The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-01-04

wealthy. Draw two isothermal lines at
60 degaess north and south of the
equa-or, and you find the favorate
home of the coral. Go to the hottest
part of the Pacific seas and you find
the finest specimens of coral. Cora is
a child Of the fire. But more wonder
fully do the meats and fires of trouble
bring out the jewels of the Christian
soul. Those are not the sta1wart men
who are asleep on the shaded lawn,
but those who are pounding amid the
furnaces. 4 do not know of any other
way of getting a thorough Christian
character. I WIFI show you a picture.
Here are a father and a mother 80 OF
80 years of age, their family around
them. 1t is Sabbath morning. They
have prayers. They a the children's
catecInism. They have prayers every
day Of the week. They are in humble
circumstances. But, after awhile the
wheel of fortune turns up and h man
gets his $40, 600. Now he has prayers
ON Sabbath and every day of the week,
but he has dropped the catechis1n.
The wheel of fortune turns up again,
and he gets his $50, 900. Now he has
prayers on Sabbath morning alone.
The wheel Of fortune keeps turning up,
and ne has 5000, 600, and now he has
prayers OF Sabbath morning when he
feels like it and there is no company.
The wheel of fortune keeps on turning
up, and ne has his $500, 900 and no
prayers at all. Four leaf clover in a
pasture field is not so Tare as family
prayers in the house of people who
have more than $500, 600. But now the
wheel of fortune turns down, and the
mar looses $500, 900 out of the $500, 000.
C on Sabbath morning he is on a
stknl4HdeT docking for a RitTias gInSpJ.
the old on the bookcase.
He is going to have prayers. His af-
fairs are more n more complicated
and after awhile crash goes his last
dollar. Now he has prayers every
morning and HE hears his grandchildren
the catechism. Prosperity took him
away from God; adversely drove him
back ito God. Hot climate to make the
coral; hot and scaHding trouble ITO
make he Jewels of grace in the soul.
We all hate trouble and yet it does a
great deal of good for us. You have
heard perhaps of that painter
who wished TIC get am expression of
great distress for his canvas and who
had his servant lash a man fast and put
him to great torture, and then the
artist caught the look on the victims
face and Immediately transferred it ITO
the canvas. Then he said to the saTv-
amt, More torture" and under more
tOrture There was a more thorough ex-
preston of pain, and the artist said:
stop there. Wait till I catch that ex-
preston. There! Now I have it upon
the canvas. Let loose tine victim. I
have a work that will last forever"
oh" you say, che WAS an inE1uman
painter" No Goubt about TT. Trou-
Bile is cruel and inlluman, but he is a
great painter and out of our tears and
blood on his palette he makes coioTs
that never die. Oh, that it might be a
picture of Christian fortitude, of shin
ing hope!
On the day 1 was licensed to preach
the gospel an Old Christian man took
nay hand and said, my son, when you
get in a tight corner on Saturday night,
without any sermon, send for me, and
I will preach for you" We'll, it was a
great encouragement to be backed up
fby such a good old minister, and it was
not long before 1 got into a tight cor
ner on Saturday might, without any
sermon, and I sent for the Old minister,
and The came and preached, and it was
the last sermon he ever preached. All
the tears I cried at his funeral could
not express my affection for that man,
who was willing to help me out Of
tight corner. Ah, my friends, tina is
ANA w WI NoAl III COooy W llSIp
us out of a tight corner. You are in
one now How do I know it? I ann
used to judging Of human countenan-
ces, and l see beyond the smile end
beyond the courageous OOH with which
you hide your feelings from others. I
know you are in a tight corner What
to do? Do as I did when Z sent for old
Dr. Scott. DO better than I did-send
for the Lord God of Daniel, and of
Joshua, and of every other man who
got into a tight corner. ''Clh," says
some one, 'twhy cannot God develop
me through prosperity instead of
through adversely" 1 will answer
your question by asking another. Why
does not God dye cur northern ssas
with coral? You say, The water is
not hot enough" There In answer
ing my question yOu ih1ve answered
your own Hot Climate for riches.
specimens OF coral; hot trouble for the
Jewels of the soul The coral fishers
going out from Tore del Greece never
brought ashore such fine specimens as
are brought out of the scalding surges
of misfortune. I look down into The
tropical sea, and there is something
that looks like blood, and 1 say, Has
there been a great battle down there?'
Seeming loo scattered all and down
h reefs. Tt us the blood of the coral,
and 1t makes me htink Of those who
come out OF great tribulations and have
their robes washed hit in the blood
OF the Lamb. But these gems OF earth
are nothing to the gems of heaven ."No
mention shall be made of coral"
Again, 1 take your hand and we walk
on through this garden OF the seas ard
look more particularly than We did at
the beauty of the ora The pos
have all been fascinated with it. One
Of them wrote:
There, with q broad and easy motion.
The fan coral sweeps through the
clear deep sea.
And the yellow and scallet tufts OF the
ocean
Are bent like corn on the upland lea.
CORAL SPECIMENS.
One specimen of coral is called fine