The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1897-10-22

age for itself has posessessed, but has
not realized.
THERE IS MUCH OF THAT SORT OF THING
IN THESE DAYS;
oh, how great q multitude like Gideon
stand in the presence of thu very mes
sengers of God. and yet complain, "oh
Lord, where be all the miracles which
the Fathers have known?'' There is not
one of US, but the day has been and the
! occasion when our ears were quickened
by some message which went to our very
soul. 1t may be that friend, whom we
had known all our life spoke, it may be
that a very commonplace sort of man
gave it; yet it went to our hearts, and
strengthened us, or comforted US, or In
spired US, and we went forth from it,and
did the duty more faithfully. Who of
US had not had such an experience?
Where is the difference between such an
experience and this man Gideon's? For
him the message of the Lord came in
what he evidently thought was a very
common place way, and yet he learned
or others did at least that it was an an
gels message, and the LORDS message
to him, We receive word in a common
place way, and yet it comes to be very
divine message in our life; surely then
he was a messenger of the Lord who
brought it; and it was Gods word as it
came. have had one strange and In
teresting experience of this kind myself;
suppose every man has great many,
and they are really most natural and yet
surely God, and the Spirit which watch
es over the needs of the souls of men is
in them. 1t was after church service I;
1 had preached and conducted all the
services ordinarily, and had not had q
thought of any special thing to any one
present; at its close man / knew well
came up to me and said: "Ah l see you
know what has come unto me, 1 am very
glad indeed and very thankful that you
spoke specially of it; it was great help"
Well for the life of nae l did not know
what he was talking about! l kept still
for l thought that maybe L ought to
know as indeed L ought to have done,
but asked another what it was
he meant; well sure enough L had
referred in words almost as definite az
words could be to what that man meant
it had just that week happened in his
life just as spoke of it and yet had
not known a thing about it, or heard oil
it. 1t was only chance as people say sc
far as 1 was concerned. wonder what
such chances are to those whom they
reach- Gideon's angels have no doubt
Everyone of US at some time, some
where has Deen or could have beer
a true messenger of God to another man
it is not OF our doings but Of Gods won
lderful workings that it Is SO.
BUT THE LESSON Is BROADER
than all such condolences; there Ia Q
law of life. Each age is In meaure
blind to It's own wonders that is its dan
ger. The things which are really won
derful, and shall yet be seen so are passed
by at the time and hardly thought Of
| Fae granee-5 thoughts of one age are
said 10 ,me the commonplace Of the
next, aha &c Ia also often true that the
commonplaces Of one age sometime
come to seem miracles to latter time,
Why here is marty rdom for faith, all
| the tortures which souls have gone
through with in order to bear witness
for the truth; we sometimes wonder how
men stood it; we say 1t was wonderful
Gods special grace sustained them as it
did, 1t seems almost impossible to as ;
we are sure that much as we might want
80 to do we could hardly stand tests Of
fire and rack, and torture for our faith.
1t seems Whereabouts. It passes under
standing with us, yet to the age OF the
martyrs the thing seemed not only pos
! sible but even desirable. Strange aor