The Progress., 1896-06-27

luStrate some d.
vine truth - the
oX's patience, the
ants industry, the
| SPIDERS skill. the kinds suretooted-
ness, the eagles speed, the doves gen
tleness, and even the sparrow mean
ness and insignifcance. In Orlentai
countries none but the poorest people
buy the sparrow and eat lt-so very |
| little meat is there on the bones, ana SO
very poor Is it, what there is OF II.
The comfortable population would not
think of touching it any more tnan
you would think of eating bat or
lamprey. Now, says Jesus, II Goa
takes such good care Of poor bird that
is not worth a cent, will he not care Tor
you, an immortal?
We associate God with revolutions
We can see a Divine purpose IN the
discovery Of America, in the lnVen-
ton of the art of printing, IN the eH-
posure Of the Gunpowder Plot, IN the
contrivance of the needle-gun, in the
ruin of an Austrian or Napoleonlc
despotism; but how hard it is to see
God in the minute personal AFFAIRS Oh
our lives! We think of God as making
a record of the starry host, but cannot
realize the Bible truth that he knows
how many hairs are on our nead. II
D seems a grand thing that God provided
for hundreds of thousands OF lsraeil'es
In the desert; but we cannot appre-
ciate the truth that, when sparro"
is hungry, God stoops down ana opens
J.. its mouth and puts the seed in. we
are struck with the idea that GOD Nils
the universe with his presence, but can
4 not understand how he encamps IN the
: crystal palace of dewdrop, or hnos
room 70 stand between the alabaster
pillars of the pond lily. We can see
n God in the clouds. Can we see COD ID
these flowers at our feet?
We are apt to place God on some
4 great stage-or to try to 90 lex
pecting him there to act out MS SUI
pendous projects, but we forget tha
l. the life of a Cromwell, an Alexander
81 or a Washington, or an archangel, /!
in not more under Divine inspection, thar
AZ your life or mine. Pompey th1ugh
th there must be a mist over the eyes 0
to God because he so much favored
. Caesar. But there is no such mist h
n sees everything. We say Gods path i
J. in the great waters. True enough; bu
th no more certainly than he is in tn
water in the glass Oh the table. "
- say God guides the stars in thei
\ courses. Magnificent truth! but n
more certain truth than that he de
cides which road or street you sha
take in coming to church. Understan
that God does not sit upon an indItte1
= ent or unsympathetic throne, but tina
81 he sits down beside you to-day, an
4 stands beside me to-day and no ana
of our lives is so insignificant but thu
it is of importance to God.
II In the first place, God chooses O,
see how many people there are dissatl
rth fed with the work they have to 90.
think three-fourths wish they were
some other occupation, and they sper
a great deal of time in regretting tn
they got in the wrong trade or prof
sion. want to tell you that God p
into operation all the influences whit
= led you to that particular choice MAI
of you are not in the business that "
expected TO be in. You started for Il
ministry and learned merchandise; "
started for the law and you are a ph
sician; you preferred agriculture al
you became a mechanic. You thong
one way; God thought another.
Hugh Miller says, 4 will be a sto1
mason God says, You will be
geologist." David goes out to ate
- his fathers sheep, God calls him
~ govern a nation. Saul goes out to hi
his fathers asses, and before he G
III hack finds tie crown of regal dom
- ion How much happier would we
ii we wee COulSuJ Win tLS plo
Cod gave us! God saw your tempe
ment end all the circumstances
In which you were surrounded, and
lieve nine-tenths of you are in
work you are best fitted for. hea
'iias' great racket in my watch, and
al that the hands and the wheels and
springs are getting out Of their plat
AGO | sent it down to the jewelers. and S
We Overhaul that watch, and teach
wheels, and the spring, and the ha1
to mind their own business"
know man having large estate.
gathers his working hands in
morning, and says to one, You 60
>. trim that vine;" to another, You
W. and weed those flowers to anotl
uc You plough that tough glebe;;'
( - each one goes to his particular W.
The owner of the estate points
Dv man to what he knows he can do b
INAA' and so it is with the Lord.