Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1899-11-02

|
see patience, but 1t cannot be cultivated
In fair weather. Patience is child of the
storm. II you had everything desirable
and there was nothing more to get, what
would you want with patience? The only
time to cultivate 1t Is when you are lied
about and sick and half dead.
"Oh," you say. "if only had the cir
clmstances OF some we'll to do man would
be patient too." You might as we'll say,
tIf it were not for this water, 1 would
were not for the cartridge When you
| stand chin deep in annoyances Is the time
for you to swim out toward the great
| headlands of Christian attainment. SO as
to "know Christ and the power OF His re-
surrection and to have fellowship with His
sufferings."
| Nothing but the furnace will ever burn
out OF us the clinker and the Stag. l have
formed this theory in regard to small
annoyances and vexations. 1t takes just
| so much trouble to fit us for usefulness
and for heaven. The only question is
whether we shall take 1t in the bulk or
pulverized and granulated. Here is one
| man who takes it IN the bulk. His back Is
broken or his eyesight put out, or some
| other awful calamity befalls him, while the
vast majority of people take the thing
piecemeal. Which way would you rather
have it? OF course, in piecemeal Better
have five aching teeth than ono broken
jaw. better ten fly blisters than an ampu-
| cyclone. There may be difference of
opinion as to allopathy and homo-
| pathy, but in this manner of trouble
l like homeopathic doses, small PELLETS
| of annoyance rather than some knock
down dose OF calamity. Instead of
the thunderbolt give us tue hornet II
you have bank, you would great deal
rather th at fifty men would come in with
checks less than 800 than to have two de-
| positors come in the same day, each want
| ing his SIC, 900. In this latter case you
| cough and look down to the floor and you
look up to the ceiling before you look into
the safe. Now, my friends. would you not
rather have these small drafts Of annoy
ance on your bank OF faith than some all
| staggering demand upon your endurance?
But remember that little as well as great
annoyances equally require you to trust in
Christ for succor and for deliverance from
impatience and irritability. Thou wilt
keep him In perfect peace whose mind is
staid on Thee"
I go into sculptor's studio and see him
hand and a maliet in the other, and he
gives very gentle stroke-click, click,
clickl say, "Why don't you strike hard
err" "Oh,'' he replies. "that would shat
ter the statue. 1 can't do it that way.
must do it this way" So he works on. and
after awhile the features come out, and
everybody that enters the studio is
charmed and fascinated. Well, God has
your soul under process of development,
and 1t is the little annoyances and vexa-
tions of life that are chiseling out your
immortal nature. 1t is click, click, click!
l wonder why some great providence does
not come and with one stroke prepare you
for heaven. Ah, no! God says that is not
| the way, and so He keeps on by strokes of
little vexations until at last you shall be a
glad spectacle for angels and for men.
| You know that large fortune may be
| N at nj
OF moral character may go away in small
depletions. 1t is the little troubles OF life
that are having moro effect upon you than
| great ones. A swarm OF locusts will kill
grain-field sooner than the incursion OF
three or four cattle. You say, "Since lost
my child, since lost my property, have
been different man." But you do not rec
| ognize the architecture OF little annoy
ances that are hewing, digging, cutting,
shaping, splitting and inter- dining your
moral qualities. Rats may sink ship. One
| lucifer match may send destruction through
| n block of storehouses. Catherine de- Me-
! dici got her death from smelling poison
Gus rose. Columbus, by stopping aud ask
ing for n piece OF bread and drink OF
! water at a Franciscan convent. was led to
the discovery OF a new world. And there
is an intimate connection between trides
and immensties, between nothings and
| everythings.
Now, be careful to let none of those an
noyances so through your soul unar-
raigned. Compel them to administer to
your spiritual wealth. The scratch OF a
sixpenny nail sometimes produces lock-
jaw, and the clip of a most infinitesimal
annoyance may damage you forever. Do
| not let any annoyance or perplexity come
across your soul without its making you
| better.
A returned missionary told me that
company Of adventures rowing up the
Ganges, were stung to death by flies
that infest that region at certain sea-
sons. The earth has been strewed with
| the carcasses of men slain by insect
annoyances. The only way to get pre-
pared for the great trouble OF life is to
conquer these small troubles. Wnat
would you say of soldier who refused
to load his gun or to go into the conflict
because 1t was only "a skirmish, saying:
Il am not going to expend my ammuni-
tion on a skirmish. Wait until there
comes general engagement and then
you will see how courageous am and what
battling will do?" The general would say
| to such man, ''If you are not faithful in Il
| skirmish, you would be nothing in gen.
eral enlightenment" And have to tell you,
| o Christian men. II you cannot apply the
scale you will never be able to apply them
on n large scale. II I had my way with
You, 1 would have you possess all pos
sible worldly prosperity. would have
you each one a garuen, river moving
through 1t, geraniums and shrubs on
the sides and the grass and flowers as
beautiful as though the rainbow had
fallen. would have you u house, a
splendid mansion, and the beds should be
covered with upholstery dipped In the set
ting SUM- I would have every hall in your
house set with statues and statuettes, and
then would have the four quarters OF the
globe pour in all the.I, luxuries oa your
table, and you should have forks of silver
and knives of gold, inlaid with diamonds
and amethysts. Then you should each one
of you have the finest horses and your pick
of the equipages Of .he world. Then l
would have you live $50 years, and you
should not have a pain or an ache until the
last breath.
.'Not each one of us?' you say. Yes
each one of you. Not to your enemies?'
Yes. The only difference l would make
with them would be that l would put Il
little e2 ira gilt on their walls and little
extra embroidery on their slippers. But
you say, "Why does not God give US all
these things?" All! bethink myself. He
is wiser. 1t would make fools and sluggards
Of us il we had our way. No man puts his
best picture in the portico or vestibue OF
his house, God meant this world to be