The Baptist headlight., 1894-05-16

WreSLler broke the darkness with the
Sly, Thanks be unto God, who pivetr
Us Us the victory, through our Lord Jesns
Christ" o0u0
Glorious Promise
Ihere 1s widows heart. that first
was desolated by bereavement, and
since by the anxieties and trials that
came In the support Of family. If is
sad thing to see man contending for
livelihood under disadvantages hnt
70 see delicate woman, with helpless
little ones at her back, fighting the
giants Of poverty and sorrow. is more
aHectlng. 1t was humble home. and
passersby knew not that within those
four walls were displays of COURAGE
more admirable than that of Hannibal
crossing the Alps, or the pass of Their
mopyle, or Balaklava, where. "into
the Jaws Of death rode the six hundred. .
these heroes had the whole world to
cheer them On, but there were none to
applaud the struggle in the humble
nome She fought for bread, for cloth
ing, Tor flre, for shelter, with &C hing
mead and weak side and exhausted
strength through the long night by the
brook Jabbok. Could it be that none
would give her help? Had God for
gotten to be gracious? No, contending
soul. The midnight air is full of wings
coming to the rescue. She hears it
now, In the sough of the night wind, in
the ripple OF the brook Jabbok, the
promise made SO long ago ringing down
the sky, Thy. fatherIess children [
will preserve them alive. and let thy
widows trust in me-"
Some one said to very poor woman.
'HOw is it that in such distress you
keep cheerful?" She said Il do it
by what ! call cross prayers. When [
had my rent to pay, and nothing to pay
it with, | used to sit down and cry.
But now do not get discouraged. If
60 along the street, when come to a
corner the street / say, The Lord
help ~ 4 then 60 on until [ come to
another crossing Of the street, and
again say, The Lord help me- And
SO | utter a prayer at every crossing,
and since | have got into the habit of
saying these cross prayers have
been able to keep UP my courage"
Grand Trials.
Learn again from this subject that
people sometimes are surprised to find
out that what they have been strug-
Cling with in the darkness is really an
''angel Of blessing.n Jacob found in
the morning that this strange person
age was not an enemy, but God dis
patched messenger to promise pros
perity for him and for his children
And so many a man at the close of his
trial has found out that he has been
trying to throw down his own blessing
Ii you are Christian man, [ will go
back in YOUR history and find that the
grandest things that have ever hap
pened to you have been your trials.
Nothing short Of scourging, imprison-
ment and shipWreck could have made
Paul what he was.
When David was fleeing through
the wilderness, pursued by his own
son, he was being prepared to become
the sweet singer of Israel. The pit
and the dungeon were the best schools
at which Joseph ever graduated. The
hurricane that upset the tent and
killed Jobs children prepared the man
Of Uz to write the magnificent poem
that has astounded the ages. There
is no way to get the wheat out of the
straw but to thrash it. There is no
way to purify the gold but to burn it.
Look at the people who have always
had it their own way. They are proud,
discOntented, useless and unhappy. If
you want to find cheerful folks, go
among those who have been purified
by the fire.
After Rossini had rendered civilian
Tell" the five hundredth time a com
pany of musicians came under his win
dow in Paris and serenaded him. They
put upon his brow a golden crown of
laurel leaves! But amid all the ap-
plause and enthusiasm ROssini turned
to friend and said, IL would give all
this brilliant scene for a few days of
youth and love- Contrast the melan-
choly feeling of Rossini. who had
everything that this world could
give him, to the joyful experience OF
Isaac Watts, whose misfOrtunes were
innumerable, when he says:
The hill Of Zion yields
"A thousand sacred sweets
Before reach the heavenly fields
Or walk the golden streets.
Then let our songs abound
And every tear be dry.
We are marching through Immanuels ground
To fairer worlds on high.
1t is prosperity that kills and trouble
that saves. While the lSraelltes were
on the march amid great privations
and hardships they behaved well. Al
ter awhile they prayed for meat, and
the Sky darkened with great aocks of
ouails, and these quails fell in large
multitudes all about them, and the
Israelites ate and ate and stuffed them
selves until they died. oh, my
friends, it is not hardship or trial or
starvation that Injuries the soul, but
abundant supply. 1t Is not the vulture
Of trouble that eats up the Christian s
life. 1t is the quails. 1t is the qualls.
You will yet find out that your mid
night wrestle by the brook Jabbok Is
with an angel Of God come down to
bless and save.
The Mark OF Trouble.