The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1901-03-13

her form: she gave a sob and caught
herself, saying
God is so good Beth's better. Well
| take courage and be more faithful than
| ever
But he went out with his brain in
whirl. He had no sermon. He could
think of nothing to say to his people
| nothing to say.
s. =
thing Sunday morning.
"A rare opportunity to help many
souls he said, land I'm not ready. |
have nothing to say"
The hymns. the prayers, the lessons
were finished; and Jonathan stood mp
Everybody who had called on him dur
| ing the past two weeks-and there had
! been many, for it had early gone abroad
that the minister was unusually full of
the Holy Ghost and prayed powerful
strong" with troubled folks-were there.
All regarded him with peculiarly kind
eyes. The story &C. Reth's sickness and
AS carefully as he had sought to hide
| them-of severe economies practiced in
his home was known now.
Beloved" he said, Il have no sermon
ready. My child has been ill-at the
point of death, as you all know. SO, |
stand before you unprepared today. |
am depending on God to give me some
message that will help you. And | feel
called to choose as my text, Have Faith
in God / feel that in answer to prayer
God has saved my child just as surely as
| He healed the centurion's little daughter
years ago; and so | can say with a full
heart Have faith in God But if he had
taken my child the minister's voice
fell almost TO a whisper; for an instant
his eyes were blurred with the agony of
the trial that had so lately shaken him
/ .tI Inv f0If in
God"" He paused long, as questioning
himself. Then in a voice low but dis
| tinct: yes, [ could. 1t does not mat
ter what the trouble may be, there is but
| one armor in which we may meet it safe
| ly-'faith in God If it be death, faith
trance into a larger life. If it be power
ty-if the wolf be at the door-if one
| have not food enough for the dear ones
faith in God is the one resource, the
one cordial to keep hope alive. to inspire
endeavor. to give strength to the fainting
and famished flesh. If friends be faith.
less-if your dearest has turned against
you-then faith in God is your city of
refuge, your one security against mad
ness. What IS faith iii God good for.
YOU question, if it does not bring what
we ask for? 1t is enough in itselfr' His
voice rang out, clear, sweet, triumphant.
20. my friends, if we had faith in God,
there would be no black moment and no
haltings for us. There would be no
weakness; there would be no failures.
Our strength would always be equal to
| our task
Even as he spoke, they saw him waiver
and sink to the platform.
The doctor who attended Beth-a
worldly man whom the people didn't like
--bent over him and said
He has only tainted" and muttered,
she hasn't had enough to eat for
month"
/ s. y s. s. s.
ST. Matthews mission was the offspring
of rich but Indifferent parent. st. Mat
thew's uptown had a fine organ and
choir Of glorious voices; it had cushioned
pews; wonderful stained glass windows
by La Fargo, and reredos by st. eau
dens. st. Matthew's was run by one
man, people said: Mr.. Richmond, who
had paid off debt that hung over the
church, who gave the reredos and who
always made up deficits out of his own
pocket. He had taken a dislike to Jona-
than Long.
'"The fellows got no go in him. he
said, land he'll never make a success Of
the mission.
Meanwhile, Mr.. Richmond and the 9TH
er members of the uptown church came
as rarely as possible to the mission 1t
happened, however, that Mr.. Richmond
was in the mission on the morning that
Jonathan tainted; he was there as a
critic; he was to report to the vestry
next day, and they were to consider
whether they should not ask Mr.. Long
to resign. Somebody repeated to him
what the doctor said. The doctor, too,
repeated his own words to Mr. Richmond.
ministers are VIGOROUSLY lmprOvldent
and bad managers" said Mr.. Richmond.
They are never practical
Then the doctor described the refriger-
| q rra N 90 q
vices ''for making nothing go a long
| way" which he had seen in the Long
| home.
y
The next afternoon Jonathan called on
M. Richmond at his office in the bank
of which he was president. The banker
had made up his mind to save the Long
| family from starvation, but before he
| could announce his intention, Jonathan
| said:
"Mr. Richmond, I want you to give me
some employment
do you mean to retire from the min
istry?"
UNLESS | am more successful, yes.
But l did not purpose resigning just yet.
want to give myself another trial. But
| haven't a right to expose Mary and
Beth to prlgations wnen I'm able to
work. I'm good bookkeeper. Can you
let me have set of books to keep at
| thouSuI YOU Idu NdIiouo
| branches of business under your direc-
ton. you might be able to give me a
job?"
Mr.. Richmond was silent, and Jona-
than went on: Il think-since Eeth's
sickness know my people better, some
how. / think l can help them, now
know the mission has not fiourished; and
/ have not felt that | could look for the
advance in my salary promised"
Il think that sermon when you tainted
was the best | ever heard 1t wasn't
much Of a sermon, but it went to peo-
,,lf ~ hos pfc 10 ,al,