Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1893-01-07
grayed. Is not the divine maternity ever

thus CGaC0l0R W..
remark again that God has a mott ers
favoritism. Afather sometimes showss toTt
of tavoritism. Here is a boy-strong, well,ot
high forehead and quick intellect The
father says, 81 will take that boy into my
firm YETI or. Il will give him the very best
possible education" There are Instance
where. for the culture Of the one 10y, all
the others have been robbed. A sad favor
ltism, but that is not the mothers 1avoTite.
| will tell you her favorlte.
There is a child who at two years Of age
had a fall. He has never got over It Inc
scarlet fever mufned his hearing. He Is not
what he once was. That child has causet
the mother more anxious nights than al the
other children. Il ne coughs IN the night
she springs out OF a sound sleep and goes 70
MIN. The last thing sac does when going
out Of the house is to give acharge IN re-
gard to him. The first thing on coming IN
is TO ask IN regard 70 him.
Why. the children of the family all know
that be- is the favorite and say: Mother, you
It him Do Just as be ~rleases, and you give
him a great many things which you DO not
give u. He IS your favorlte.H The mother
smiles: she knows 1t j. 50. So he ought 70 be,
for if there IS any one in the world that needs.
sympathy more than another II Is an InvaF1
child, weary on the first mile Of life 5 jour
ney-carrylng an aching head, a weak side,
an irritated iun9. 50 the mother ought TO
make him a f~avorite. God. our Mother, has
lavorites. Whom the Lord loveth He
chasteneth''-fhat j., one whom He especial
~ loves He c~hasteneth.
God loves US all, but there is one weak
and sick and sore AMI wounded and suffer-
M and faint, That is the one who lies
nearest and more perpetually on the great
loving heart Of God. Why, it never coughs
but our NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. it. 1t never
stir7 a weary limb in the bed but our Mother
~-God-knows of it. There is no such a
watcher as Col. The hest nurse may be
overhorne by fatigue and fall asleep in the
char, but God, our Mother, after being up
a year of nights with a suffering child, never
SUMMERS or sleeps.
oh" saws one, II cannot understand all
that about af1 lctiou" A refiner Of silver
once explained it to a Christian lady: Il put
the silver in the fire, and | keep refining it
and rying it till | can see ny face in it. and
/ then take it out" Just so it is that Sod
keeps His dear children in the furnace till
the Irvine image may be seen In them;
then they are taken out Of the fire. "Well,"
saw some one, IF that is the way that God
treats His ravor1tes, l ~ lot want to be a
favorite."
There is a barren field on an autumn day
just wanting to be let lone. There is a
bang at the bar and a rattle Of whif1etrees
aud c~ievises. The field says, "What is the
FARMER gong 10 90 VIII IN AOWI 1Q0
farmer puts the pIow in the ground, shout
to the horses, the Golfer goes tearing through
the sod, and the furrow reaches from fence
to fence. Next day there Is q bang at the
bars an a rattle OF wniff1etrees again. The
lie. / says, 81 wonder what the farmer IS 60
ing to do nowy The farmer hitches the
horses to the harrow, and it goes bounding
and tearing across the field.
Next day there is q rattle at the bars
again, aud the field says, "What is the far
mer going to do now" He walks heavily
across the field, scattering seed as he walks.
After awhile a cloud comes. The field says,
WHAT. more troubleT 1t begins to rain.
After awhile the wind changes to the north
east and it begins to snow. Says the field:
us it not enough that l have been torn and
%tranpled upon and drowned? Must I now
be showed under?' After awhile spring
comes out of the gates of the south, and
warmth and gladness come with it. A green
scarf ~bandages the cash Of the wheat field,
and the July morning drops a crOWno or gold
on the head Of the grain,
'Oh," says the field nov l know the use
of the plow, of the harrow, of the heavy
foot. of the shower and Of the snowstorm.
IT. Is we'll enough to be trodden and
trampled and drowned and showed under il
in the end | can yield such a glorious bar
vest" ''He that goeth forth and weepeth,
bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come
again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves
with him"
When | see God especially busy in trou-
bling and trying a Christian, know that out
of that Christians character there is to
come some especial good. A auarryman
goes down into the excavation, and with
rock The rock says, What do you do
that fory' He puts powder in; he lights a
fuse. There is a laundering crash. The
rock says, ''Why, the whole mountain is
going to pieces" The crowbar is plunged;
the rock is dragged out. After awhile it is
taken into the artists studio 1t says,
''WelI, now have got a good, warm, COM
Portable place at last"
: But the sculptor takes the chisel and mall
let. and he digs tor the eyes, and he cuts for
the mouth, and be bores for the ear, and he
rubs it with sandpaper. until the rock says,
when will this torture be ended?' A sheet
is thrown over it.. 1t stands in darkness.
After awhile it is taken out. The covering
is removed. 1t stanis in the sunlight, in the
presence of ten thousand applauding people.
as they greet the statute OF the poet, or the
prince, or the conquerOr.
All says the stone, now | understand
it. | am a great deal better OFF now stand
ing as a statue OF aconqueror than | would
have been down in the quarry So God
finds a man down in the quarry of ignorance
and sin. How to get him up? He must be
bored and blasted and chiseied and secured
and stand sometimes IN the darkness.
But after awhile the mantle Of affection
will fall off, and his soul will be greeted by
the one hundred and torty-four thousand
and the thousands of thousands as more than
conqueror. On, my friends, Goa. our
Mother, is just as kind in our Affections as
in our properties. GOD never touches Us
but for our good. If a field clean and cui.
tured is better off than a barren field. and If
a stone that has become a statue is better off
than the marble in the quarry, then that
soul that God chastens may be His favorite.
Oh, the rocking OF the soul Is not the
rocking OF All earthquake. but the rocking OF
Gods cradle. 'As one whom his mother
conlforteth. so will | comfort YOU | have
been told that the pearl III an oyster IS
merely the result Of a womb or a. sickness
inflicted upon II. and | . not know but thau
the brightest genl>rOf heaven will be found
to have been tae wounds OF earth kindted
into the jeweled brightness OF etrrnsl
glory.
remark that GolhaSa nbthor's capaci-
tv TOR attain M 70 lftlA AurnA The fatD ar
IS shocked at the broken bone o. the chilI or
ST the slcAnrSs that sets me era lie IN fir
VITA fever. but 1t takes the mother 70 sym
VathjZe with all the hrtia ailments AMI i+t{a