The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1897-05-06

she was not troubled very much with
callers All the birds that sung in TIE
bower while the sun shone have rome
to their nests, now the night has fall
en-.
Oh, these beautiful sunflowers that
spread out their color in the morning
hour! But they are always asleep when
the sun is going down! Job had plenty
of friends when he was the richest man
in Uz; but when his property went and
the trials came, then there were none
so much that pestered as Eliphaz the
Temanitc, and Bildad. the Shuttle. and
Zophar, the Naamathite.
Life often seems 10 be u mere game,
where the successful player pulls down
all the other men into his own lap.
Let suspicious arise about a mans char
acter, and he becomes like a bank in a
panic, and all the imputations rush on
him aud break down in aday that char
acter which in due time would have
had strength to defend itself. There
are regulations that have been half a
century in building which go down UNI
der one push, as n vast temple is con
sumed by the torch of n su~lphurous
match. A hog can uproot u century
plant.
In this world, so full of heartlessness
and hypocrisy, how thrilling it is to
find some friend and as faithful in days
of adversely as in days of prosperity!
David had such a friend in Hushai; the
Jews had such a friend in Mordecai,
who never forget their cause; Paul had
such a friend in onesiphorus, who WIS.,
tied him in Jail; Christ had such in the
Marys, who adhered to Him ON the
cross; Naomi had such n one in Ruth,
who cried out: "Entreat me not to
leave thee, or to return from following
after thee; for whittier thou goest, l
will go: and whittier thou lodgest, l
will lodge; thy people shall be my peo-
pie, and thy God my God; where thou
diest will ! die, and there will be
buried; the Lord do so to me, and more
also, If aught but death part thee and
me-"
Again, | learn from this subject that
paths which open in hardship and
darkness often come out in places of
toward Jerusalem, to go along with
her mother-in-law, | suppose the peo-
pie said: "Oh, what Il foolish crea-
ture to 60 away from her fathers
house, to go off with a poor old woman
toward the land of Judah! They won't
live to get across the desert. They
will be drowned in the sea or the jack
ais of the wilderness will destroy
them" 1t was a very dark morning
when Ruth started off with Naomi;
but behold her in my text in the har-
vest of Boa2, to be af1ianced to one of
the lords of the land, and become one
OF the grandmothers of Jesus Christ,
the Lord of glory. And SC it often is
that a path which often starts very
ends very brightly.
When you started out for Heaven,
oh, how dark was the hour of conyic-
tion--how Sinai Numbered, and devils
.tormcnted, and the darkness thick
cned! All the sins of your life pounced
upon you, and 1t was the darkest hour
you ever saw when you first found out
your sins. After awhile you went into
the harvest field of Gods mercy; you
began to CLEAN in the fields of Divine
promise, and you had more sheaves
than you could carry, as the voice Of
God addressed you, saying: ''Blessed
Is the man whose transgressions are
forgiven and whose sins are covered
A very dark starting in conviction, q
very bright ending in the pardon and
the hope and the triumph Of the Cos
pei!
So, very often in our worldly bust
ness or in our spiritual career we start
off on a very dark path. We must go.
The flesh may shrink back, but there
Is a voice within, or a voicefrom above,
you must go;' and we have
TO drink the gall, and we have to carry
cross. and we have to traverse the
and we are pounded and failed
N misrepresentation and abuse, and
have to urge u way throuth TO-
100 obstacles that have been slain by
,ur own right arm. We have to ford
the river, we have to climb the noun
ain. we have TO storm the castle: but
blessed be God. the day of rest and
reward will come. On the tip-top Of
,he captured battlemcnts we will
shout the victory; IL not in this world,
hen in that world where there is no
rail- to drink. no burdens to carry, no
to fight. How do | know It?
know r., know a heca,,se God says
q. .Th.v shall l]inger No more
,a;.h,r .hi,st nn.s a.,.h.u hi
.hlrst any niore' heiIher shau