Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1893-09-15
Rocky mountains and see neither an Dread

have been cut up for firewoo1, an the man |
who is looking for great spheres AMI great
scenes for action will not find them. And |
vet there are Alps to scale AMI there are |
Tablespoons to swim, and they are in con-
mon life. 1t is absurd for you to say that you |
would serve God if you had a great sphere. |
II YOU do not servo Him on small scale, you |
would not on large scale. II you cannot |
stand the bite Of q nudge, how could you en-
| dure the breath of n basilisk?
Our national government does not think 1t
| belittling to put tax on pins AMI tax on
buckles and a tax on shoes. The individual
taxes do not amount to much, but in the
aggregate to millions and millions OF dollars.
And would have you, Oh Christian man, put
! n high tariff on every annoyance ana Vexa-
ton that comes through your SOUL Tnls mignt
| not amount to much in single cases. but In
| the aggregate it would be great revenue oi
spiritual strength and satisfaction.
A bee can suck honey even out OF nettle,
and If YOU have the grace OF God in your
heart you can get sweetness out OF thae
which would otherwise irritate and annoy
| A returned missionary told pe that com
pany Of adventures, rowing up the Ganges,
were stung to death by flies that infest that
region at certain Seasons l have seen the
earth strewn with the carcasses OF men slain
by insect annoyances. The only way to get
prepared for the great troubles OF lie Is 10
conquer these small troubles.
Suppose a soldier should say. "This is only
n sIirmish. and there are only a few enemies
i won't load my gun wait until get into
some great general engagement. mat
man is a coward and would be coward IN
any sphere. Ii man does not serve MS
country in a skirnish, he will not In
Waterloo And if you are not falth1ul Soing
ont against the single-handed misfortunes OF
fhis life YOU would not be faithful wnen
e oreat disasters with their laundering
artillery came rolling down over the soul:
This brings me to another point. we
ought to bring the religion OF Jesus Cnris.
into our trials II we have bereavement, u
we lose our fortune, If some great Irou t
hast like the tempest then we go TO Goa for
comfort. but Yesterday in the little annoy
ances of your store or Office, or shop or lac,
tory. or banking house, did you go to Gou
for comfort? You did not.
NV friends. YOU need to take the religion
Of tEe Lord Jesus Christ into the most ordi
nary trials of your life. You have your ms
fortunes you have your anxleties. you nave nav,
vour yexltions. "Oh," you say. "they don
shana nv character. Since lost my child.
since I have lost my property, have been
very different man from what L was. My
brother. it is the little annoyances OF your
life that are sourinS your disposition, CLIP
: ping your moral character ana making you
less and less Of a man.
You 90 into an artists studio. You see
, him making piece OF sculpture. You say,
, s'Why don't you strike harder" with ms
? mallet AMI his chisel he goes click, click,
l click and you can hardly see from stroke to
stroke that there is any impression made upon
! the stone, and yet the work is gong on: YOU
sov "Whv don't you strike harder?" "Oh !!
he replies. "that would shatter the statue. ]
must make it in this way, stroke by stroke
l And he continues on by week and month
until after awhile every man that enters the
studio is fascinated.
Well. I find God dealing with come man
He is shaping him for time and shaping MN
for eternity. say, 80 Lord, why not VIII
one tremendous blow of calamity shape thai
/ man for the next world?" God says, "That!
, not the woy deal with this mar it is stroke
after stroke. annoyance after annoyance, II
) rltation after irritation, and after awhile N
will be done and glad spectacle for angel
, and men,.
Not by one great stroke, but by ten thou
sand little strokes OF misfortune are mel
:, fitted for heaven. You know that large for
tunes can soon be scattered by being paid ou
in small sums ofmoney, and the largest estat'
q OF Christian character is sometimes entirei.
lost by these small depletions.
: We must bring the religion OF Jesu
. Christ to help us in these little annoy
;, ansss. DO not say that anything 10 to'
. Insignificant TO affect your character
. Rats may sink. ship. One Lucille
y match may destroy temple. queer
- cot her death by smelling OF polsone
= rose. TIE scratch OF slxpenny nal
II nav Give YOU the lookjaw. Columbus, D.
IL aim for = piece of bread AMI drink o
. w1ter ot n Franciscan convent, came to tn
~ S;s,ovarv of new world. And there Is
10 10 oraat connection between trifies and IN
% mens,ties. between nothings and every
G. things.
"a DO Won not suppose that Col cares 10
I'd vour insignificant sorrows? Way, my friend9
t. there is nothing Insignificant In your lie
How dare you take the responsibility Oh say
inc that there ISL Do you not know tina
40 tho whole universe is not ashamed to tax
~ care of ono violet? l shy "Wnat are 70
~ doing down there in the grass, poor httl
81 violet? Nobody knows you are mere. AZ
a vnn NOT afrlii nights? You will die wit
10 ihirst NoSo1y cares for you. You WI
IN suffer you will parish" "No, says 2 s No
~ sT'll watch over it tonight. no, sal
w the clou /, "rll give it drink NO, sa.
n the sun, 'I'll warm it in my bosom; AN
,'a then the wind rises and comes penoin
- down the grain and sounding j
70 nsalm through the forest, and l sa
no i.Wnither away, o wind, on such swl
do w;nr2" and it answers, 81 am going to co
Nc the Cheek of that violet" And then l 81
aS pulleys at work in the SKY ana the ciou
90 ara drawing water, and l say, "Wnat are y(
a. doing there. o couds?" They say, I'VE a
- drawing water for that violet. And then
"a Loo down into the grass, and say, can
- he that God takes care OF poor tning IL
you?" and the answer comes up. YES Y
GU God clothes the grass of the field and He b
ill never forgotten me, a poor violet. On. II
he friends. if the heavens bend down TO such
OF | significant ministry as that, tell you Goa
ell willing to bend down to your care. since I
an | Is inst as careful about the construction Oh
sr? SPIDERS eye as He is in the conformation
he flaming galaxles.
"a Plato had a fable which have now near
'us forgotten but it ran something like TINS.
NIX said spirits of the other world came back
Hu this world to find body and find a sphere
no work One spirit came and tookthe po1y
40 a king and did his work. Anothersplrl car
no and took the body OF a poet and did his wor
o!- After awhile Ulysses came, and he sal
"Why, all the fine bodies are taken, ana
len the grand work is taken. There is notnI
no left for me-" And some one replied. "a
III the best one has been left for you. Ulyss
pes said. "What's that?" And the reply Wa
mo "The body Of a common man, doing co;
MS mon work and for common reward.
ca. good fable for the world and just as go
'A fable for the church.
10 But. T remark again. we ought to bring t
ms religion of Jesus Christ into our ordIna
les blessings. Every autumn the President
mo the United States and the governors ma
con proclamation, and we are called together
mn our churches to give thanks to God for /
sec .ool,.oe. Dot ouorv DIV oil oht 70 botlanl