The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1895-11-14
1T SHALL BE WE'LL WITH YOU.

Acquaiht now thyself with him, and be at
pc ace: thereby good shall come unto thee
Job, xxi 81.
The greatest of all secrets is that
of profitable endurance. Until it
has been learned the souls educa-
ton Is incomplete. 1t is not enough
TO passively submit; neither is it we'll
to bear with defiant courage. Events
are intended to teach something, and
untliwe can get that something from
them and appropriate if, as the bee
gets nourishment from the blossoms
of tue field, our religion is a theory
and not a practice-a melody on
paper, not d melody in the air. If
We think of burdens as mt rely bur
dens their weight is the weight of
lead, but if we think of them as
prov licences they may still be heavy,
bnt their weight is that of gold.
One can bear very little if what he
bears il the result of an i'll chance,
but there is no limit to his streDgt
If he firmly believes that wha tever is
is right.
There are many sorrO Sing hearts
in the world. 1t someti mes seems a.
though we wer- tried beyond our
power of endurance. The tempest
lasts so long that We begin to think
IL viii never end, and its fury is so
great that 1t tears up our hopes and
leaves only a sense OF utter loneliness
and utter hOpeesSne SIS in their stead.
We strive with such courage u5 We
can summon, and thpl. with desEer--
ate effort strive still again; hut late
| is against us and the cloud, SO far
from dissipating, appear u gather
| faster. What it means We do not
know, and at moments we doubt
! whether events have any meaning al
all. 1t is well nigh Impossible to
| stand up under the heavy Loaf. The
| tears will come i'll spite of our en-
deavor to keep them back, and
black despair thickpns above u ike
| a starless night in which nothing can
| be seen and in which we scarcely dare
move lest further i'll befall
We cannot be cheerful, for we arc
| being taxed to our utmost. But
there is one truth which will be very
| helpful-nawely that though in
| many storm bodies have been lost,
| no tempest ever yet ragged that could
wreck trusting soul. And another
| truth like unto it stands close by
| and demands a heariDg-namely,
! that there was never night of sor.
SOW so dark that one cannot find his
| way if he believes that as angels
came and ministered unto Christ
they will come and minister unto
him also.
1t is hard saying that all things
work together for good if one trusts
| in God, but it is a wondrous fact. 1t
is the devil of doubt who makes
things difficult to bear, while to the
faithful the yoke is at least easier
and the burden is lighter. The
strength of the shoulders is not in
the shoulders, but in the heart.
Looked at from the highest stand
point, life is a curious discipline, with
nobility of character as the hoped
for result. If you pray "Give me
luxury and freedom from care" you
would be cursed if the petition were
granted. But when you pray "Do
with me whatever is best" you sub
stitute Gods wisdom for your own
ignorance, and alter that there is
nothing to fear. A great deal to
bear, perhaps, but nothing to fear.
The dearest friendships sometimes
end in disappointment; even love
that erstwhile seemed the purest,
cOnsecrating and TRANSFERRING all
| the experiences of life, has tOppled
over the precipice of earthly uncer-
tainties and gone to its death; mis-
| fortunes have piled themselves up
until their cruel summit pierced the
clouds; hopes that were once bright
have become dim, and unqualified
ambitions, like ghosts, haunt the
house. Some of these incidents are
occurring all the time. They consti-
tute the curriculum of our education
| Do L dare to say that they are good
things to have happen? Not at all,
for they are grievous and wearisome.
But this L dare say, that if you be-
lieve in Gods providence and
wisdom and love you can find even
in your misery what the doubling
soul cannot find in all the good
fortune that he has asked for. 1t is
possible-not easy, but possible-to
so love God that you can trust Him
when everything desirable seems to
be denied you. Indeed, the whole
matter lies in that nutshell. If the
universe is yours, then events are
going wrong; but if this is Gods
universe, and you are yourself in
cluded in His possessions, then
things are surely going right, though
you may not be able to see how.
1t is at just that point that re-
| ligion asserts itself and demands
with the stern voice that was once
! heard from Sinai that you shall be
| reposeful of soul and quiet in spirit,
| for some time, God knows when, and
in some way, God knows how, your
tears shall be exchanged for smiles
and your griefs for boundless joys.
+ What !" cries the shipwrecked
heart, "shall go to the grave with
my loved ones body-it may be
child, or mother, or wife-and still be
cheerful" No; that were impossiI lie,
if not inhuman. One cannot laugh
when the hearse is at the door. To
mourn is your portion. 1t is like the
cup of vinegar which He drank on
Calvary. Give the freshet of tears
their right OF way. There are those
who gtieve with you, even the angels
of heaven. Their invisible hands are
on your brow; their inaudible words
are whispered to your heart because
your ears are dull of hearing.
Only believe that God has pur-
pose in affection; that child. wife,
mother is clothed upon with immor-
tality, is in my Fathers mansion"
beyond the reach of time and trial;
that the bonds of true affection are
just as strong as ever; that ere many
days they and you will meet where
ma rtinus orp unknown and fhpn