Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1896-06-24


adaptation and qui:xncss for some one
thing. II may he great, it may DO
small. The circle nay be like tho cir.
cunfercnce Of the earth or no larger
than a thimble. There are thousands
Of geniuses, and in some one thing you
are a star. What kind of star
are you? You will be In this
world but few minutes As
compared with eternity, the stay Of tho
longest life on earth is not more than a
minute. What are we doing with that
minute? Are we embittering the do
nestle or social or political fountains,
or are we like Moses, who, when the
lsraelites in the Wilderness complained
that the water of Lake Marah were
bitter and they could not drink them,
cut off the branch Of n certain tree and
threw that branch into the water. and
II became sweet and slaked the thirst
of the suffering host? Are we with a
branch of the Tree of Life swectcnin1
all the brackish fountains that we can
touch?
Dear Lord, send us all ont on that
mission. All around us embittcrcd
iives-embittered by persecution, en-
uttered by hypcrcriticism, cmLittered
by poverty, embittered by pain, embit-
tered by injustice, cmbittercd by sin.
/ why not go forth and Sweetcn them by
smile, by inspiring words, by bcnefac-
tons, by hearty counsel, by prayer. by
Gospelized behaviorl Let us remember
that If we are wormwood to others we
are NORWOOD to ourselves, and our
life will be bitter and our eternity Bit
terer. The Gospel of Christ is the only
sweetening power that is sufficient. Ii
sweetens the disposition. 1t swectens
manners, it sweetens life, it sweetens
mysterious Providences 1t sweetcns
Affections. 1t sweeteIs death. Ii
sweetens everything. / have heard
people ask in social company: IF you
could have three wishes gratifed, what
would your three wishes be?" II
could have three wishes met this morn
ing / tell you what they would be.
First: more Of the grace Of God. Sec
ond; more of the grace of God. Third,
more o. the grace Of God. In the door
yard OF my brother John. missionary
In Annoy, China, there was a tree called
the emperor tree, the two character.
istics OF which are that it always grows
higher than its surroundings. and it's
leaves take the form of a crown If tnis
emperor-tree be planted by a rosebusb.
1t grows little higher than the bush,
and spreads out above it a crown. II
1t be planted by the side of another
tree, it grows a little higher than that
tree and spreads above it crown.
Would God that this religion of Christ.
more wonderful emperor-tree, might
overshadow all your lives? Are YOU
lowly in ambition and circumstance.
putting over you its crown; are YOU
nigh In talent and position putting
over you its crown. Oh, for more OF
the saccharinc in our lives and less of
the NORWOOD,
What Is true of individuals is true
of nations. God sets them up to re-
volve as stars, but they may fan worm
wood
Tyre-the atmosphere of the desert.
fragrant with spices. coming in cara.
vans to her fairs; all seas cleft into
foam by the lSeels of her laden meg
chantmen; her markets rich with horses
and camels from Togarmah. her bn-
zaars filled with upholstery from! De-
dan, with emerald and coral and AGATE
from Syria, with wines from Iclboy,.
y
and Chilmad. Where now the clean
OF her towers, where the roar of her
chariots, where the masts of her shiD,p
Let the fishermen who dry their nets
where once she stood, let the sea that
PUSHES upon the barrenness where onro
she challenged the admiration of all
nations, let the barbarians who st
their rude tents where once her pal.
aces glittered, answer the question.
She was star, but by her own sin
turned to NORWOOD and has fallen.
Hundred-gated Thebes-for all time
to be the study of the antiquarian and
hieroglyphist; her stupendous ruins
spread over - miles; her scriptures
presenting in figures of warrior and
chariot the victories with which the
now forgotten kings of Egypt SHOOT,
the nation; her obelis1s and columns:
Carnac and Luxer, the stupcndous
temples of her pride. Who can i'm. /
aglne the greatness Of Thebes in /
those days when the hiDpo.
drome rang with her sports and
foreign royalty bowed at her shrines
and her avenue roarcd with the wheels
OF professions in the wake of return.
ing conquerors? What dashed down
the vision of chariots and temples and
thrones? What hands pulled upon the
columns of her glory? What ruthless. /
ness defaced her sculpturcd wall and
broke obelisks and left her indescriha.
bic temples great skeletons Of grantee
What spirit OF destruction spread the
lair of wild beasts in her royal
sepulchers, and taught the miserable
cottagcrs Of to-day 10 build huts
in the courts of her temples. and
sent dcsolation and ruin skulkinp he. /
hind the obclisl5s and lodging among
the sarcophagi and leaning against the
columns and stopping under the
arches and weeping in the waters
which go m0urnfulIy by as though they
were carryiu, the tears Of all aces?
Let the mummics break their LONG
silence and come up 20 SILVER i'm the
desolation, and point 70 fallen gates
and shattered statues and dcfaccd
sculpture. I'd. p)nding. "Thcbcs tuiH
not one tempt 20 God. Thcbcs hated
righteOusncs- and loved SIM Thcbes
was star, but she turned 90 wovm.
wood and has fallen"
Babylon, with her s5O towers and her
brazen gates md her cmbattIcd walls .
the spiendor Of the Garth gathered
within her palaces her hanging gar. .
done I.rrffN