Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1896-11-20

and nothing to buy it with, l used to
sit down and cry. But now / do not get
discouraged. If l go along the street,
when | come to a corner Of the street, /
say, The Lord help me. l then go on
until / come TO another crossing OF the
street, and again l say, The Lord help
me. And so utter a prayer at every
crossing. and since l have got into the
habit Of saying these cross prayers l
have been able to keep up my courage.
Learn again from this subject that
people sometimes are surprised to find
out that what they have been struggling
with in the darkness is really an "angel
of blessing" Jacob found in the morn
ing that this strange parsonage was not
an enemy, but God dispatched messen-
ger to promise prosperity for him and
for his children And so many a man
at the close Of his trial has found out
that he has been trying TO throw down
his own blessing. II you are Chris
tian man, | will go back in your his
tory and find that the grandest things
that have ever happened to you have
been your trials. Nothing short Of
scourging, imprisonment and shipwreck
could have made Paul what he was
Joseph's Hard Struggle.
When David was fleeing through the
wilderness, pursued by his own son. he
was being prepared to become the sweet
singer Of Israel. The pit and the dun
geon were the best schools at which Jo-
seph ever graduated. The hurricane
that upset the tent and killed Jobs chill
dren prepared the man Of Uz to be the
subject Of the magnificent poem that
has astounded the ages. There is no
way to get the wheat out Of the straw
but to thrash it, There is no way to
purify the gold but to burn il. Look at
the people who have always had 1t their
own way. They are proud. discomfort
ed, useless and unhappy. II you want to
find cheerful folk, go among those who
have been purified by the fire. After
Rossini had rendered William Tell"
the five hundredth time company Of
musicians came under his window in
Paris and serenaded him. They put up
on his brow a golden crown Of laurel
leaves. But amid all the applause and
enthusiasm Rossini turned to friend
and said, 81 would give all this bril-
liant scene for few days Of youth and
love-" Contrast the melancholy feeling
of Rossini, who had everything that
his world could give him. with the joy
full experience of Isaac Watts, whose
sorrows were great, when be says:
The hill Of Zion yields
A thousand sacred sweets
Before we reach the heavenly helds
Or walk the golden streets.
Then let our songs abound
And every tear be dry.
We're marching through Immsnuei's ground
To fairer worlds on high.
1t is prosperity that kills and trouble
that saves. While the Israelites were on
the march, amid great privations and
hardships, they behaved well. After
awhile they prayed for meat, and the
sky darkened with a great flock of
quails, and these quails fell in great
multitudes all about them, and the Is
raelites ate and ate and stuffed them
selves until they died. Oh, my friends,
it is not hardship or trial or starvation
that injures the soul, but abundant sup
ply. 1t is not the vulture Of trouble that
eats up the Christians life. 1t is the
ouails. it is the quails You will yet
find out that your midnight wrestle by
the brook Jabbok is with an angel oi
God come down to bless and to save.
The Mark Of the Struggle.
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 sprung
from its socket, and the good man went
limping on his way. We must carry
through this world the mark Of the
combat. What plowed these premature
wrinkles in your face? What whiteneo
your hair before it was time for FROST
What silenced forever so much OF the
hilarity Of your household Ah, it il
because the angel of trouble hath touch
ed you that you go limping on your
way. You need not be surprised that
those who have passed through the irt
do not feel as gay as once they did. d.
not be out of patience with those who
come not out of their dependency
They may triumph over their loss, and
vet their gait shall tell you that they
have been trouble touched. Are we sto
les that we can unmoyed see our cradle
rified Of the bright eyes and the swee
Inns? Can we stand unmoyed and sec
our gardens Of earthly delight uprooted
Will Jesus, who wept himself, be an
orv with us il we pour our tears Int
the graves that open to swallow dowr
what we loved best? Was Lazarus NOR
dear to him than our beloved dead q
MS? No. We have a right to weep. Oul
tears must come. You shall not driv'
them back to scald the heart They fal
into Gods bottle. Afflicted ones hav'
died because they could not weep
Thank God for the sweet, the mysteri
ous relief that comes to US in tears. Un
der this gentle rain the flowers OF hop
put forth their bloom. God pity tina
dry, withered. parched, all consuming
grief that wrings its hands and grind
its teeth and bites its nails into tn
quick, but cannot weep We may hay
found the comfort Of the cross and ye
ever after show that In the dark nigh
and by the brook Jabbok we were trou
BILE touched
The welcome Dawn.
Again we may take the idea OF tn
text and announce the approach OF tn
day dawn. No one war ever more gla
to see the morning than was Jacob ate
that night of struggle. II is approprl
ate for phIlanthropists and Christian
20 cry out with this angel Of the tex
"The day breaketh. " The worlds pro
poets are Frightening. Superstition ha
had it's strongest props knocked on
The tyrants of earth are falling nat
the dust. The church Of Christ is risir
up in its strength to go forth, fair
the morn, clear as the sun and terrib
1 a.-sak L.,..n~o ~ Clop gaI