The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1897-02-24

his hurnan;li.v but Socrates declared
he could see the hypocrisy through
the holes in bis cloak. We would al
see ourselves smaller th&n we were as
philcSopai& as SaverUs, The emperor OF
Rome who sad al the close OF his life,
Il have been everything, and every
thing is nothing And when the urn
that was to contain his ashes was at
his command brought 10 him ne said,
Little urn, thou shalt contain one
fer whom the world was too little.
Do you not also learn from the mis-.
fortune Of this king CT Babylon wha:
a terrible thing is the loss OF reason?
There is no calamity that can possibly
befall Us in this world SO great as de,
raneemeat o. intellcct-to have the
body OF man and yet 10 fall even be-
low the instinct OF q brute. In this
world OF horrible sights the mos: nor.
rlble is the dots stare. In this world
Of horrible sounds the most horrible IS
the m&niac's laugh. \ vessel driven
on the rocks. when hundreds go down
never TO rise and other hundreds drag
their mangled aud shiyering bodies
upon the winters beach, IS nothing
compared to the laundering OF intel
lects full Of vast hopes AID attaln,
1ents and capacities. ChciSt'S heart
went out toward these who were
epileps;c, ssliing into the fire, or man
iacs, cutting themselves among the
tombS.
We are accustomed to be more
grateful for physical health than for
the proper working of our mind. we
are apt to take it for granted that the
intellect which has served Us so we'll
will always be faithful. We forget
that an engine OF such tremendous
power, where the wheels have SUCH
yastness Of circle aud such swlftness
of motion ana the least impeachment
might put il on: OF gear, can only ce
kept in proper balance by divine
hand. No human hand could ensl-
neer the train OF immortal faculties.
How strange it is that Our memory,
on whose shoulderssll the niSfortuneS
and successes aId occurrences OF a
lifetime and are placed, should not
oftener break down, and that the scales
of Judgment, which have been weigh
ing so much and 50 long, should not
lose their adjustment, and that fancy,
which holds dangerous wand, should
not sometimes maliciously wave 1t.
bringing into the heart forebodlngs
and hallucinations the most Appalling
Is it not strange that this mind which
hopes so much in its mighty leaps Tor
the attainment Of its objects, should
not be dashed to pieces on It's dlsap-
pointments2 Though SO delicately
tuned, this instrument Of untold har'
mony plays on, though fear shakes It,
and vexations rack it, and sorrow and
iov and loss and gain in quick success.
sion beat out of it their dirge or toss
from it their anthem. At morning
and at night, when in your prayer
you rehearse the causes OF your
thanksgiving, next to the salvation oy
Jesus Christ, praise the Lord for the
preservation OF your reason.
See also in this story Of Nebuchacnez
zar the use that God makes OF bad
men. The sections Of the wicked are
used as instruments for the punish
ment of w;ckedness in others or as the
illustration of some principle IN the
divine government. NebuchadneZzar
subserved both purposes. Even SO |
will GO back with you to the history
of every reprobate that the world has
ever seen, and will show you how to
great extent his wickedness was Inn
tied in its destructive power ana how
God glorihed himself in the overthrow
and disgrace of his enemy. Babylon
is full of abonination, and wicked
Cyrus destroys 1t. Persia fills the cup
of its iniquity, and vile Alexander
puts an end to it. Macedon must be
chastised, and bloody Emilius does It;
The Bastille is to be destroyed and
corrupt Napoleon accompllshes IL.
Even so selfish and wicked men are
| often made to accomplish great and
glorious purposes. Joseph's brethren
| were guilty Of superlative perhdy and
| meanness when they sold him into
slavery for about 81, yet how they
must have been overwhelmed with the
truth that God never forsakes the
righteous when they saw be had be-
come the prime minister Of Egypt
Pharaoh oppresses the Israeites with
the most diabolic tyranny, yet stand
still and see the salvation OF God.
The plaques descend, the locusts, and
the hail, and the destroying angel,
showing that there is a God who will
defend the cause Of his people, and
finally, after the Israelites have passed
through the parted sea, behold IN the
wreck Of the drowned army, that
Gods enemies are chatf in wnirl-
| wind. In some financial panic the
righteous suffered with the wicked.
Houses and stores and shops in a
night foundered on the rock of bank
ruptcy, and healthy credit, without
warming, dropped dead in the street,
and money ran up the long ladder OF
25 per cent, to laugh down upon those
who could not climb after it.
Dealers with pockets full of securi.
ties stood shouting in the deaf ears OF
banks. Men rushed down the streets,
with protested notes after them.
Those who before found It hard to
spend their money were left without
money to spend. Laborers went home
for want OF work, to see hunger in
their chair at the table and upon the
hearth. Winter blew his breath OF
| frost through fingers of icicles, and
sheriffs. with attachments, dug anon g
the cinders of fallen storehouses, and
and whole cities Joined in the long
funeral procession, marching to the
grave of dead fortunes and fallen
| commerce. Verify, the righteous sui
fered with the wicked, but generally
the wicked had the worst OF IT..
Splendid estates that had come to-
gether through schemes of wicked
ness were dashed to pieces like a pot
ter's vessel, and God wrote with let
ters Of FIRE, amid the ruin aud destruc.
/ J -,oxo