Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1898-05-23

the Lord loveth he chasteneth?'' A child
comes in with very bad splinter in it's
| hand, and you try to extract it. 1t is a
very painful operation. The child draws
back from you, but you persist. You
are going to take that splinter out, SO
you take the child with q gentle but
firm grasp, for, although there may be
pain IL it, the splinter must come out
And it is love that dictates it and makes
you persist Ny friends, I really think
that nearly all our sorrows in this world
are only the hand Of our Father ex-
tracing some thorn IF al these sor-
rows were sent by enemies, [ would
say, Arm yourselves against them, and
as in tropical climes when q Tiger comes
down from the mountains and carries
off a child from the village the neigh
boris band together and so into the for
est and hunt the monster so I would
have you if thought these 1nisfortunes
were sent by an enemy, go out and bat
tie against them. But, no, they come
from Father SO kind, SO loving, so
gentle, that the prophet, speaking of his
tenderness and mercy, drops the idea Of
q father and says, GAS one whom his
mother conforteth SO will I comfort
you.
Again, I remark there is comfort in
the thought that God by all this process
is going to make you useful. Do you
know that those who accomplish the
most for God and heaven have all been
under the harrow? Show me man that
has done anything for Christ in this
day il a public or private place who
has had no trouble and whose path has
been smooth. All, no.
I once went through an AK factory,
and I saw them take the bars of iron
and thrust them into the terrible fur
naces. Then besWeated worknen with
long tongs stirred the blaze. Then they
brought out a bar of iron and put it in
a crushing machine, and then they put
it between jaws, that bit it in twain
Then they put it on an anvil, and there
were great hammers swung by machin-
ery-each one half a ton in weight
that went thump, thump, thumpl If
that iron could have spoken, it would
have said: "Why all this beating? Why
must [ be pounded any more than any
other iron?" The worlzmen would have
said: eve want to make axes out Of
you, Keen sharp axes-axes with which
to hew down the forest, and build the
ship, and erect houses, and carry on
thousand enterprises of civilization.
That is the reason we pound you. "
Now, God puts a soul into the furnace
of trial, and then it is brought out and
run through the crushing machine, and
then it comes down on the anvil, and
III of4 l.
blow, until the soul cries out, "Oh,
Lord, what does all this mean?" God
says: 81 want to make something very
useful out Of you. You shall be some
thing to hew with and something to
build with. It is a practical process
through which I am putting you. Yes,
my Christian friends we want more
tools in the church of God, not more
wedges to split with. We have enough
of these. Not more bores with which to
drill. We have too many bores. What
we really want is keen, sharp, well tenn !
pered axes, and if there be any other
way Of making them than in the hot
furnace, and on the hard anvil, and I'M
der the heavy hammer, | do not know
what it is. Remember that if God
brings any kind of chastisement upon
you it is only to make you useful Do
not sit down discouraged and say: 81
have no more reason for living. wish
[ were dead. Oh, there never was SO
much reason for your living as now
By this ordeal you have been consecrat-
ed priest of the most high God. Go
out and do your whole work for the
Master
The Rebe1lious Heart.
Again, there is comfort in the thought
that all our troubles are revelation
Have you ever thought Of it in that con-
nection? The man who has never been
through chastisement is ignorant about
a thousand things in his soul he ought
to know. For instance, here is a man
who prides himself Oh his cheerfulness
of character. He has no patience with
who is depressed i'll spirits
Oh, it is easy for him to be cheerful,
with his fine house, his filed wardrobe
and well strung instruments of music
and tapestried parlor and plenty Of
money in the bank waiting for some
permanent investment! It is easy for
him to be cheerful But suppose his
fortune goes to pieces, and his house
goes down under the sheriff's hammer,
and the banks will not have anything
to do with his paper. Suppose those
people who were once elegantly enter
tanned at his table get SO shortsighted
that they cannot recognize him upon
the street. How then? Is it SO easy to
be cheerful? It is easy to be cheerful in
the home, after the days work is done,
and the gas is turned on, and the house
is full Of romping little ones. But sup
pose the piano is shut because the fin
gers that played on it will no more
touch the keys, and the childish voice
that asked SO many questions will ask
no more. Then is it SO easy? When a
wa lzoc and finds that his