Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-06-15

small. The circle may be IKE the CIT
conference 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 eter-
nifty the stay of the longest life on earth
is
NOT MORE THAN A MINUTE.
What are we doing with that minute?
Are we embittering the domestic or SO
cial or political fountains, or a.e we
like Moses. who, when the Israel!tes in
the Wilderness complained that the
waters of Lake Marah were bitter and
they could not drink them, cut OF the
branch of a certain tree and threw that
branch into the water, and it became
sweet and slaked the thirst of the SUI
fering host? Are we with branch of
the Tree of Life sweetening al the
brackish fountains that we can touch?
Dear Lord, send us all out on that
mission. All around us emNittered
lives-embittered by persecution, en-
Filtered by hypercriticism, embittered
by poverty. embittered by pain, embit-
tered by injustice, embittered by sin.
Why not 90 forth and sweeten them by
smile. by inspiring words, by benetac-
tons. by hearty counsel, by prayer, by
Gospelized behavior? Let us remenl-
Der that if we are wormwood TO others
we are wormwocd to ourselves, ald
our life will be bitter and our eternity
bitterer. The Gospel of Jesus Chris Is
THE ONLY SHORTENING POWER
that is sufficient. 1t sweetens the DIS
position. II sweetens the manners. 1t
sweetens life. 1t sweetens mysterious
Providences. 1t sweetens Affections.
It sweetens death. 1t sewesens every
thing. | have heard people asked in
social company: If you could have
three wishes gratified, what would your
three wishes be?" If could have three
wishes met this morning tell you what
they would he. First: more OF the
grace Of God Second: more of the
grace of God. Third: more o. the grace
of God. In the door-yard OF my broth
err John. missionary in Annoy, China,
there was tree called the emperor-tree
| the two characteristics of which are that
| it always grows higher thar It's sur
xoundings. and it's leaves take the form
| of a crown. If this emperor-tree be
planted by rose-bush, il grows a little
higher than the bush, and spreads our
above it a crown. If be planted by the
side of another tree. it grows little
, higher than that tree and spreads above
| il a crown. Would God that this re-
Egion of Christ, more wonderful en-
reror tree might overshadoN all cur
lives. Are you lowly II ambition or
circumstance, putting over you It's
crown: are you high in talent and posi-
ton. putting over you its crown. Oh,
for more OF the saccharlne in our lives
and less Of the wormwoUd!
What is true if individuals
Is TRUE OF NATIONSs.
God sets them up TO revolve as stars,
but they may fall wormwooJ.
From the prosecutions Of the Pilgrim
Fathers and the Huguenots in other
lands. God set upon these shores a ma
ton. The council fires of the aborig-
ines went out in the greater light Of a
| free government. The sound OF the
warwhoop was exchanged for the thou
sand wheels Of enterprise and progress.
The mild winters, the fruitful sum-
mers, the healhtful skies charmed from
other lands a race of hardy men who
loved God and wanted to be free. Be-
fore the woodsman's axe forests fell
and rose again into ships masts and
churches's pillars. Cities on the banks
of lakes begin to rival cities by the sea.
The land Quakes with the rush of the
rail-car and the waters are churned
white with the steamers wheel. Fab
ulous bushels of Western wheat meet
on the way fabulous tons of Eastern
| coal. Furs from the north pass on the
rivers fruits from the South. And
trading in the same market is Maine
lumberman and South Carolina rice
merchant and Ohio farmer and alaska
fur dealer. And churches and schools
and asylums scatter light and love, and
mercy, and salvation upon 60,000,000
OF people.
l pray that our nation may not copy
THE CRIMES OF THE NATIONS
that have persisted. and our cup of
blessing turn 10 wormwood, and like
them We go down. | am by nature and
by grace an optimist. and | expect that
this country will continue to advance
until Christ shall come again. But be
not deceived! Our only safety is in
! righteousness toward God and justice
toward man. If we forget the good
ness of the Lord to this land, and break
his Sabbaths, and improve not by the
dire disasters that have again and again
come to us as nation. and we learn
saving lesson neither from civil war
nor raging epidemic, nor drought, nor
mildew. nor scourge of locust and
grasshopper, nor cyclone, nor earth
quake: if the political corruption which
has poisoned the fountains of public
virtue and beslimed the high places of
authority. making free government at
times a kissing and a by-word in all
the earth; if the drunkenness and licen-
tiousness that
STAGGER AND BLASPHEME
in the streets Of our great cities as
though they were reaching after the
fame of a Corinth and Sodom are not
repented of, we will yet see the smoke
of our nations ruin; the pillars of our
national and State capitols will fall
more disastrously than when Samson
pulled down Dagon: and future histor-
ians will record upon the page bedew-
ed with generous tears the story that
the free nation of the West arose in
splendor which made the world stare
1t had magnificent possibilities. 1t for
got God. II hated justice. 1t Rugged
its crime. 1t halted on its high march.
II reeled under the blow OF calamity
It fell And as it was going down, all
the despolisms Of earth from the top OF