The Progress., 1898-11-26

some especial work, and their fitness
does not develop until quite late When
Philip DOddridge, whose sermons and
books have harvested uncounted souls
for glory, began to study for the min
istry, DR.. Calamy, one OF the wisest
and best men, advised him to turn his
thoughts to some other work. Isaac Bar
row, the eminent Clergyman and Christian
scientist-his books standard now, though
he has been dead over 200 ysars-was the
disheartenment of his father, who used to
say that If it pleased God to take any Of his
children away he hoped it might BIZ his son
Isaac. So some Of those who have Dcen
characterized for stupidity in boyhood or
glrlhood have turned out the mightiest
benefactors or benefactresses Of the human
race. These things being 80 am not right
in saying that in many cases God only
knows what is the most appropriate thing
for you to do, and He is the one to ask?
And let all parents and all schools and all
universities and all colleges recognize this,
and largo number Of those who spen.
their best years In stumbling about bust
ncsses and occupations, now trying this and
now trying that, and failing in all. would
be able to 60 ahead with definite, de-
cided and tremendous purpose, saying, "To
this end was born"
But my subject now mounts into the
momentous. Let me say that you are
made for usefulness and heaven. I
Judge this from the way you are built.
You go into shop where there is only
one wheel turning and that by work
mans foot on treadle, and you say to
yourself, "Here is something good being
done, yet on small SCALE" but If you go
into factory covering many acres and you
find thousands OF bands pulling on thou
sands OF wheels and shuttes flying and
the whole scene bewildering with activi-
ties, driven by water or steam or electric
power, you conclude that the factory was
put up to do great work and on a vast
scale. Now, | look ut you, and if l should
lind that you bad only one faculty of body,
only one muscle, only one nerve, if you
could see but not hear or could hear and
not see, IL you had the use Of only one foot
or one hand, and as to your higher nature,
II you had only one mental faculty and you
had memory but no judgment or Judgment
but no will, and if you had soul with
only one capacity, would say not much
Is expected Of you. But stand uD, o man,
and let me look you squarely in the
face! Eyes capable of seeing everything.
Ears capable of hearing everything.
Hands capable OF grasping everything
Minds with more wheels than any fac
tory ever turned, more power than any
Corliss engine ever moved. A soul that will
outlive all the universe except heaven, and
would outlive all heaven if the life OF the
other immortals were moment short CT
the eternal. Now, what has the world
right to expect Of you? What has God a
right to demand OF you? God Is the great
est OF economists in the universe, and He
makes nothing uselessly. and for what pur-
pose did He build your body, mind and soul
rs they are built? There are only two be-
ings in the universe who can answer that
question. The angels do not know. The
schools do not know. Your kindred cannot
certainly know. God knows, and you ought
to know. Afactory running at an expense
Of $500, 900 year and turning out goods
worth seventy cents q year would not be
such an incongruity as you. O man, with
such semi-inflnite equipment doing moth
ing. or next to nothing, in the way Of USE
!ulness! what shall do?" you ask. My
brethren, my sisters, do not ask me. Ask
God. There's some path Of Christian use.,
'ulness open. 1t may be a rough path or
It may be smooth path, a long path or a
short path. 1t may be on mount Of con-
'picuity or in valley unobserved, but 1t is
path on which you can start with such
'aith and such satisfaction and such GER
;ainty that you can cry out in the face Of
,arth and hell and heaven, "To this end
Vas born.
You have examined the family Bible and
explored the family records, and you may
We seen daguerreotypes OF some Of the
.indred OF previous generations, you have
aad photographs taken Of what you were
n boyhood or girlhood, and what you were
;en years later, and it Is very Interestingly
my one to be able to look back upon pic
urcs OF what he was ten or twenty or
thirty years ago. But have you ever hada
picture taken OF what you may be and
What you will be II you seek after God and
EEL the spirits regenerating power? Where
hall / plant the camera to take the pic
urs? l plant 1t on this platform. Idirect
toward you. Sit still or stand still while
;apeous picture. There! have it. It is
perfect state and get some idea of what 1t
vii be when thoroughly developed. There
your resurrected body, so brilliant that
compared with it. There Is your soul, so
,ure that all the forces Of diabolism could
lot spot it with an imperfection. There
8 your being. so mighty and so swift
hat flight from heaven to Mercury or
dars or Jupiter and back again to heaven
would not weary you, and world on each
hculder would not crush you. An eye
hat shall never shed a tear. An energy
hat shall never feel fatigue. A brow
hat shall never throb with pain. You are
1oung again, though you died of decrepi-
Jude. You are we'll again, though you
.oughed or shiyered yourself into the tomb.
Your everyday associates are the apostles
Ind prophets and martyrs, and the most
exalted souls, masculine and feminine, Of
Ill the centuries. The archanSel to you no
embarrassment. God Himself your present
and everlasting Joy. That is an instan-
;aneous picture Of what you may. be and
what am sure some Of you will be.
Hyou realize that 1t is an imperfect pic.
lure my apology is what the apostle John
said, ut doth not yet appear what We
shall be-" "To this end was born"
II I did not think so would be over
whelmed with melancholy. The world
does very we'll for little while, eighty
Or 100 or $50 years, and l think that