The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1899-01-26


stranger In that househ old ], but as She
found out he "a come on q divine
mission, he was cord daily welcomed.
We have a great many books In our,
day about the rdships Of ministers
and the trials of Christian ministers.
i wish somebody would write a book
about the joys Of the Christian min
lister, about the synnpathies all around
about him, about the kindness, about
the genial Considerations OF him Does
sorrow come to our home, and is there
q shadow on the cradle, there are hum
dreds OF hands to help, and many who
weary not through the night watch
ing. and hundreds Of prayers going UP
that God would restore the sick. Is
there IA burning, Drumming cup Of
calamity placed on the pastors table;
are there not many to help him drink
forted because he is stricken? Oh! for
somebody to write book about the
rewards Of the Christian ministry
yabout his surroundings Of Christian
sympathy, This woman of the text
was only type Of thousands Of men
sion and from cot to do kindness to
the Lords servants. I could tell you
Of something that you might think a
romance. A young man graduated
from New Brunswick Theological
Seminary was called to a village
church. He had not the means to
furnish the parsonage. After three or
four weeks of preaching committee
of the officers of the church waited on
him and told him he looked tired and
thought he had better take vacation
of few days. The young pastor took
it as an intimation that his work was
done or not acceptable. He took the
vacation, and at the end of few days
came back, when an old elder said:
Here is the key Of the parsonage.
We have been cleaning it up. You
had better go up and look at it. So
the young pastor took the key, went up
to the parsonage, opened the door,
and 10! it was carpeted, and there was
the hat-rack all ready for the canes
and the umbrellas and the overcoats,
! the parlor, sofaed, chaired, pictured.
| He passed on to the other side OF the
| hall, and there was the study-table in
| the center of the floor with stationery
upon it, book-shelves built, long ranges
of new volumes far beyond the reach
of the means of the young pastor,
many of these volumes. The young
/ pastor went upstairs, and found all
the sleeping apartments furnished;
came downstairs and" entered the
pantry, and there we're the spices and
the coffees and the sugars, and the
groceries for six months. He went
down into the cellar, and there was the
coal for all the coming winter. He
went into the dining-hall, and there
was the table already settle glass
and the silverware He went into the
kitchen, and there were all the Gull
nary implements and a great stove.
The young pastor lifted one lid of the
stove and he found the fuel all ready
for ignition. Putting back the cover
of the stove, he saw in another part
of it q lucifer match. and all that
young man lad to do in starting to
keep house was to strike the match.
| Where are the feet that have not
| been blistered on the hot sands of this
great Sahara? Where are the soldiers
that have not bent under the burden
of grief? Where is the ship sailing
over CLASSY sea that has not after
awhile been caught in a cyclone?
| Where is the garden of earthly COM
! fort but trouble hath hitched up it's
fiery and painting team, and gone
through it with burning plowshare of
disaster? Under the pelting of ages
| of suffering the great heart of the
world has burst with woe. Navigators
tell us about the rivers, and the ANA
zon, and the Danube, and the Missis-
sippi have been explored; but who can
tell the depth or the length of the
great river of sorrow, made up of
tears and blood, rolling through all
lands and all ages, bearing the wreck
| of families, and of communities, and
of empires, foaming, writhing, boiling
with agonies of six thousand years.
Etna, Cotopaxi and Vesuvius have
been described, but who has ever
sketched the volcano of suffering
retching up from it's depths the lava
and scoria, and pouring them down
the sides to whelm the nations? OH,
if I could gather all the heartstrings.
the broken heartstrings, into a harp,
would play on it dirge such as was
never sounded. ! Mythologists tell us
! of Gorgon and Centaur and Titan. and
biologists tell us of extinct species OF
monsters; but greater than Gorgon or
Megatherium, and not belon ging to the
realm of fable, and not Of an extinct
| species, monster with an iron law
and hundred iron lloofs has walked
across the nations, and history and
poetry and sculpture, in their attempt
| to sketch it and describe it, have
seemed to sweat great drops of blood.
But thank God there are those who can
| conquer as this woman Of the text
conquered, anC say,E""It is we'll: though