almost dead with
thirst, wheeled into line Of battle.
Nothing in human bravery and self
sacrifice excels that bravery and self sac
rifice of those five Arabian warehouses.
Those five splendid steeds Mohammed
chose for his own use, and from those
five came that race Of Arabian horses for
ages the glory of the equestrian world
And let me say that in this great war of
truth against error, of holiness against
sin and heaven against hell. the best
warehouses are descended from those who
under pang and self denial and trouble
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 in the next
world for all you have suffered in this.
AS you enter heaven he may say: "Give
this man one of those lowered and col
onnaded palaces On that ridge of gold
overlooking the sea of glass. Give this
woman d home among those amarinthine
blooms and between those fountains
tossing in the everlasting sunlight. Give
her couch canopied with rainbows to
pay her for all the fatigues of wifehood
and motherhood and housekeeping. from
which she had no rest for 40 years.
'Cupbearers of heaven, give these new
" arrived souls from earth the costliest
beverages and roll to their door the
grandest chariots, and hang ON their
,.rallS the SxxenteSt ha,,aS tlant ox,c1.