The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-06-24
mutability and uncertainty Of the popular


How hard it was to get rid of him! Before
you bought him out or he ruined both OF
you, what magnitude of annoyance! Then
after you had paid him down certain sum
of money to have him so out and 10 promise
he would not open q store OF the same KIND
of business in your street, did ne not
open the very same kind OF pusi-
ness as near to you rs possible and take
all your customers as far as be could take
them2 And then, knowing all your frait1es
and weaknesses. after being in your business
firm for so many years. is he not now spend
ing his time in making commentary on
what YOU furnished as text? You are
physician. and in your sickness, or in your
absence, you get a neighboring doctor TO
take your place in the sick room, and ne IN
gratiates himself into the favor OF that fam-
lily, so that you forever lose their patronage.
Or, you take patient through the serious
stages of fever, and some day the impatlent
father or husband of the sick one rusnes
out and gets another medlcai pr p."th the
toner, who comes in just IN time 10 Ses .ne
credit Of the cure. Or. you are lawyer,
and YOU come in contact with q tr1cEster III
your profession, and In your absence, ana
contrary to agreement he moves honsult
or the dismissal Of the case. or the )uaee
on the bench, remembering an oid pohIlcai
prudce, rules against you every time ne gets
q chance, and says with snarl, II you
don't like nv decision, take an exception.
Or vou are farmer and the curculio stings
the fruit, or the weevil gets into the wheat
or the drought stunts the corn, or the long
continued rains give you no opportunity TOT
gathering the harvest. Your best COW gets
the hollow horn: your best horse gets toun-
dered. A French proverb said that trouble
comes on horseback AMI goes away on foot.
So trouble dashed IN on YOU suddenly; out,
oh. how long It was In getting away. came
on horseback, goes away on foot. Rapid IN
coming. slow in going. That Is the history
Of nearly all your troubles. Again ana
again and again you have experienced the
power of the east wind. 1t may be blowing
from that direction now.
My friends, God intended these troubles
and trials for some particular purpose. They
do not come at random. Here Is the promise:
"He stayeth His rough wind in the day OF
the east wind" In the tower OF Londonthe
swords AMI the guns Of other ages are burn
ished and arranged into huge passion now
ers and sunhowcrs and bridal cakes, and you
wonder how anything 80 hard as sleel co1ld
be put into such floral shapes. have to tell
you that the hardest, sharpest, most cutting
most piercing sorrows OF this life may be
made to bloom and blossom and put on
bridal festivity. The Bible says they shall
be mltigated. they shall be assuaCed. they
snail be graduated. God is not going to al-
low you to be overthrown. A Christian wo-
man, very much despondent, was holding
her child In her arms, AMI the pastor, trying
to console the woman In her spiritual depres-
sion. said. "There. YOU will let your child
drop" "oh, mo- she said, ~ couldn't let
child drop" "Why," she said, sit should
drop the child here. it would dash his life
out" "well, now" said the Christian min
lister, "don't you think God Is as good as
you are2 Won't God. your Father. take az
good care OF YOU. His child, as you take care
of your chid2 God won't let you drop"
suppose God lets the east wind blow just
hard enough to drive US into the harbor OF
Gods protection. We all feel We can man,
age our own affairs. We have helm and
compass and chart and quadrant. Give US
plenty of sea room and we sail on and sail
On: but after a while there comes Caribbean
whirlwind up the coast, and We are helpless
in the gale, and we cry out for harbor. All
our calculations upset, We say with the poet:
Change and decay on all around see.
Oh, Thou who changest not, abide with me!
When the French army went down into
Egypt under Napoleon, an engineer, In dig
ging for a fortress. came across tablet
which has been called the Rosetta stone.
languages on that Rosetta stone. Scholars
studying out the alphabet OF hieroglyphics
from that stone were enabled to read ancient
inscriptions on monuments and on tomb
stones. Well, many of the handwritings OF
God In our life are indecipherable hierogly-
phics We cannot understand them until We
take up the Rosetta stone of divine inspira-
ton. and the explanation all comes out. and
the mysteries all vanish, and what was be-
fore beyond our understanding now is plain
in its meaning, as we read, "All things
work together for good to those who love
God" So We decipher the heroglyphics.
Oh, my friends, have you ever calculat-
ed what trouble did for David? 1t made
him the sacred minstrel for all ages.
What did trouble do for Joseph Made
him the keeper OF the corncrih5 OF
Egypt. What did it do for Paul? Made him
the great apostle to the gentiles. What did
It do for Samuel Rutherford Made his in
validism more illustrious than robust health.
What did 1t do for Richard Baxter? Gave
him capacity to write OF the Saints Ever
lasting Rest" What did it do for John Bun
yam? Showed him the shining gates of the
city. What has it done for you! Since the
loss of that child your spirit has been purer.
Since tho loss of that property you have
found out that that earthly Investments are
insecure. Since you lost your health you
feel as ever before q rapt anticipation OF
eternal release. Trouble has humbled you,
has enlarged you, has multiplied your re-
sources, has equipped you, has loosened
your grasp from this world and tightened
your grip on the next. Oh, bless God for
the east wind! 1t has driven you into the
harbor Of Gods sympathy.
Bless God for your trials. Oh. my Chris
tian friend. keep your spirits up by the
power Of Christ's gospel. Do not surrend-
er Do you not know that when you give
up, others will give up2 You have courage,
and others will have courage. The Romans
went into the battle, and by some accident
there was an inclination Of the standard.
The standard upright meant forward march;
the inclination OF the standard meant sur
render. Through the negligence Of the man
who carried the standard, and the inclina-
tion Of 1t, the Amy surrendered. Oh, let US
keep the standard up, whether 1t be blown
down by the east wind or the north wind or
the south wind. No inclination to sur
render. Forward into the conflict.
There is near Bombay tree that they call
the "sorrowing tree" the popularity OF
which is 1t never puts forth any bloom in the
daytime, but in the night puts out all its
bloom aud all its redolence. And have to
tell you that through Christian character
| puts forth Its sweetest blossoms In the dark
ness Of sickness, the darkness Of financial
distress. the darkness Of bereavement, the
darkness of death, weeping may endure for
night, but Joy cometh in the morning."
Across the harsh discords Of this world rolls
the music Of the skes-music that breaks
from the lips, music that breaks from the
! harps and rustles from the palms. music like
| falling water over rocks, music like wander
| ing winds among leaves. music like carohng
birds among forests, music like ocean bill
| ha
shall hunger no more. neither thirst any
more, neither shall the sun light on
them nor any heat, for the Lamb which
| Is in the midst Of the throne shall lead them