Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1896-06-25

gle event, which you supposed stood en-
tirely alone, was q connecting link between
two great chains, one chain reaching
through all eternity past and tho other
chain reaching through all eternity future
so small an event fastening two eternities
together
A missionary coming from India to the
United States stopped ct st. Helena while
the vessel was taking water. He had his
little child with him. They walked along
by an embankment, and rock at that
moment became loosened, and falling in
stantly killed the child. Was 1t an acct
dontY Was it n surprise to Godp Had he
allowed his servant after life of consccra-
ton to come to such trial. Not such Is
my God. There are no accidents in the
divine mind, though they may seem so to
us. God Is good and by every single Incl
dent of our lifo, whether it be adverse or
otherwise, before earth and heaven God will
demonstrate his mercy.
hear man say: "That idea bolittlcs
God. You bring him down to such little
things" Oh, have moro thorough ap
probation of God in little things than /
have in great things. The mother does not
wait until the child has crushed its foot or
broken it's arm before she administers SYM
pathy. The child comes in with the least
bruisc, and the mother kisses it, God docs
not wait for somc tremendous crisis In our
life, but comes down TO us in our most in
significant trials and throws over us the
arms of his mercy.
Development.
Going up the White mountains some
years ago l thought of that passage in the
Bible that speaks of God as weighing
mountains in balance As looked at
those great mountains, l thought, can it
be possible that God can put these great
mountains in scales? 1t was an idea too
great for me to grasp, but when l saw
blue bell down by the mules foot on my
way up Mount Washington then I under
stood the kindness and goodness Of God
1t is not so much of God in great things |
can understand, but of God In little things
There Is man who says, THAT doc
trinc cannot be true because things do go
so very wrong" j reply it Is no inconsist-
cncy on the part Of God, but n lack Of under
standing on our part. hear that men arc
making very fine shawls in some factory.
l go in on tho first floor and see only the
raw materials, and l ask, Arc these the
shawls | have heard about?" "No," says
the manufacturer; "go up to the next
floor" And go UP, and there begin to
sec the design But the man says: do
not stop here. Go up 20 the top floor Of
the factory, and you will see the idea fully
carried out" do so, and having come
to the top, see the complete pattern of an
exquisite shawl. So in our life, standing
down on II low level of Christian expert
cncc we do not understand God s dealings
He tells us to go up higher and higher I'M
til we bciRn TO understand the divine
meaning with respect to us, and we adj
vance until we stand at the very gate Of
heaven, and there sec Gods idea all
wrought out---a perfect idea of mercy of
love. If kindness. And we say, "Just
and true are all thy ways" 1t is all right
at the top. Remember there Is no incon.
sistcncy on the part of God, huVit Is only
our mental and spiritual incapacity
Some of you may be disappointed this
COMMUNICATIONS are apt to be disap-
pointmcnts-but whatever your pcrplexi
ties and worr;mcnts know that "man's
heart dcviscth his way but the Lord di-
rectcth his steps " Ask these aged men in
this church if it is not so. 1t has been so
in my own life. One sumiylcr I started for
the Adirondacks but my plans were 80
changed that l landed in Liverpool !
studied law, and l got into the ministry
/ resolved to go AS a missionary to China
and / staid in the United States. Thought
l would like to be in the east, and went
TO the west-all the circumstances of life
all my work, different from that which
expected. "a mans heart deviscth his
way, but the Lord drcctcth his steps"
So, my dear friends, this day take home
this subject De content with such things
as you have From every grass blade un-
der your feet learn the lesson of divine care,
and never let the smallest bird fit across
your path without thinking of the truth
that two sparrows arc sold for farthing
and one of them shall not fall on the
ground without your Father. Blessed be
his glorious name forever Amen.