Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1893-02-27

49, ,<. .tsafns.t that which they ex-
-; :. ....sa- They have not hal tbs
g 49,, ana ns-s,sx. sisor shsy es9ses<i.
- o., have met With reSafs which they
al uot suf.c.psse- You Are nos ~ ~ o.
Il ~ O. " 70 " ~ years II sge where
w, thought Yea would BE-. do not
in.,,s suy one excspt nlysclf 70 whom life
hss Leon q happy surprise. never ex-
n.~r.e-f ANYTHING. and 50 nsen anything
earas ia the shape Of human favor o.
comfortable position or widening neid of
work il vas 70 me surpriss-
Iwas told in tbs theological seminary
ty some q my fellow students that
never would get ANYBODY 20 hear no
pxesch unless I changed my style. -
thas when found that some people did
aEsne 70 bear nett wxs happy surprise.
But most people. scoring 10 their own
statement. have found life disappoint-
rnent. Indeed We all need shelter from
l,s tempests About 3 o'clock on hot
August afternoon you have heard rum
tie that you first took for . wagon cross-
ing bridge. brt aftxrward there was
louder r1Inhlsns, and you said. Why.
that Is thunder And sure enough the
clouds were beng convoked for fuil
dizposcr. A whole park Of artillery
went rolling down the heavens, and the
blinds Of the windows in the eky were
clossd. But tho sounds above were not
moro certain thar The sounds beneath.
al bar I'D ft4fxn
Tor them 10 10 lot down that they might
come home to shelter. and the fowl.
whether dark Brshms or Hamburg or
Lsghorn or DoniIick. began 70 call 10 IL
young. Chuck. Chuck" "Cluckr' and
take them under tho wagon housc or shed,
and had them all hid under the soft
feathers by the time that the first plaeh
Of rain struck tbs roof.
So there are sudden tempasts for our
souls. and oh. how dark it gets. and threat
eaing clouds Of bankruptcy or sickness or
persecution ar bereavement gather and
thickeu and blacken, and some run for
shelter to q bank. but 1t is poor shelter,
and others run to friendly advisers, and
they fail to help, and others by nowhere
simply because they know not where to
go. and they Perish in the blast. but
others hear divine call saying, Come.
for all things are now ready" THE
spirit and the bride cay come" And
while the heavens are laundering terror
the divine voice proffcrs mercy. and the
soul comes under the brooding care Of
the Almighty las hen gathereth her
chickens under her wing"
DANGER or ICY FoxMALrTY.
Tho wings Of my text suggest warmth.
and that is what most folks want. Tho
fact is that this Is cold world whether
you take IT literally or hgurntively. W.
have big fireplace called the sun. and 1t
has very hot IRE. and the stokcrs keep
the Goals well stirred up. but much OF
the year we cannot get near enough to
this fireplace 10 set warmed. The worlds
extremities are cold all the time. Forget
not that il is colder ut the south pole
than ct the north pole. and that tho Arc
tic is not 30 destructive rs the Antarctic.
Once in awhile the Arctic will let ex-
plorers come back, bat the Antarctic
hardlyever. When at the south pole .
ship sails In. the door Of ice IL almost sure
70 be shut against its return.
So life to many millions Of people ct
the south and many millions Of people st
the north is prolonged shivcr, but
when say that this Is cold world 1
chiefly mean fguratively. II you want to
know what is the meaning Of the ordi-
nary term Of receiving the ''cold shout
der ges out Of money and try 70 bor-
row. The conversation may have been
almost tropica. for luxuriance Of thought
and speech. but suggest your necessities
and see the Thermometer drop TO 90 do
grees below zero. and in that which till
a moment before had been a warm ROOM
Takc what is IN unpopular position on
some public question and see your
friends fy as chaf before windmill.
A far Is myself h concerned. have
no word Of complaint. but look of day
by day and see communities freezing out
men and women OF whom the world Is
not worthy. Now IL takes after one ard
now after another. II becomes popular
70 sieprcciate and dcfame and execrate
and lie about some people. This il the best
world ever got into, but IL Is the mean
est world that some people ever got into.
The worst thing that ever happened 10
them was their cradle. aud the best
thing that viii ever happen TO them will
be their grave. What people want is
warmth.
Many years ago man was floating
down on the ice of the Merrirnac, and
great efforts were made to rescue him
Twice he got hold Of plank thrown TO
him and twice he slipped away from II.
because that end Of tho plank was Cow
er,d with ice, AMI no cried out, "For
Gods sake. give me the wooden end Of
tho plank this time" and this done hs
was hauled 70 shore. The troubles that
Ia our efforts 10 save the eonl there Is
too much GOODNESS and icy forrnality.
and 80 the imported one slips of and
floats down. 8i-e 10 the ofhor end 81 the
plank ~ sympathy. warmth a
kindly association. warmth Of genial sur
rourdings
The world declines 20 give II, and Ia
many cases has no power 10 give IL. and
here Il where Christ comes In, and. a. On
a cold day. the rain beating ard the at
Ino-pherc full Of slcct. the hen clucks
her chickens under her wings. and tho
warmth n Der own breast pufs warmth
into tho wet feathers ard the chilled f-st
- he infant group ~ the barinysrd. -
Christ says - tho~c sick and frosted and
diszustc! and frosen 81 the world. Coma
Ia out u The March winds 81 the worlds
criticism. come IN COS Of the sle~t II tie