The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1898-03-16

t6st, Perhaps it is to humble my
pride. Perhaps 1t IS to make me feel
more dependent, Perhaps to teach
me the uncertainty of life" But
after al It is only q guess looking
through The glass darkly. The Bible
assures US there shall be s satisfactory
unfolding. "What I do thou know
est not now. but thou shalt know
hereafter" You will know why God
took to himself that only child. Next
door there was q household OF seven
children. Why not take one from
that group instead Of your oaly one.
Why single out the dwelling N winch
there was cnly one hesrt beating re,
sponsive to yours Why did GOD
give you a child at sli If he meant 10
take il away2 Why I'll the cup OF
your gladness Drumming II he meant
to dash il down? Why allow all the
tendriIs OF your heart TO wind around
that obiect sud then, when every
fber OF -FOUR own life seemed to te
jnterlccked with the child,s life, with
strong hand to tear you apart, until
vcu ISL, bleeding and crushed, your
dwelling desolate, your hopes blasted,
your heart oroken2 Do you suppose
that God will explain that? Yea He
will make it palmer than any mathe-
naticaI problem-as plain as thst two
and two make lonr. In the light Of
the throne ycu will see that ii was
rieht-all right. Just snd true are
sll thy wayS, thou King Of saints"
Here IS man who cannot get on in
the world. He always seems to buy
st the wrong time and to sell at the
worst disadvantage. He tries this en-
terprise and fails; that business and IS
disappointed. The man next door to
him has a lucrative trade, but he lacks
customers. s new prospect opens.
His income IS increased. But that
year his family are sick, and the
profits are expended in trying to cure
The ailments. he gets a Encouraged
look. Becomes faithless as to success.
oegius to expect disasters. Others
wait for something to turn up; he
waits for it to turn down. Others
with only half as much educatlon and
character get on twice as well. be
sometimes guesses as to what 1t all
means. He says: Perhaps riches
would spoil me. Perhaps poverty IS
necessary to beep me humble. Per
haps I might, if things were other,
wise, be tempted into dissipatlons. "
But there is no complete solution OF
the mystery. Re seas through glass
darkly and must wait for hls cher un-
folding. Will there be an explana-
tion2 Yes; Goa will take that man
in the light of the throne and say:
Guild immortal, hear the explans-
ton! You remember the failing
OF that great enterprise-your misfcr-
tune IN 1857, your disaster n 1867.
This is the explanation. And you
will answer, "It is all right.
see, every day, profound myster-
les of Providence. There is no ques-
ton we ask oftener than Why2 Hos
pitals for the blind and lame, asylums
j for the idiotic and insane, slmshouses
for the destitute and world OF pain
and misfortune that demanded more
than human solution. All, God will
clear it all up. In the light that pours
from the throne, no dark mystery can
live. Things now utterly inscrutable
will be illumined as plainly as though
the answer were written on the jasper
wall or sounded in hetemple anthem.
| Bartemius will thank God that he was
blind, and Lazarus that he was cover
ed with sores, and Joseph that he was
cast irto the pit, and Daniel that ne
deuned with lions, and Paul that he
was humpbacked, and David that be
was driven from jerusalem, ans that
sewing woman that she could get
only s few pence for making q gar
ment, and that invalid that for 90
years he could not lift his head from
tie pillow, and that widow that she
had such hard work to earn bread for
her children. You know that in
song different voices carry different
parts. The sweet and overwhelming
part of the halleluiah Of heaven will
not be carried by those who rode in
high places and gave sumptuous en-
tertainments, but pauper children will
sing it, redeemed hod carriers will
sing it, those who were once the Oft
securing Of earth will sing it. The
halleluiah will be all the erander for
earth's weeping eyes and aching hands
and scourged backs and martyred ago
MES.
Again. the thought Of the text is
just when spilled to the enjoyments
OF the righteous in heaven. I think
We have but little idea Of the number
Of the righteous in heaven. ln6dels
say, "Your heaven will be a very
small place compared with the world
Of the lost; for, according to your
taaching, the majority OF men will be
destroyed" deny the charge. I
suppose that the multitude of the fin,
ally lost, as compared with the multi.
sude Of the finally saved, will be q
handful. Isuppose that the few sick
people IN the hospital today, as com
pared with the hundreds Of thous
ands Of well people IN the city, would
not be smaller than the aumber Of
those who shall be cast out in suffer
iog, ConpSreo VIII those who shall
have upon them Ii. health Of heaven.
For we are to remember that We are
living in comparatively the beginning
OF the Christian dispensation and that
this world is to ba populated and re
deemed and that ages OF light and love
are to flow on. 1fthis be SO, the mul
titudss. OF the saved will be in vast
majority.
We are tod that heaven is place
OF happiness, but what do we know
shout happiness2 Happiness in this
world is only a half fedged thing-a
dowery pstb, with serpent Kissing
actoss It; a broken pitcher. from which
the water has dropped before we could
drink it; 8 thrill Of exhiIsration, fol.
lowed by disastrous reactions. To
help US understand the JOY of heaven,
the Bible takes us to s river. We
stand on tie grassy bank. We see
the waters TOW on with ceasaless