The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1893-03-01

WnOio pdrk Oh artllery Wonb fohAanS
down the heavens and the blinds OF the
windows in the sky were closed. But
the sounds above were not more certain
than the sounds beneath The cattle
came to the bars and moaned for them
to be let down that they might come
home for shelter and the fowl whether
dark Brahms or Hamburg or Leghorn
or Dominick, began to call to its young,
"Cluckp "Cluckl" "Cluckl" and take
them under the wagon-house or shed,
and had them all hid under the soft
feathers by the time that the first
splash Of rain struck the roof so there
are sudden tempests for our souls, and,
OH how dark it gets, and threatening
clouds of bankruptcy or sickness or per-
secution or bereavement gather ana
thicken and blacken and some run Tor
shelter to a bank, but it is poor shelter;
and others run to friendly advisers, ana
they fail to help; and others fly nowhere
simply because they know not where
to go, and they perish in the blast; but
others hear a divine call, saying:
Come, for all things are now ready
1.-THE spirit and the bride say, Come
And while the heavens are laundering
terror, the Divine voice proffers mercy
and the soul comes under the brooding |
care of the Almighty "as hen
gathereth her chickens under her wing"
The wings of my text suggest
warmth, and that is what most folks
want The sfact is that this is cold
world, whether you take 1t literally or
figuratively. We have u big fireplace,
called the sun, and it has very hot
fire, and the stokers keep the coal well
stirred up, but much Of the year we can
not get near enough to the fireplace to
get warmed. The worlds extremities
are cold all the time. Forget not that
it is colder at the south pole than at
the north pole, and that the Arctic is
not so destructive as the Antarctic, Once
in awhile the Arctic will let explorers
come back, but the Antarctic hardly ever.
When at the south pole ship sails in,
the door of ice is almost sure to be shut
against its return. So life to many mil
lions OF people at the south and many
millions Of people at the north is pro-
longed shiver. But when / say that
this is cold world, ! chiefly mean
!. fguratively. II you want to know
what is the meaning Of the ordinary
term of receiving the cold shoulder"
get out of money and try to borrow.
The conversation may have been al
most tropical for luxuriance Of thought
and speech, but suggest your neces-
stiles and SEQ the thermometer drop to
fifty degrees below zero, and in that
which, till moment before, had been
/ o warm room. Take what is an un-
popular position on some public ques-
tion and see your friends fly as chaff
before a windmill As far as myself is
. concerned, have no word of complaint,
0 but look off day by day and see COM
e munities freezing out men and women
e of whom the world is not worthy. Now
|: it takes after one and now after an
l. other 1t becomes popular to depreciate
n and defame and execrate and lie about
!. some people. This is the best world
Q ever got into, but 1t is the meanesi
d world that some people ever got into
/, The worst thing that ever happened u
Ii them was their cradle and the best thing
n that will ever happen to them will be
j their grave. What the people want Il
y warmth. Many years ago a young
d man was floating down on the ice o
|, the Merrimac and great efforts wer'
e made to rescue him. Twice he go
.. hold Of a plank thrown to him an'
l. twice he slipped away from it. becaus
m that end of the plank was covered will
le ice, and he cried out: For Gods sake
It give me the wooden end of the planl
ID this time" and this done, he wa
ie hauled to shore. The trouble is tina
N in our efforts to save the soul, there
" too much coldness and icy formality
m and SO the imperiled one slips off an
G. floats down. Give 1t the other end O
ie the plank Warmth OF sympathy
k. warmth of kindly associa tion, warmt
k. of genial surroundings. The world dc
clines to give it and In many cases ha
e. no power to give 1t, and here is wher
OF Oh rist comes in. and as on q cold day
Id the rain beating and the atmospher
e. full of sleet, the hen clucks her chick
nj ems under her wings, and the warmt
TO Of her own breast puts warmth into tn
90 feathers and the chilled feet OF the II
by FAINT group of the barnyard, SO Chrii
rn saws to those sick and frosted and di
IN pusted and frozen Of the world, come |
We out of the March winds OF the world
Ut criticism, come in out Of the sleet OF tn
W, worlds assault, come in out OF worl
n, that,does not understand you, and dos
k not want to understand you; l wi
ur comfort you, and will soothe you an
lk will be your warmth, ''as hen gatl
IN ereth her chickens under her wing
,ir o. the warm heart Of God is ready fC
TO all those TO whom the world has give
al the cold shoulder.
But notice that some one must tai
q. the storm for the chickens. Ahl u
ed hen takes the storm. / have watchS
at her under the pelting rain. have sec
We her in the pinching frosts Almo
ch frozen TO death, or almost strangled
,st the waters, and what fight she maxi
ey for the young under wing II dog,
ed a hawk or q man comes too near Al
in. so the brooding Christ takes the stor
nd for u.s. What flood Of anguish al
ey tears that did not dash upon His no
lid soul What beak Of torture did n
or pierce His vitalR What barking &c
lrs berus Of hell was not let out upon HI
lid from the kennels i,.l .lt
iy. What He endured, who can tell
nv To save our souls from death and he'll
~, Yes, the hen took the storm for d
he chickens, and Christ takes the stor
bic for us Once the tempest rose SO su
"A denly the hen could not get with h