The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1898-03-11

This is my Jesus! He gave himself FOR
me. l shall never leave his presence.
| shall forever behold his glory.
shall eternally hear his voice. Lord
Jesus, now see thee! behold where
the blood started, where the tears
coursed, where the face was distorted.
| have waited for this hour. ! shall
never turn my back on thee. No more
looking through imperfect glasses. NO
more studying thee in the darkness.
But, as long as this throne stands, and
this everlasting river flows and those
garlands bloom, and these arches or
victory remain to greet home heavens
conquerors, so long | shall see thee
Jesus of my choice; Jesus OF my song;
Jesus of my triumph-forever and for
ever-face to face"
The idea of the text is just as true
when applied to Gods providence. Who
has not come to some pass in life thor
oughly inexplicable? You say. What
does this mean? What is God going
to do with me now? He tells me that
all things work together for good. Thls
does not look like it," You continue
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. Perhaps 1t
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, darkly.
The Bible assures us there shall be
satisfactory unfolding What l
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 he meant
to take it away? Why fill the cup OF
your gladness brimming, if he meant
to dash it down? Why allow all the
tendrils of your heart to wind around
that object, and then. when every fibre
of your own life seemed to be inter-
locked 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 heart
broken? Do you suppose that God will
explain that? Yea. He will make 1t
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.
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 dlsap-
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 a 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 we'll. He sometimes guesses as to
what it all means. He says, Perhaps
riches would spoil me. Perhaps power
ty is necessary to keep me humble
Perhaps 1 might, if things were other
wise, be tempted into designations
But there is no complete solution of the
mystery. He sees through a glass
darkly, and must wait for higher I'M
folding. 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 1857; your
disaster in 1867. This is the explana-
ton" And you will answer, 1T is all
right"
l see, every day, profound mysteries
of providence. There is no question
we ask oftener 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 more 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 inscrutable will be illumined as
plainly as though the answer were
written on the jasper wall or sounded
in the temple anthem. Bartimeus will
thank God that he was blind; and Lag
arus that he was covered with sores;
and Joseph that he was cast into the
pit; and Daniel that he was denned
with lions; and Paul that he was hump
backed: and David that he was driven
from jerusalem; and that sewing
woman that she could get only few
pense for making a garment; and that
invalid that for twenty 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