Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1898-04-15


evcr-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 ineXplicable? 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 meaus to teach me this.
| 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 guess-a
looking through the glass, dark
ly. The Bible assures us there shall
be a 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 child at all, if lie
meant to take it away? Why fiji
the cup of your gladness trimming,
if lie meant to dash it down?
Why allow the tendrils of your heart
to wind around that object, and then,
when interloclied with the child's life,
with strong hand to tear you apart,
until you fall, bleeding and crushed,
your dwelling desolate, your hopes
blasted, your heaat broken? Do you
suppose that God will explain that?
Yea. lie 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 man who can not get on in
the world. He always seems to buy at
the wrong time and to sell at the worst
disadvantage. He tries this enterprise,
and fails; that business, and is disap-
pointed, The man next door TO him
has Ii 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
faithless as to success. Begins to eX-
pect disasters. Others wait for some
thing to turn up; he waits for it to
turn down. Others, with only half as
much education and character, get on
twice as well. He sometimes guesses as
to what it means. He says: Perhaps
riches would spoil me. Perhaps poverty
is necessary to keep me humble. Per-
haps | might, if things were otherwise,
be tempted into designations. But
there is no complete solution of the
mystery. He sees through a glas,
darlly, and must wait for higher
unfolding. Will there be an explana-
ton? 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.
ton And You will answer: ut is
all right
I see, every day, profound mysteries
of Providence. There is no question
we ask oftener than Why? There ar,
hundreds of graves in Oak Hill anC
Greenwood and Laurel Hill that neeC
to be explained. Hospitals for tn,
blind and lame, asylums for the IDIOT,
and insane, almshouses for the desti
tute, and world of pain and misfor
tune that demand more than human so
luton. All! God will clear it al
up. In the light that pours from
the throne, no dark myster,
can live. Things now utterly in
scrutable will be illumined as plainly
as though the answer were written OF
the jasper wall, or sounded in the TEN
pie anthem. Bartimeus will thanl
God that he was blind; and Lazaru
that he was covered with sores; ant
Joseph that he was east into the pit
and Daniel that he denned with lions
and Paul that he was humpbacked
and David that he was driven into Je
rusalem; and that sewing-woman tina
she could get only a few pence for max
ing garment; and that invalid tina
for 90 years he-could not lift his heat
from the pillow; and that widow tina
she had such hard work to earn breat
for her children. You know that i'll
song different voices carry differen
parts. The sweet and Overwhelming
part of the hallelujah of Heaven will
not be carried by those who rode il
high places, and grave sumptuous en-
tertainments, but pauper children
will sing it, beggars will sing it, re
deemed hod-carriers will sing it, thos
who were once the oh-scouring of thu
earth will sing it. The hallelujah vii
be all the grander for earth's weepin,
eyes, and aching heads, and eXhauste,
hands, and scourged backs, and mar
tyred agonies.
Again: The thought of the text is jus
| when applied to the enjoyments of tn,
| righteous in Heaven. think we hav
but little idea of the number of tn
| righteous in Heaven. lntidels say
, Your Heaven will be very small
place compared with the world of tn
[ lost; for, according to your teaching
[ the majority of men will be destroyed.
l deny the charge suppose tina
the multitude of the finally lost, a
compared with the multitude of tn
6 finally saved, will be handful.
, suppose that the few sick people in th
, hospital to-day, as compared with til
hundreds of thousands of well peopl
in the city, would not be smalle
than the number of those who shal
, be cast out in suffering, compare
' with those who shall have upon ther