Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1898-05-25

private place, who has had no troubie
and whose path has been smooth.
An. no.
once went through an ax factory.
and saw them take the bars of iron
and thrust them into the terrible fur
naceS. Then besweated worlSnen with
long tongs stirred the blaze Then
,hey brought out a bar of iron and nut
~ IN crushing machine. and then
they put II between jaws that bit IL in
twain Then they put il on an anvil.
anu there were great hammers swung
oy machincry-cach one half "A ton
IN weight-that went thump, thumpi
thump! III that iron could have spoken
II would have said: "Why all this
beating? Why must I be pounded any
more than any other iron?" The
workman would have said: I'VE want
TO make axes out of you--keen. sharp
aNcs-aNeS with which To hcw down
the forest, and build the shin. and
erect houses, and carry on n thousand
enterprises OF civilization. That is
the reason we pound you" Now. God
puts soul into the furnace OF trial
and then IL is brought out and run
through the crushing machine. and
~ comes down ON the anvil and upon
IT, blow after blow, blow after blow.
until the soul cries out: 30. Lord. what
does all this meanT' God SAYS: Il
want To make something very useful
out OF you. You shall be something
to hew with and something To build
with. It's practical process through
which / 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-tempcred axes, and II there
be any other way OF making them
than in the hot furnace. and on the
hard anvil. and under the heavy ham
mer, / do not know what IL il Re-
member that il God brings any kind of
chnstisemcnt upon you, il Is only tn
make you useful DO not sit down dis.
couraged and say: II have no more
reason FOR living. / wish | were dead. -
Oh there never was so much reason
Tor your living as nowl BY this or.
deal you have been consecrated a
priest of the most high God Go out
and do your whole work for the Mas
ter.
Again. there IN comfort In the
thought that all our troubles are a rev.
citation. Have you ever thought of il
In that connection? The man who has
never been through chastisement is ig-
norant about thousand things in his
h.s la
here is "A man who pridcs himself on
his cheeriulness Of character. lie
has no patience with anybody who
is depressed in spirits. Oh. IL is
easy for him 10 toe 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 1t is easy for
him to be cheerful. But suppose his
fortune goes TO pieces, ard his house
goes down under the sheriffs ham.
mer, and the banks will not have
anything 20 do with his paper. SUP
pose those people who were once ele.
gantly entertained at his table get 50
short-sightcd that they can not recog.
nize him upon the street How them
Is IL SO easy 10 be cheerful? II is easy
10 be cheerful in the home, after tn,
days work is done, and the gas /,
turned on, and the house is full O,
romping little ones. But suppose the
piano Is shut because the fingers tina
played on IL will no more touch tho
keys, and the childish voice that
asked so many questions will ask
no more Then Is IL 81 .oe,..
When a man wakes up and finds that
his resources are all gone hc begin.
TO rebel, and he says: God Is hard,
God Is outrageous He had no bust.
ness TO do this To me" My friend.
those of Us who have been through
trouble known what sinful and re.
bcllious heart we have, and how much
God has 10 put up with, and how much
we need pardon. II is only in the light
OF "a flaming furnace that we can
learn our own weak ness and our own
lack OF moral resource.