The free press., 1893-12-21


down under nervous prostration and 1eei
tbat YOU are as far down as DAVID When n0
cried. "Out of the depths OF hell .
What opened all those chapters thaI
hitherto had no appropriateness! frosss
For a long while the Bible seemed Iopsiueu
and a disproportionate amount OF II sia sISon
up to the consolatory Why page after pas8o
and chapter after chapter and book after
book in the Bible taken up with a,ieNia
tions, with pacihcations, with cohdoiellce.
The book seems like an apothecaty stCIo
with one-half of the shelves occupied WIN
balsams. Why such supernuty ol DOL -
sans? But after awhile the memnraneous
Group carries off your child, or your healtn
gives way under the grip, or your properly
is swept off by bad Investment, or Perhap'
all three troubles come at once-palh- nceI
ruptcy, sickness and bereavement. wv
the consolatory parts of the Bible dc not
seem to be disproportionate. foa want
something off almost all the shelves OF thaI
socred dienepsnry. What has uncovered
and exposed to you the usefulness Oh so
much Of the Bible that was before hiuden'
The frosts have been fulfilling thelr MISSION.
Put down all the promises of the BlDie on
IA table for study. and put on one side the
table a man who has never had any trounie,
mr. very little OF it. but pile upon the table
beside him all encyclopedias and all dictloh-
aries. and all archHologies ana an coul-
mentaries, and on the other SIDE OF the taDio
mt a man who has had trial upon trial, DIS
aster unon disaster. and let him begin the
study of the promises without lexicon, Will
ont commentary without any book to eX-
nlain or help and this latter man Will UNDER
stand far more of the height and depth, ana
length and breadth Of those promises than
the learned exeget opposite, almost SUD
merged in sacred literature. The one mas
the advantage over the other because he mas
felt the mission of the frosts. Oh, take the
consolation Of this theme, ye to whom lie Is
a struggle and a disappointment, and a
gantlet and q pang. That is a beautiful
proyerb among the Hebrews when says,
''When the tale of bricks IS doubled, theh
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 alleviate your worst troubles
if you will only take the medicine, and mere
it is: Sin the world ye shall have trlbula-
ton, but be Of good cheer L have overcome
the world" "Weeping may endure for a
night, but joy cometh in the morning.
Thank God for frosts What helped make
Milton the greatest OF poets? The 1rost OF
blindness. What helped make Washington
the greatest of generals? The frosts OF val
lev Forge. What made it appropriate for one
passing John Bunyan's grave to exclalm,
''Sleap on, thou prince of dreamersF Inc
frosts of Imprisonment.
The greatest college from which we can
graduate is the college OF trostS. Especial
trial fits for especial work. Just now watch
and you will see that trouble IS preparatlve
and educational. That is the grindstone OF
which battle axes are sharpened. | have
alWavs noticed in my own case that Whs the
Lord had some special work for me to do 1t
was preceded by especial attack upon me.
This is 50 proverbial in my own house thatif
Tor something 1 say or DO get poured upon
me a VOlley of censure and anathema, my
wife always asks Il wonder what new op-
portunity of usefulness is about to openf
Something good and grand is surely com
mgr
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 sec after awhile, though you may
not appreciate it now that by tue breath OF
n 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 tho
Arabian horses. The most wonderful eXhl-
bition of horsemanship that ever witnessed
was lust outside the city OF Jerusaleut-an
Arabian steed mounted by an Arab. Do you
know where these Arabian horses got their
heetness and poetry Of motion? Long cen
turies 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. Nth VIII
dash the 30. 900 horses started for hestream,
A minute after an armed host " seen ad-
vancing and at Mohammed's command 100
bugles blew for the horses to fall in line, but
all the 80 900 continued the wild gallop to
the river except five, and they, almost dead
with thirst, wheeled into line of battle.
Nothing in human bravery and self sacri-
fee excels that bravery and self sacrifice of
those five Arabian war horses. 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 holl-
ness against sin and heaven against hell, the
best war horses are descended from those
who. under pang and self denial and trouble,
answered the gospel trumpet and wheeled
into line. Out Of great trlbulation, out OF
great fires, out Of great frosts, they came.
And let me say it will not take long Tor
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 colonnaded palaces on
that ridge Of gold overlooking the sea of
glass. Give this woman Il home 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 these newly
arrived souls from earth the costliest beVer-
ages, and roll to their door the grandest
chariots, and hang on their walls the sweet
est harps that eyer thrummed to fingers
seraphic. Give to them rapture on rapture,
celebration on celebration, jubilee On iubi-
lee, heaven on heaven. They had hard
time ON earth earning livelihood or nurs-
ing six children,