The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1898-08-25

to Inquire - TO his welfare. But pow
Ierty On the one side and sickness on the
Iother are Bosss and eeneh. and they
inter,ock their shadows and drop them
on the poor mans way. God help him!
There 10 . sharp rock on the one side
and sharp rock on the other side"
Now. what 10 such man to DO? In
the name Of Almighty God. will tell
him what to do. Do as Jonathan did
climb: climb up into the sunlight Of
Gods favor and consolation. I can 10
through the churches and show you
men who lost fortune and health at the
same time. and yet who sing all day
and dream Of heaven all night. II you
have any idea that sound digestion and
steady nerves and clear eyeslght and
good hearing and plenty Of friends are
Necessary to make q man happy, you
have miscalculated. I suppose that
these overhanging rocks only made
Jonathan scramble the harder and the
faster to get up and out into the sun
light. and this combined shadow Of In
l Shhoiohi aua
has often sent a man UP the quicker
into the sunlight Of Gods favor and
the MONDAY Of his glorious promises.
1t 10 a difficult thing for man to feel
his dependence upon God when he has
sc. 900 in the bank and $4,000 In gov
ernment securities. and q block of
stores and three ships. "Well." the
man says to himself. 1T is silly for me
to pray Give me this day my daily
bread when my pantry Is full and the
canals from the west are crowded with
breadstuffs destined for my store
houses" Oh. my friends. II the COM
bined misfortunes and disasters Of llfr
have made you climb up into the arms
Of a sympathetic and compassionate
God. through all eternity you will bless
him that In this world there was a
sharp rock on the one side and sharp
rock on the other side"
Again. that man Is In the crisis OF
the text who has home troubles and
outside persecution at the same time.
The world treats q man we'll just as
long as It pays to treat him we'll. As
long as 1t can manufacture success out
Of his bone and brain and muscle 1t IA
vors him. The world fattens the horse
that It wants to drive. But let man
See II his duty to cross the track Of the
world. then every bush Is full of horns
and tusks thrust at him. They will be-
little him. They will caricature him.
They will call his generosity self az
grandizement and his piety sanct.mo-
niousness. The very worst persecution
will sometimes come upon him from
those who profess to be Christians.
John Mllton-great and good John
Milton-so far forgot himself as to
pray In 30 many words that his ene-
niles might be eternally thrown down
into the darkest and deepest gulf Of
hell. and to be underlnost and most
detected. and the lowest down vassals
Of perditlon. And Martin Luther So
far forgot himself as to say in regard
to his theological opponents. Put them
In whatever sauce you please, roasted
or fried or baked or stewed or boiled
or hashed. they are nothing but asses"
All. my friends. II John Milton or Mar
tin Luther could come down to such
scurrllity. what may you not expect
from less elevated opponents? Now,
sometimes the world takes after them,
the newspapers take after them, puD-
lie opinion takes after them. and the
unfortunate man Is lied about until all
the dictionary of Billingsgate Is sx-
hausted on hin, You often zee a man
whom you know to be good and pure
and honest. set upon by the world and
mauled BY whole communities, while
vicious men take on a supercllious air
IN condemnation OF him, as though Lord
Jeffreys should write an essay on gen
tleness or Henry VIII talk about pur-
ity or King Herod take to blessing lit
tie children.
Now. a certain amount OF persecution
rouses a mans defiance, stirs his blood
for magnificent battle and makes him
fifty times more a man than he would
have been without the persecution. SO
It was with the great reformer when
he said II will not be put down;
will be heard" And 30 1t was with
Millard. the preacher. In the time Of
Louis XI When Louis XI sent word
to him that unless ne stopped preach
ing In that style he would throw him
into the river. he replied: "Tell the
king l will reach heaven sooner by
water than he will reach 1t by fast
horses" A certain amount Of persecu-
ton Is tonic and inspiration. but too
much Of It. and too long continued be-
comes the rock Bozez throwing a dark
shadow over mans life. What Is he
to do. then? Go home. you say? Good
advice. that. That Is just the place
for man to go when the world abuses
him. Go home. Blessed be God for
our quiet and sympathetic homes. But
there is many man who has the repu-
tation Of having q home when he has
none. Through unthinkingness or pre-
cipitation there are many matches
made that ought never to have been