The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1896-08-08

You do not buy the goods using your pest
discretion in the matter, and then say: Oo'
/ Lord, l have done the best could: com,
NIT this whole transaction into Iay nanos;
That is what religion is good tor or 1t Is
good for nothing.
There are two things, says an old proverb.
you ought not to fret about-frst, Things
that you can help, and second, things wnicn
you cannot help. II you can help tnem.
why do you not apply the remedy? II you
cannot help them, you might as well surren.
der first as last. Ny dear brethren, do not
sit any longer moping about your ledger.
Do not sit looking so despondingly upon
your stock Of unstable goods. DO you
think that God Is going to allow you.
| Christian man. to do business alone! 'Uoa
| is the controlling partner in every nrm; anu
although your debtors may abscond, al
though your securities may fail, although
your store may burn, God will, out OF an
| inflnit Of results, choose for you the very
| best results.
Do not have any idea that you can over
step the limit that God has laid down Tor
your prosperity. You will never get one
| inch Beyond it. God has decided how much
| prosperity you can stand honorably and en-
ploy usefuliy and control righteousiy; and
| at the end Of the year you will have JUST SO
many dollars and cents. just 80 mucn ward
| robe just so much furniture, Just SO many
bonds and mortgages, and nothing more. l
will give you 500 for every penny you ges
| beyond that, God has looked over your NE.
| He knows What is best for you, and he is 60
ing to bless you in time, and bless you Tor
eternity; and He will do 1t in the best way.
Your little shild says: "Papa, wish you
would let me have that knife" mo-"
| you say, sit is sharp knife and you
will cut yourself" He says, II must have
it." "But you cannot have it," you reply.
He gets angry and red in the face, and says
4 hox, t.. h,,kx hn ho
1t. Are you not kind in keeping ir from him?
SO God treats His children, l say, ~ wish,
Heavenly Father, to get that" God says, "No.
my child" I say" must have it." God says,
"You cannot have it." get angry and say.
~ will have it." God says. "You shall not
have it, and I do not get it. Is He not kind
and loving and the best of Fathers? Do you
tell me there is no rule and regulation in
these things? Tell that to the men who be-
lieve in no God and no Bible. Tell it not to
me!
| Aman Of large business concludes to go
our OF his store. leaving much of his invest
ments in the business, and he says to bis
sons: "Now, I am going to leave this busi-
/ ness in your hands. Perhaps l may cone
back in little while, and perhaps nor.
Whilel am gone you will please to look after
affairs" After awhile the father comes back
and finds everything at loose ends, and the
whole business seems to be going wrong. He
says: 81 am going to take possession OF thls
business-you know l never fully surren-
dered it-and henceforth consider yourselves
subordinates." Is he not right in doing III
let us 90 on In life. guided by our own skill,
and we make miserable work OF it. God
comes down to our shop, or our store, ana
SAYS: "Things are going wrong. come 10
take charge I am Master and know what
is best, and proclaim my authority. we
are merely subordinates. 1t Is like boy at
school with long sum that he cannot do.
He has been working at it for hours, making
figures here and rubbing out figures there,
and It Is all mixed up, and the teacher, look
ing over the boys shoulder, knows that he
cannot get out of it, and cleaning the slate
says, "Begin again." Just SO God does to
us. Our affairs get into an inextricable Gu.
tanglement, and He rubs everything out and
SAYS "Begin again!" Is He not wise and
loving in so doing?
think the trouble is that there Is so large
O difference between the divine and the hui
man estimate as to what Is enough. nave
heard of people striving for that which Is
enough, but never heard of any one who
had enough. What God calls enough Tor
man man call too little. What man calls
enough God says is too much. The differ
ence between poor man and rich man Is
only the difference in banks. The rich man
puts his money in the Washington bank, OF
the Central bank, or the Metropolitan bank,
or some other bank of that character, while
, the poor man comes up and makes ms In n
, vestments in the bank OF Him who runs al
1.-The quarries, gil the mines, all the COLO. al
the earth. all heaven. Do you think mar
can fail when he is backed up like that? :.
, You may have seen a map on which !:
described. with red ink, the travels OF the
, children OF Israel through the desert to the
promised land. You see how they took TIL!
L M
!, went through the sea. Do you know Goo
, has made map of your life with paths lead
, ing up to this river aud across that sea
, But, blessed be God, the path always come
!, out at the promised land. Mark that! Mari
that!
; I remark again that all those things tina
seem to be but accidents in our life are unde
. the divine supervision. We sometimes seen
| 10 be going helmless and anchorless. Yol
saw, "ff had some other trade; IL had no
, gone there this summer; IL had lived II
some other house." You have no right t
> say that. Every tear you wept, every ste
). you have taken, every burden you nav
, carried is under divine inspiration, and tina
event which startled your whole househol
with horror God met with perfect placidity
! because He knew it was for your good.
a was part of great plan projected long age
In eternity, when you come to reckon a
> your mercies, you will point to that athletic
/ as one OF your SreatoSt DieSSlnSs.
Z God has a strange way with US. JOSEPH
found his way to the prime minister's chat
!, by being pushed into pit; and to many
Christian down is up. The wheat must b
= failed; the quarry must be blasted; the dis
= mond must be ground; the Christian mu:
i be afflicted; and that single event, whic
!. you supposed stood entirely alone, was
n connecting link between two great chains
n one chain reaching through all eternity pa:
q and the other chain reaching through a
n eternity future-so small an event fastenln
J. two eternities together.
n missionary coming from India to tn
q. United States stopped at St. Helena viii
- the vessel was taking water. BE had b
II little child with him. They walked along b
ts an embankment, and a rock at that momer
became loosened and, falling Instant.
r killed the child. Was it an accident? w,
N II a surprise to God2 Had He allowed H
II servant, after life of conservation, to com
,r to such trial2 Not such is my God. Thel
m arc no accidents in the divine mine
n though they may seem so TO us. God
le good, and by every single incident OF OF
\. life, whether it be adverse or otherwise, b.
" fore earth and heaven. God will demonstra'
r. His mercy.
IF I hear man say: "That idea belittl
in God. You bring Him down to such lit
lie things" Oh, 1 have more thorough a
ie probation OF God in little things thu
If / have in great things. The moth
does not wait until the child has crush
N its foo. or broken its arm before she admi
l mt zlx.1l tv,x