Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1894-06-08

weight OIL DoTSPCutlOH anu dOuoC uPNh 49,
Sometimes society gels a grudge against !
man. All his motives are misinterpreted
and all his good deeds are deprecated
VITA more virtue than some o. the honoret
and applauded, he runs only aTainst rahlerJ
and sharp criticism. When man begins "a
20 down, he has not only the force OF natural
gravitation, but hundred hands to help
him in the precipitation. Men are perse-
cuted for their virtues and their successes.
Germanicus said he had just as many bitter
antagonists as he had adornments. The
character sometimes is so ustrous that the
weak eyes of-envy and Jealousy cannot bear
TO loo at it.
1t was their integrity that put Joseph in
the pit. aud Daniel in the den, and Sha 1rach
in the fire. and sent John the Evangelist to
desoate Patmos. aud Calvin to the castle OF
persecution aud John Huss to the stake,
and Korah after Moses. AMI Saul after Da-
vid, and Herod after Christ. b sure. Ii you
have anything 10 do for church or state, and
YOU attempt it with all your soul, the light
ming will strike you.
The world always has had cross be-
tween two thieves for the one VINO comes to
save 1t. High and holy enterprise has al
ways been follower by abuse. The most
sublime tragedy OF sef-sacridss has come 10
bIrlesque The graceful gait Of virtue is
always followed by scoff an | grimacs and
trayesty The sweetest strain OF poetry
ever written has come to ridiculous plro ly,
and as long as there are virtue m righteous
ness in the world there will be something
for iniquity to grin NJ. All along the linz
OF the ages an | in all lands the cry has been
= "NOt this man. but Bara55as. Nov, Bar
! a5Oas WAS a robber'
And what makes the prosecutions Of life
worse is that they come from people whom
| you have helped, from those to whom you
| loaned money or have started in business o.
whom you rescued in some great crisis [
! think it has been the history of all our lives
tile most acrimonious assault has comp
! from those whom we have benefited, whom
We hava helped, aud that makes it all the
harder to bear. A man is in danger of be-
coming cynical.
A clergyman OF the Universllist church
went into a neighborhoo1 for the establish
ment OF a a church OF his denomination, an
he was anxious to fn1 some one OF that de-
nomination, an he was pointed to cert ain
house AMI went there. He said to the man
OF the house: II IN lerstan you are Uni
versalist. I want YOU to help rae in the en-
terprise." "Well." said the nan, or an
Universalist, hut have q peculiar kinI Of
Uniyersalisn." "What is that?'' asked the
minister "Weu1 replied the other, 'T
have been out int Q world, and l have BEEN
cheate / and sllnderei AMI outraged AMI
1buse until believe in universal dammit
to- -
The great danger is that men will become
cynical and given TO believe as David WAS
tempted to say. that all men are liars. o.,
my friends, do not let that be the effect
upon your souls If you cannot endure
little persecution, how do you think our
fitlerS nlure persecution? Motley, in his
Dutch Republic" tells US of Egmont, the
martyr, who. condemned TO be beheadei,
unfastened his collar on the way TO the sea-
fold, and when they asked him WAY he did
that be said $50 they will not be detained
IN their work. want to be ready" Oh,
how little We have 10 endure compared with
those who have gone before us
Now, If you have come across i'll treat
ment, let me tell you you are in excellent
compiny-Ohrist and Luther and Galilei and
Columbus and john Jay and Josiah Quincy
and thousands of men and women, the best
spirits OF earth and heaven.
Bulge not one inch, though all hell wreak
upon you its vengeance, and you be made a
target for devils to shoot at. Do You not
think Christ knew all about persecution?
Was he not hissed at2 Was Hell not struck
on the cheek? Was He not p ,rsusi AL the
days OF His life? Did they not expectorate
upon Him? Or, TO put it in Bible
language. "Ghey spit upon Him." Aud can
not He understand what persecution is?
"Cast thy burden upon the Lord AMI He
shall sustain thee"
Then there are others who carry great bur-
dens of physical ailments. When su iden
sickness has come, and fierce choeras AMI
malignant fevers take the castles OF life by
storm, we appeal to God, but in these chronic
ailments which wear out the strength day
after day, and week after week, AMI year
after year, how little resortlng to CO I for
soace Then people depend upon their
tonics, and their plasters, and their cordialo \
rather than upon heavenly stimuants
Oh, how few people there are completely !
we'll Some Of you, by dint Of perseverance
AMI care have kept living to this time, but
how you have had to war against physical
ailments Antediluvians, without medical |
college and infrmary AMI apothecary shop,
multiplied their years BY hundreds, but he
vino has gona through the gauntlet of disease
in our tima AMI has come to seventy years OF
aga IS hero worthy Of palm.
The world seems TO be q great hospital,
an YOU run against rheu natisms mad con-
sumptons and scrofulas and neuraigias and
s cores OF old diseases baptized by new no
menclature Oh. how heavy burden sick
ness is 1t takes the color out OF the sky AMI
the sparkle out of the wave, AMI the sweet
ness out of the fruit, and lus.er out of the
night. When the limbs ache, when the res
piration is painful. wien the mouth Is no.,
when the ear roars with unhe1lthy oostruc-
lions, how hard it is to be patient AMI cheer
full and assiduous
"Cast thy burlen upon the Lord" Does
your head ache2 His wore the thorn. Do
your feet hurt? His were crushed OF tbs
spikes. Is your side painful? His was strucz
by the spear. Do You feel like giving way
under the burdenP His weakness gave way
under a cross. While you are in every pos
sibe way to try to restore your physical
vigo., you are 10 remember that mora sooth-
ing than any anodyne, more vtalizing than
any stimuant and more strengthening than
any tonic is the prescription OF the tex,
Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He
will sustain thee
We hear great deal Of talk now about
faith cure, and some people say it cannot
be done ami ii is Il failure. 90 not know
but that the chief advance OF the church is
TO be in that direction. Marvellous things
come to me day by day which make me think
that il the age Of miracles is past it is be- .
cause the faith OF miracles is past.
A prominent merchant of New York said
to member of my family. "Iy mother
wants her case mentioned to Mr.. Talmage"
THIS was the case He said ''My mother
had a dreadful abscess, from which she had
suffered untold agonies, and all surgery had
been exhausted upon her, and worse and
worse she grew until We called in a few
Christian friends and proceeded TO pray
about it. We commended her case to Col,
and the abscess began i'm neilately to be
cured. She is entirely well now and without
knife and without any surgery" So that
case has come TO me, and there are a score
oil other cases coming 10 our ears from all
parts OF the earth. Oh ye WAC are SICK, 90
m