St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1898-04-09

But, as long as this throne stands, and
this everlasting river flows, and those
garlands bloom, and these arches of
victory remain to greet home Heavens
conquerors, SO long l shall see Thee,
Jesus of my choice; forever and for
ever-face to facet!
The idea of the text is just as true
when applied to Gods providence.
Who has not come to some pass in life
thoroughly incxplicable? You say:
..What does this mean? What is God
going to do with me? He tells me that
all things work together for good.
This does not look like it." You con-
tinue to study the dispensation. and
after awhile guess about what God
means. '.He means to teach me this.
l think He means to teach me that.
Perhaps it is to humble my pride. Per-
haps it is to make me feel more
dependent. Perhaps to teach me
the uncertainty of life But
after all, it is only a guess-a
looking through the glass, dark
". The Bible assures US there shall
be Q satisfactory unfolding. "What |
do thou knowest not now; but thou
shalt know hereafter" You will know
why God took to Himself that only
child. Next door there was house
hold of seven children. Why not take
one from that group, instead OF your
only one? Why single out the dwell
ing in which there was only one heart
beating responsive to yours? Why did
God give you a child at all, if He
meant to take it away? Why fill
the cup of your gladness brimming,
if He meant to dash it down?
Why allow the tendrils of your heart
to wind around that object, and then,
when interlocked with the child's life,
with strong hand to tear you apart,
until you fall, bleeding and crushed,
your dwelling dcsolate, your hopes
blasted, your heaat broken? Do you
suppose that God will explain that?
Yea. He will make it palmer than any
mathematical problem-as plain as
that two and two make four. In the
light of the throne you will see that it
was right-all right. Just and true
are all Thy ways, Thou King OF
Saints"
Here is a man who can not get on in
the world. He always seems to buy at
the wrong time and to sell at the worst
disadvantages. He tries this enterprise,
and fails; that business, and is disap-
pointed. The man next door to him
has lucrative trade, but he lacks Gus
toners. A new prospect opens. His
income is increased. But that year his
family are sick; and the profits are ex-
pended in trying to cure the ailments.
He gets discouraged look. Becomes
fa.thless as to success. Begins to ex-
pect disasters. Others wait for some
thing to turn mp; he waits for it to
turn down. Others, with only half as
much education and character. get on
twice as well. lie sometimes guesscs as
to what it means. He says: Perhaps
riches would spoil me. Perhaps poverty
is necessary to keep me humble. Per-
haps l might, if things were otherwise,
be tempted into designations. But
there is no complete solution of the
mystery. He sees through glass
darkly, and must wait for higher
unfolding. Will there be an explana-
tion? Yes: God will take that man in
the light of the throne and say: Child
immortal, hear the explanation! You
remember the failing of that great en-
terprise-your misfortune in 1858; your
disaster in 1867 This is the eXplana-
tion." And you will answer: 1t is
all right"
1 see, every day, profound mysteries
of Providence. There is no question
we ask oftcner than Why? There are
hundreds of graves in Oak Hill and
Greenwood and Laurel Hill that need
to be explained. Hospitals for the
blind and lame, asylums for the idiotic
and insane, almshouses for the desti-
tute, and a world of pain and misfor-
tune that demand moro than human So
luton. All! God will clear it all
up. In the light that pours from
the throne, no dark mystery
can live. Things now utterly in
scrutable will be illumined as plainly
us though the answer were written on
the jasper wall, or sounded in the tenn
pie anthem. Bartimeus will thank
God that he was blind: and Lazarus
that he was covered with sores; and
Joseph that he was cast into the pit;
and Daniel that he denned with lions;
and Paul that he was humpbacked;
and David that he Was driven into Je-
rusalcm: and that Sewingwoman that
she could get only feM pence for max
ing a garment; and that invalid that
for 90 years he could not lift his head
from the pillow: and that widow that
she had such hard work to earn bread
for her children. You know that ih a
song different voices carry different
parts. The sweet and overwhelming
part of the hallelujah of Heaven will
not be carried by those who rode in
high places. and grave sumptuous en-
tertainmcnts, but pauper children
will sing it, beggars will sing it, re-
deemed hod-carriers will sing it, those
who were once the off-s,ouring of the
earth will sing it. The hallelujah will
be all the grander for carth's weeping
eyes, and aching heads, and exhausted
hands, and scourged backs, and mar
tyred agonles.
Again: The tho,ght of the text is just
when applied to the enjoyments of the
righteous in Heaven. / think we have
but little idea of the number of the
righteous in Heaven. Infidels say:
s.Your Heaven will be n very small
place compared with the world of the
lost; for, according 10 your teaching
the majority of men will be destroyed.
l deny the charge. suppose tina,
the multitude of the finally lost. as
compared with the multitude of the
finally saved, will be handful.
suppose that the few sick people in the
hospital to-day. as compared with tho
hundreds Of thousands of well people
in the city, would not be smaller
than the number of those who shall
be cast out in suffering, compared
with those who shall have upon them
the health of Heaven. For we are tc
remember that we are living in com
paratively the beginning of the Chris
tian dispensation, and that this world
is to be populated and redeemed, ane
that ages of light and love are TO fow
on. If this be so. the multitudes OF thu