St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1896-12-19


Then let our songs abound.
And every tear Be dry;
We're marching through Immanucl's greuEA
To fairer worlds On high.
It il prosperity that kills, and trouble
that saves. While the Israelites were
on the march. amid great private pri-
vations and hardships, they behaved
we'll After awhile they prayed for
meat; and the sky darkened with .
great flock Of quails; and these quails
foil in great multitudes all about
them; and the Israelites ate and ate,
and stuffed themselves until they died.
Oh, my friends, It is not hardship. or
trial. or starvation that Injuries the
soul. but abundant supply. It il not
the vulture of trouble that eats MP tho
Christians life; It 10 tho quails! It 10
the quails. You will yet find out that
your midnight wrestle by tho brook
Lubbock il with an angel of God. come
down to bless aud to save.
Learn again that while our wrestling
with trouble might be triumphant, we
must expect that it will leave its mark
upon us. Jacob prevailed, but the
angel touched him and his thigh-bone
sprang from its socket, and the good
man went limping on his way. We
must carry through this world the
mark Of combat What plowed those
premature wrinkles in your face?
What whitened your hair before it
was time for frost? What silenced
forever so much Of the hilarity of
your houseld? Ali it il because the
angel Of trouble hath touched you
that you 60 limping on your way.
You need not be surprised that those
who have passed through tho fire
do not feel - gay - once they
did. Do not be out of patience with
those who come not ont Of their de-
spondency. They may triumph over
their loss, and yet their gait shall tell
you that they have been trouble
touched. Are We stoics. that We can
see our cradle rifled of the
bright eyes and the sweet lips? Can
we stand unmoved and sec our gar
dens Of earthly delight uprooted2
Will Jesus, who wept Himself, be
angry with us II We pour our tears
into the graves that open to swallow
down what We loved best? Was Lana
rus more dear to Him than our be-
loved dead to MS? No. We have .
right to weep. Our tears must come.
You shall not drive them back
to scald the heart. They fall
into Gods bottle. Afflicted ones have
died because they could not. weep
Thank God for the sweet, tho mysteri-
GUS relief that comes to N in tears!
Under this gentle rain the flowers Of
hope put forth their bloom. God pity
that dry. withered, parched, all-con-
summing grief that wrings its hands,
and grinds its teeth, and bites its
nails into the quick, but can not weep!
We may have found the comfort Of the
cross, and yet after show that in the
dark night, and by the Brook Jabbok.
We were trouble-touched.
Again, we my take the idea Of the
text, and announce the approach Of
the day dawn. No one was ever more
glad to see the morning than was Ja-
cob after that night Of struggle. It Is
appropriate for philanthropists and
Christians to cry out with this angel
of the text: 1.-THE day breaketh. The
worlds prospects are Frightening. Su-
perstition has had its strongest props
knocked out The tyrants Of earth
are falling hat in the dust. The Church
Of Christ il rising mp in it, strength to
go forth, ''fair n the morn, clear -
the sun, and terrible - m army with
banners." Clap your hands, all ye peo-
pie, 1.-THE day breaketh."
A. l look around about mo I zee
many who have passed through waves
Of trouble that came mp higher than
their girdle. In Gods name / pro-
claim cessation Of hostilities. You
shall not always 60 saddened and
hesrt-broten. God will lift your bur
den. God will bring your dead to life.
God will stanch the hearts bleeding.
know He will. Like - = father pit
tieth his children, 80 the Lord pitiea
you. The pains OF earth will end. The
tomb win burst The dead will rise.
The morning star trembles on .
Frightening sky. The gates OF the
east begin to swing open. 1.-THE day
breaketh."
Luther and Melancthon were talk.
ing together gloomily about the pros.
poets Of the church. They could zee
NO. hope of deliverance. After awhile
Luther got mp and said to Melanc.
thon: ''Come, Philip. let us sing the
forty-sixth psalm: God 10 our refuge
and strength in every time Of trou'
ble.'"
Death to many, nay. to all. 10 Z
struggle and . wrestle. We have many
frien do whom It would be hard T.
leave, I care not how bright our future
hone n It 10 . bitter thing TO look
upon this fair world and know that W
shall never again see its blossomina
speing, IT, sutumnal fruits. III
sparkling streams, and to say
farewell to those with whom
Ne played In childhood or coun'
seled in manhood. In that night
like Jacob. We may have TO wrestle,
but God will not leave N unblesssd,
It shall not b told In Heaven that 4
dying soul cried unto God for help
but was not delivered. The Lattice
may b turned 70 keep out the sun, q
. book Get to dim the light o6 the'mid
night taper, or the room may b
alled with the cries Of orphaaaeo q
widowhood; or the Church Of Chris
may mourn over our goinss bat =
Christ calls al i well. The strong
wrestling by the brook win ceases tn
hours Of deaths night viii pass aleog
one o'clock In the morning two o'cloca
in the morning. four o'clock II thu
uoening, Ave O'Clock IN The ncg1iAG
''the day breaksth. "
So 1 would have Il when I de. Iau
in no haste 70 b gone. l would lika
20 stand here 3oysars and preach thil
Gospel have no grudgs agaisst thu
world. The only fsult have g Had
With this world = that Il trsote -
too we'll Hut whea NE tjpo ooglel
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