The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1897-02-25

dark and froWning host. The arrows
from lar' the Almighty's CULVER are apt to-
strike q man when on the wing. Go
la s tn shakes his great spear in def
ance, but the smooth stones from the
brook make him stagger and fall like
an OK under the butchers bludgeon. He
who is down cannot fall. Vessels
scudding under the bare poles do not
feel the force Of the storm, while those
with all sails set capsize at the sudden
descent Of the tempest.
Remember that we can be as proud
OF our humility as OF anything else.
Antisthenes walked the streets Of
Athens with a ragged cloak to demon
strate his humility, but Socrates de-
#clared he could see the hypocrisy
through the holes in his cloak We.
would all see ourselves smaller than
we are If we were as philosophic as
ssSs'everus, the emperor Of Rome, who
said at the close of his life: 81 have
been everything, and everything is
nothing" And when the urn that was
to contain his ashes was, at his com
mand, brought to him, he said:9 Lit
tie urn, thou shalt contain one for
whom the world was too little.'
Do you not also learn from the mis-
fortune of the king of Babylon what a
terrible thing is the loss Of reason.
There is no calamity that can possibly
|sbefall us; in this world so great as de-
srangement of intellect; to have the
body of man, and yet to fall even below
the instinct Of a brute. In this world
of horrible sights, the most horrible is
the idiots stare. In this world Of hor-
rible sounds, the most horrible is the
maniac's laugh. "A vessel driven on
the rocks, when hundreds go down
never to rise, and other hundreds drag
their mangled and shivering bodies
upon the Writer'S beach, is nothing
compared to the laundering of intel
Fleets full of vast hopes and attain
l8ments and capacities. Christ's heart
went out toward those who were cpl
lsleptic, falling into the fire, or maniacs
cutting themselves among the tombs.
4 We are accustomed to be more CRATE
full for physical health than for the
proper working Of our mind. We are
4 apt to take 1t for granted that the in
tellect which has served us so we'll
\ will always be faithful. We forget
that an engine of such tremendous
i power, where the wheels have such
vastness of circle and such swiftness
LOT motion, and the least impeachment
might put it out of gear, can only be
kept in proper balance by Divine
Ehand. No human hand could engineer
1.-the train of immortal faculties. How
.Estrange It is that our memory, on
4 whose shoulders all the misfortunes
i and successes and occurrences of life
III time are placed, should not oftener
Ehreak down, and that the scales Of
! Judgment, which have been weighing
4 SO much and so long, should not lose
their adjustment, and that fancy,
for the attainment of its objects, should
not sometimes maliciously wave it,
bringing into the heart forebodings and
Authorizations the most appalling! Is
it not strange that this mind, which
hopes SO much in its mighty leaps
for the attainment of its objects, should
not be dashed to pieces on its disap-
pointments? Though so delicately
tuned, this instrument of untold har-
mony plays on though fear shakes it
and vexations rack it and sorrow and
Joy and loss and gain in quick sue
cession beat out of it their dirge or
toss from it their anthem. At morning
and at night, when in your, prayer you
i rehearse the causes of your thanksgiv-
ing, next to the salvation by Jesus
Christ, praise the Lord for the preser-
walton Of your reason.
See also IN this story of Nebuchad-
nezzar the use God makes of bad men.
The actions Of the wicked are used as
instruments for the punishment Of
wickedness in others or as the Illus
tration Of some principle in the Divine
government. Nebuchadnezzar sub
served both purposes. Even SO I will
go back with you to the history Of
every reprobate that the world has ever
seen, and I will show you how to a
| great extent his wickedness was limited
in its destructive power, and how God
! glorified himself in the overflow and
disgrace of his enemy. Babylon is full
1 Of abomination, and wicked Cyrus de-
stroys it. 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 Bas-
! tile is to be destroyed and corrupt
i Napoleon accomDlishes it. Even so
selfish and wicked men are often made
to accomplish great and glorious pur-
poses. Joseph's brethren were guilty
Of superlative perfdy and meanness
/ when they sold him into slavery for
| about seven dollars. vet how they must
have been overwhelmed with the truth
/ that God never forsakes the righteous
when they saw that he had become the
4 prime minister Of Egypt! Pharaoh OPP
/ presses the Israelites with the most
! d..abolical tyranny; yet stand still and
see the salvation Of God. The plaques
descend, the locusts, the hail and the
destroying angel, showing that there
is a God who will defend the cause Of
I his people, and finally, after the Israel
ties have passed through the parted
sea, behold, in the wreck Of the
drowned army, that Gods enemies are
4 chaff in a whirlwindi Tn some finan-