Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1898-11-24

ought to be pounding shoe lasts, and
doctors who are the worst hindrances
to their patients convalescence, and
artists trying TO paint landscapes who
ought to be whitewashing board fences,
while there are others making bricks
who ought to be remodeling constitu.
tons or showing planes who ought to
be transforming literatures. Ask God
about what worldly business YOU shall
undertake until you are SO positive you
can In earnestness snite your hand on
your pillow handle or your carpenters
bench, or your Blackstone's Com
mentaries," or your medical diction.
airy, or your DR.. Dicks "Didactic The
ology.' saying: For this end was I
born" There are children who early
develop natural afiinities for certain
styles of work. When the father of the
Astronomer Forbes was going to Lon
don he asked his children what present
he should bring each one of them, The
boy who was to be an astronomer cried
out: Bring me telescope!"
But my subject now mounts into the
momentous. Let me say that you are
made for usefulness and Heaven. l
Judge this from the way you are built.
You go into shop where there 10
only one wheel turning and that by Q
wcrkman's foot on treadle, and you
say to yourself: Here Is something
good being done, yet on small SCALE"
hut II you go into factory covering
many acres and you find thousands OF
bands pulling or thousands OF wheels
Ind shuttles flying and the whole
scene bewildering with activities,
driven by water OF steam or electric
power. you conclude that the factory
was put up to do great work and on
vast scale, Now, look at you, and II
] should find that you had only one
faculty of body, only one muscle, only
one nerve, if you could see but not
hear. or could hear and not see. II you
had the use Of only one foot or one
hand, and, as to your higher nature, II
YOU had only one mental faculty and
YOU had memory but no Judgment, or
Judgment but no will, and II you had
G soul with only one capacity, should
soy not much is expected of you. But
stand up, oh. man, and let me look you
squarely In the face. Eyes capable OF
seeing everything. Ears capable Of
hearing everything. Hands capable Of
grasping everything. Minds with more
wheels than any factory ever turned,
uore power than any Corliss engine
ever moved. A soul that will outlive
all the universe except heaven, and
would outhvc all heaven II the life Of
the other immortals were = moment
short of the eternal. Now, what has
the world right to expect of you?
What has God right to demand OF
you? God Is the greatest of econo.
msts in the universe, and He makes
nothing uselcssly. and for what pur-
rose did He build your body, mind and
soul as they are built? There are only
two beings In the universe who can
answer that question. The angels do
not know. The schools do not know,
Your kindred cannot certainly know.
God knows. and you ought to know.
\ factory running ut an expense Of
100000 year and turning out goods
worth 70 cents year would not be
such an incongruity as you, o man.
with such sem-infnite equipment do
ing nothing. or next to nothing. in the
way of usefulness. What shall do?"
YOU ask. My brethren, my sisters, do
not ask me. Ask God. There's some
path Of Christian usefulness open. 1t
may be rough path or it may be a
smooth path, a long path or a short
path. 1t may be on the mount Of con-
spicuity or in the valley unobseryed,
but it is path on which you can start
with such faith and such satisfaction
aud such certainty that you can cry
out III the face of earth and hell and
heaven: "To this end was born"
DO not wait for extraordinary quail
fications. Philip, the conqueror, gained
his greatest victories seated on mule,
and il you, wait for some caparisoned
Bucophalus to ride into the conflict you
will never get into the worldwide fight
n, all Samson slew the Lords en-
cmies with the iawbone of the stupid
est beast created, Shamgar slew 600
of the Lords enemies with an OK goad,
Under God spittle cured the blind
mans eyes in the New Testament story.
Take ill the faculty you have and sny:
- Lord, here is what have! Show
me the field, and back me up by omnipo.
ten; power. Anywhere. anyhow, ans
time for God"
1t may be helpful il recite my own
experience in this regard. started
for the law without asking any divine
direction. / consulted my own tastes.
liked lawyers and courtrooms and
judges and juries. and reveled in hearing
the FreIinghuysens and the Bradleys
Of the New Jersey bar. and as assistant
OF the county clerk, at l6 years OF age,
| searched titles. naturalized foreign
ers, recorded deeds. received the con-
fession OF judgments. swore witnesses
and juries and grand juries, but after
awhile felt call TO the gospel minis
try and entered It. and felt some salts
faction in the work: but one summer
when was resting at Sharon Springs